Fostering Interdisciplinary Community, Belonging, and Success of Low-Income, High-Achieving Mathematics, Computer Science, and Statistics Majors

Regents Of The University Of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

This project will contribute to the national need for scientists and professionals highly trained in quantitative fields by supporting the success and retention of high-achieving, low-income students at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Over its six year duration, the project will provide scholarships to three cohorts of students (45 unique undergraduate students total) who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics, Computer Science, and Statistics. Second-year students and transfer students entering the program will receive financial support through graduation. The project will support scholars through their major and into their post-graduation pursuits via several key activities and structures. These include a project-based, interdisciplinary, summer institute; small learning communities in key second year courses; trained, long-term faculty mentors; project-dedicated academic advisors; and the resources of an established broader STEM scholar program. The project will support students by increasing their sense of belonging, academic success, and financial upward mobility, and the institution and disciplines more broadly will also benefit. As part of the project, faculty will be trained in mentoring students from historically marginalized groups. The course-adjacent learning communities that the project supports will also continue to sustain majors, especially those from groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM, beyond the lifetime of the grant. Most broadly, the three target disciplines will benefit from diversifying the pool of practitioners. While much attention has been paid to Calculus as a gatekeeper to STEM disciplines, this project offers a novel approach in its targeted support for students in courses beyond Calculus. The overall goal of the project is to increase degree completion success (as measured by grades, employment, and graduate program admissions) of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates in Mathematics, Computer Science and Statistics. Specifically, goals of the project include having scholars achieve grade benchmarks in targeted second-year courses, obtain internships, build lasting relationships with mentors, and persist in relevant careers or graduate school in their chosen disciplines. A utilization-focused approach will be used to conduct a formative and summative outcome monitoring evaluation of the project’s duration to (1) document the attainment of project goals and objectives, (2) inform improvements in the implementation process, (3) document student outcome attainment, as well as departmental and institutional impacts, and (4) capture lessons learned to inform knowledge dissemination products. For formative evaluation, the evaluation team will collect scholar feedback in written and focus group format, track overall attendance and participation, and compare different incentive structures for study group participation and their success rates. For summative evaluation, the evaluation team will collect survey data on several validated scales, grade data, course-taking data, and career planning/attainment data, and compare these results with a quasi-experimental, comparable “waitlist” of 45 students. The evaluation team will also track outcomes at the department, discipline, and institutional levels. The grant team will share program results and key lessons at relevant national conferences, within the University, through peer-reviewed publications, and on 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.