Scholarships, Targeted Support, and Leadership Development to Increase Retention and Graduation of Math-Intensive STEM Majors

Brookdale Community College, Lincroft NJ

Investigators

Abstract

This project will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need at Brookdale Community College. Over its five-year duration, this project will fund scholarships to thirty-two unique full-time students pursuing Associate's degrees in engineering, computer science, chemistry, physics, or mathematics. The Scholars will enter as three annual cohorts and receive scholarships for up to three years. In addition to scholarships, Scholars will have access to multiple supporting activities including: 1) a summer bridge program incorporating academic, success, and cultural facets; 2) a weekly skills-enhancement session tied to mathematics courses from pre-calculus to Calculus II; 3) mentoring by faculty members from the Scholar’s discipline; and 4) a Leadership Seminar that will feature industry, faculty, and student speakers and workshops designed to build leadership skills and belonging in STEM. Scholars will be expected to engage in a leadership activity during their second year. A research project, internship, or collaboration with a potential four-year transfer institution will serve as Scholars’ capstone experience. These support structures and leadership development activities are designed to help level the playing field in STEM education by addressing academic and cultural disparities. In addition, they will help prepare students to assume leadership roles after graduation, thereby contributing to a more diverse and globally competitive STEM workforce. The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. Specific objectives include increasing the retention and completion rates in the five targeted majors, raising the completion rates in the four-course mathematics sequence common to these majors, and enhancing the Scholars' sense of STEM identity. Course data and student assessments will be used to study the effectiveness of supplemental instruction in mathematics courses. Student reflective journals, pre- and post-assessments, and individual and group interviews will be used to advance the understanding of the conditions under which students develop identities as scientists. Through dissemination of program components and outcomes at regional and national conferences and in publications, insights and best practices will be shared and adapted on a larger scale and at additional institutions. This project is funded by NSF's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. It also aims to improve the education of future STEM workers and generate knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low-income students. 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.