Aligning Career and Campus Experiences for Student Success

Pennsylvania Western University, California PA

Investigators

Abstract

This project will support the recruitment, enrollment, retention, and graduation of 12 low-income, academically-talented students with demonstrated financial need enrolling in the following Bachelor of Science degree programs: Computer Engineering Technology, Electrical Engineering Technology, or Mechatronics Engineering Technology. These degrees are a crucial component of 21st-century workforce development, with graduates entering well-paying jobs that provide economic benefits at the local, regional, and state levels. The project's title "Aligning Career and Campus Experiences for Student Success," or "ACCESS," conveys the project team's approach that is based on established practices for teaching and learning, and incorporates intentional, proactive activities to prepare students for immediate contribution to the workforce. ACCESS Scholars will be supported through student-centered advising practices, coupled with opportunities for guided professional exploration. These scholarships fulfill the NSF goal of enabling access to STEM education for all, including low-income, academically-talented students. The funding to address unmet need will enable low-income, academically-talented students to attend college and focus on their studies enroute to graduation with a degree in a high-demand field necessary for regional, state, and national economic growth and security. Three goals guide the ACCESS project. First is to recruit and provide scholarship support (up to $10,000/year for 4 years based on unmet financial need) for 12 low-income, academically-talented students, six in each of two cohorts. Second is to retain and graduate students accepted to the ACCESS project, using support services including Appreciative Advising, Supplemental Instruction, and other available campus supports to ensure student success. The third and last goal is to create a network of pre-professional and career development activities connecting campus learning experiences to business and industry workplaces that provide participants with skills and experiences for success as a STEM professional. ACCESS will provide insight on how a scaffolded series of professional preparation opportunities, combined with Appreciative Advising and the presence of both peer and faculty mentoring, affects persistence and retention of low-income, academically-talented students enrolled in a regional predominantly undergraduate institution (PUI). In addition, the project provides an opportunity to examine how directed internships impact student readiness to complete senior capstone projects and affect job/career placements. As a result of this project, researchers will identify interventions, either singly or in combination, that maximize completion of a STEM degree for low-income, academically-talented students at a PUI. In addition, this project will identify the success of those interventions in aligning campus and career experiences to develop students who have both up-to-date content knowledge and the ability to actively engage in the workforce and make early contributions to their employers. 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.