Combining Academic Support and Service Learning to Support Success of Undergraduates in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Fields

Loras College, Dubuque IA

Investigators

Abstract

The NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program supports the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students pursuing STEM degrees. In this project, Loras College will award scholarships of up to $10,000 per year to high-achieving students with demonstrated financial need. The awards are renewable up to three times and the college anticipates supporting two groups of 9-10 students throughout the five years of the project. To support student success, the principal investigator (PI) team will coordinate a suite of academic support services together with community-based service learning opportunities. By building such opportunities into its curriculum, Loras College seeks to help southern Iowa, and the Nation more broadly, recruit and graduate additional STEM students. These graduates can contribute to critical regional and national workforce demands. The project aims to provide financial, academic, career planning, and social support for students considering STEM degrees, in concert with creating a cohort model and community-based learning opportunities. The project's twin pedagogical approaches (academic support services and the community-based learning model) have proven successful at other institutions. However, this project is innovative in implementing and assessing this combination of approaches. Scholarship recipients will enroll in a series of one-credit courses designed to develop their scientific identities. Through these courses, students will participate in activities to support two critical transitions: from high-school to college and from college into the workforce. Academic support will include mentoring by engaged faculty, peer support, and training in academic success skills, such as time management, test taking strategies, and studying approaches. The project will also provide social support through professional events, shared community events, and bridging activities. Finally, the investigators will organize tours of local industry and group community-based research and design projects. Effectiveness of this program will be evaluated using survey and quantitative data. The educational resources and research results will be disseminated through regional and national publications, in presentations at professional meetings, and at annual reports to NSF and the college. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.