Pathways to STEM Degrees through Integrated Academic Support, Career Enhancement, and Personal Development

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 Ball State University. Over its five-year duration, this project will fund scholarships to 16 unique full-time students who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and biology. First year students will receive four-years of scholarship support. The project aims to increase student retention and graduation rates by combining scholarships with evidence-based practices targeting students’ academic preparation, career development and personal awareness. With the assistance of faculty and peer mentors, scholars will cultivate effective study habits. Interactive industry seminars by top Indiana employers and career coaches will create pathways for the professional preparation of the scholars. Tailored workshops will promote scholars’ mental health, personal wellness, and self-awareness. The project will facilitate cohort-building through Photovoice (reflection through storytelling using photographs) activities. By producing well-qualified physical and life scientists, this project will expand the STEM labor pool. Scholars will be able to transform their socioeconomic landscape by obtaining high-paying jobs upon degree completion. The project will advance knowledge on the extent to which the interventions for student success affect academic performance, career readiness, personal growth, and mental health.The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. The project will incorporate integrated interventions involving multiple partners across campus that focus on scholars’ academic, personal, professional, and career development. Specifically, this project will employ the following high-impact practices: living learning communities, a Bridge program, First-year Seminar, undergraduate research, faculty/peer mentoring, internships, and interactive industry seminars. A needs-analysis survey conducted in chemistry and biology gateway courses revealed that students struggle with time-management, lack of motivation and focus, lack of effective study skills, test anxiety, mental stress, absence of adequate support systems, and finances. This project addresses student needs and suggestions identified in that survey. Investigating the impact of these measures on scholars’ academic performance, time management, self-confidence, wellness/career readiness, and mental health will provide knowledge on the effectiveness of the proposed interventions. The project will also generate evidence of whether Photovoice aids cohort building. The anticipated outcomes include scholars’ (a) increased retention and graduation rates; (b) development of professional skills and knowledge of workforce expectations; (c) personal/mental awareness and increased sense of belonging. The project will be evaluated by a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to provide formative and summative assessment data. Results of the project will be widely disseminated to university administrators and internal partners, high-school counselors, and corporate partners. They will also be shared with the STEM community via website postings, social media, publications, and conference presentations. 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.