The Stem Pathway And Student Retention

This work introduces methods that aid in freshman retention (in the transition from high school and to remain in the university of origin) and orient them towards a successful career in science. Specific examples of successful approaches are given as well as detailed plans for how to engage these students. Pitfalls as well as success are described. In addition this work provides a detailed description of how to develop the students into a cohort that exhibits comradery. Three types of cohort form, those within the freshman class, those among the upperclassmen and those between the freshmen and upperclassmen. The program works because the social reality is that the peer mentor has a better repertoire with the first semester freshmen than the faculty or staff and assists with student success. Factors such as financial aid, policy, and support systems influence student success. In the sciences, students often struggle with the content and adjusting to the college experience. Research states that a mentorship program supports retention as well as enhances the student experience during college. This program creates a cohort group among the upperclassmen mentors and freshmen and provides leadership development for all involved.

The Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program of the US National Science Foundation has been a primary force for raising the success and graduation of minority students in STEM for 30 years. Increasing the number of underrepresented students earning baccalaureate degrees, and entering graduate school in STEM is the goal of LSAMP. This goal has been nearly achieved through the formation of alliances of degree granting institutions of higher learning, varying from community colleges to major research institutions. Currently there are 59 alliances including more than 400 institutions. LSAMP is responsible for more than 650,000 bachelor’s degrees earned by minority students in STEM. The papers for this Research Topic should focus on the use of LSAMP activities, programs and collaborations to develop pathways to success and graduation of STEM majors from minority groups that underrepresented in STEM. These pathways can include any segment from pre-college through graduate school. Areas of special interest include mentoring, research experiences, transitions between levels and novel approaches for retention. The studies should be research based and rigorous. They can be pure research studies, curriculum and design or literature reviews but they must be at a cutting edge level and be subject to detailed review and assessment.

Nearly 40 percent of the students entering 2- and 4-year postsecondary institutions indicated their intention to major in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in 2012. But the barriers to students realizing their ambitions are reflected in the fact that about half of those with the intention to earn a STEM bachelor's degree and more than two-thirds intending to earn a STEM associate's degree fail to earn these degrees 4 to 6 years after their initial enrollment. Many of those who do obtain a degree take longer than the advertised length of the programs, thus raising the cost of their education. Are the STEM educational pathways any less efficient than for other fields of study? How might the losses be "stemmed" and greater efficiencies realized? These questions and others are at the heart of this study. Barriers and Opportunities for 2-Year and 4-Year STEM Degrees reviews research on the roles that people, processes, and institutions play in 2-and 4-year STEM degree production. This study pays special attention to the factors that influence students' decisions to enter, stay in, or leave STEM majorsâ€"quality of instruction, grading policies, course sequences, undergraduate learning environments, student supports, co-curricular activities, students' general academic preparedness and competence in science, family background, and governmental and institutional policies that affect STEM educational pathways. Because many students do not take the traditional 4-year path to a STEM undergraduate degree, Barriers and Opportunities describes several other common pathways and also reviews what happens to those who do not complete the journey to a degree. This book describes the major changes in student demographics; how students, view, value, and utilize programs of higher education; and how institutions can adapt to support successful student outcomes. In doing so, Barriers and Opportunities questions whether definitions and characteristics of what constitutes success in STEM should change. As this book explores these issues, it identifies where further research is needed to build a system that works for all students who aspire to STEM degrees. The conclusions of this report lay out the steps that faculty, STEM departments, colleges and universities, professional societies, and others can take to improve STEM education for all students interested in a STEM degree.

As more Americans are attending college, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are now in a position where they must directly compete with other institutions. While other colleges and universities might have more resources and stronger infrastructures, HBCUs provide better opportunities to meet the needs of students of color. Setting a New Agenda for Student Engagement and Retention in Historically Black Colleges and Universities explores the innovations that HBCUs can enact to better serve and prepare the next generation of African American leaders, and to be more competitive in the higher education landscape. As students need different forms of support throughout their academic career, it becomes necessary to engage them through mentorship, programming, and classroom management. This book is a valuable resource for educators and administration at HBCUs, sociologists, policy makers, and students studying education science and administration.

Engineering skills and knowledge are foundational to technological innovation and development that drive long-term economic growth and help solve societal challenges. Therefore, to ensure national competitiveness and quality of life it is important to understand and to continuously adapt and improve the educational and career pathways of engineers in the United States. To gather this understanding it is necessary to study the people with the engineering skills and knowledge as well as the evolving system of institutions, policies, markets, people, and other resources that together prepare, deploy, and replenish the nation's engineering workforce. This report explores the characteristics and career choices of engineering graduates, particularly those with a BS or MS degree, who constitute the vast majority of degreed engineers, as well as the characteristics of those with non-engineering degrees who are employed as engineers in the United States. It provides insight into their educational and career pathways and related decision making, the forces that influence their decisions, and the implications for major elements of engineering education-to-workforce pathways.

There are over 20 million young people of color in the United States whose representation in STEM education pathways and in the STEM workforce is still far below their numbers in the general population. Their participation could help re-establish the United States' preeminence in STEM innovation and productivity, while also increasing the number of well-educated STEM workers. There are nearly 700 minority-serving institutions (MSIs) that provide pathways to STEM educational success and workforce readiness for millions of students of colorâ€"and do so in a mission-driven and intentional manner. They vary substantially in their origins, missions, student demographics, and levels of institutional selectivity. But in general, their service to the nation provides a gateway to higher education and the workforce, particularly for underrepresented students of color and those from low-income and first-generation to college backgrounds. The challenge for the nation is how to capitalize on the unique strengths and attributes of these institutions and to equip them with the resources, exceptional faculty talent, and vital infrastructure needed to educate and train an increasingly critical portion of current and future generations of scientists, engineers, and health professionals. Minority Serving Institutions examines the nation's MSIs and identifies promising programs and effective strategies that have the highest potential return on investment for the nation by increasing the quantity and quality MSI STEM graduates. This study also provides critical information and perspective about the importance of MSIs to other stakeholders in the nation's system of higher education and the organizations that support them.

There are over 20 million young people of color in the United States whose representation in STEM education pathways and in the STEM workforce is still far below their numbers in the general population. Their participation could help re-establish the United States' preeminence in STEM innovation and productivity, while also increasing the number of well-educated STEM workers. There are nearly 700 minority-serving institutions (MSIs) that provide pathways to STEM educational success and workforce readiness for millions of students of colorâ€"and do so in a mission-driven and intentional manner. They vary substantially in their origins, missions, student demographics, and levels of institutional selectivity. But in general, their service to the nation provides a gateway to higher education and the workforce, particularly for underrepresented students of color and those from low-income and first-generation to college backgrounds. The challenge for the nation is how to capitalize on the unique strengths and attributes of these institutions and to equip them with the resources, exceptional faculty talent, and vital infrastructure needed to educate and train an increasingly critical portion of current and future generations of scientists, engineers, and health professionals. Minority Serving Institutions examines the nation's MSIs and identifies promising programs and effective strategies that have the highest potential return on investment for the nation by increasing the quantity and quality MSI STEM graduates. This study also provides critical information and perspective about the importance of MSIs to other stakeholders in the nation's system of higher education and the organizations that support them.