Promoting an Increased Sense of Belonging for Students and Their Families to Increase Success in Computer Science and Computer Engineering

University Of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas NV

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 with demonstrated financial need. Throughout its five years of funding, this project at University of Nevada, Las Vegas will provide scholarships to 16 students who are pursuing bachelor's degrees in computer science and computer engineering. The project seeks to increase recruitment, retention, student success, and graduation through academic support and student support programs. In addition, the project aims to promote students' sense of belonging by offering a family engagement program. The project aims to advance understanding of how to better support student success by incorporating self-study practices and involve families, especially those of low-income and first-generation students. The project plans to investigate how a student's sense of belonging, inclusion of families in the university experience, and involvement of students' self-study will affect overall success in the STEM disciplines. The project aims to provide Scholars with rich and meaningful learning experiences in computer engineering and computer science. The student support mechanisms will include: 1) a summer bridge program to prepare Scholars for the transition to college; 2) academic supports via tutoring and mentoring by faculty and peers; 3) social scaffolding with cohort activities and family engagements; 4) faculty connectivity such as via seminars and summer research; and 5) engagement with local STEM industries via tours, conferences, summer internships, and industry-sponsored senior design projects. The project intends to promote student success by reaching beyond the campus to strengthen family understanding of the university experience. The knowledge gained from this project could inform strategies to strengthen recruitment of students into the STEM workforce and/or graduate studies. 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.