HBCU-UP Planning Grant

Benedict College, Columbia SC

Investigators

Abstract

A majority of entering students begin their college careers with inadequate mathematics background to pursue SMET careers. The purpose of the proposed planning program is to design a comprehensive program to overcome these entering deficiencies to improve the participation and performance of minority students in SMET disciplines. The overall goals of the planning program will be (a) to assess the strengths, weaknesses and needs of mathematics instruction as well as other gate-keeping courses in the SMET disciplines; and (b) to assess undergraduate student research needs and opportunities in SMET disciplines on and off campus. Assessment includes, student performances on many items such as the Sophomore Proficiency Examination, Major Area Examinations, Graduate and Professional School Entrance Examinations, success in advanced programs, presentations of research papers at professional conferences, professional publications, and the type of employment and advancement in ranks. Assessment of the quality of faculty members in the SMET disciplines will be done by a review of the credentials of faculty members as compared to the SMET faculty in other institutions and the standards set by accrediting bodies and performance portfolios. In assessing faculty development and recruitment needs, the ratio of instructor/students in mathematics and other SMET disciplines will be compared with other majors at Benedict, as well as with other similar institutions. Visitation to other institutions with SMET's curricula that have recently been reformed due to NSF effort, self-study or otherwise, will help Benedict to have a better assessment of the College's current SMET's curricula. This is also the case when selected staff members of the Task Force visit sites that they have recently reformed their SMET's curricula. The current and future technology needs for SMET courses, in general, and SMET majors, in particular, will be assessed. Consultants with expertise in SMET curricula will be used in the overall process of assessing the current curricula and potentially improving and/or redesigning them. It will be made certain that high-level decision-making administrators (President, his cabinet, and deans) review the comprehensive proposal and approve its contents before submission to NSF . An internal advisory committee, (Task Force), will help to guide the work and to assess the planing program. In particular, this committee will help assess and analyze data and plan/design the curriculum for the comprehensive program. It is anticipated that the proposed project will result in the development of a competitive proposal for submission to the National Science Foundation for funding through the HBCU-UP Program. The proposal will be based on an accurate assessment of current and future needs in the SMET programs at Benedict College. Results of these assessment activities will also provide information needed by the College to improve other areas that bear on the performance of students in the SMET disciplines.