Increasing the Access and Success of Scholars in Mathematics and Computer Science at a Hispanic Serving Institution

Cuny Hostos Community College, Bronx NY

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 Hostos Community College – CUNY, a two-year Hispanic-serving institution in the South Bronx, NY. Over its 6-year duration, this project will provide scholarships to 35 undergraduate students who are pursuing Associate’s degrees in Mathematics or Computer Science. First year students will receive up to three years of scholarship support and transfer students will receive up to two-year scholarships. The project intends to increase student persistence in STEM fields by providing scholars with effective supporting activities. The project will also support curriculum revisions to improve first-year student retention in STEM. This project team plans to investigate the effects of psychosocial factors on student motivation, self-confidence, and perseverance. This project has the potential to advance understanding of the impact of financial assistance coupled with flexible online resources for degree attainment and career-enhancing certifications for students in STEM. As Hostos Community College has a large population of underrepresented students, this project has the potential to broaden participation in STEM fields and to learn how mentoring, online resources, and individual development plans can support retention and graduation of underrepresented students. The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. There are three specific aims: (1) increase the access and success of students by providing financial assistance; (2) engage participants in online resources to improve students' learning and academic performance; and (3) offer professional certifications for scholars’ career readiness. The proposed supporting activities include mentoring, tutorial support in mathematics and computer science, service learning through co-curricular activities leading to certification in S-STEM fields, career readiness, internship and networking opportunities with STEM professionals, and participation in discipline-specific conferences. The project team plans to investigate how the scholars develop confidence and learning proficiency after participating in professional development workshops and conferences. This project will be evaluated using surveys throughout the project. Results will be disseminated through professional development workshops, conference proceedings, journal publication, and a project website. 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 to 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.