Virginia Union University's planning grant is aimed at improving undergraduate education in STEM disciplines. VUU reports to have several STEM departments with low enrollment, to suffer from poor retention, and to have below average scores by its students on Major Field Achievement tests. The planning project has the objectives to: 1) develop plans to improve enrollment; 2) develop plans to improve retention; 3) analyze the STEM infrastructure and develop plans to align it with contemporary standards; and 4) formulate an effective implementation strategy. Findings generated by the various planning activities will be evaluated in the context of published STEM education research, and an effective strategy, tailored to the specific needs of VUU, will be presented in a comprehensive implementation plan.
This Planning Grant was aimed at improving undergraduate STEM education at Virginia Union University (VUU), a private, urban, historically black liberal arts institution in Richmond, Virginia. Planning activities included: (1) assessment and evaluation of the VUU STEM program, including a critical review of data reporting practices; (2) consultation with stakeholders; (3) visits to institutions with successful STEM programs and infrastructures; (4) attendance at educational conferences; and (5) formulation of an effective implementation strategy. Planning activities identified the following challenges / opportunities for improvement: (1) interaction between the VUU School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology and external stakeholders, such as professional schools, graduate programs, and local area high schools, is weak/sporadic; (2) the great majority of first-time freshmen in the VUU STEM program is underprepared for the rigors of a college education; (3) the use of proven high-impact educational practices within the VUU School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology is limited; (4) support for students to select and pursue a focused career path with critical extracurricular activities is limited; support for students to find/apply for discipline-specific internships, fellowships, and volunteer activities is limited; and support for students in their efforts to apply to professional or graduate programs is limited. To address the identified challenges, an implementation project was formulated, with the objective to increase recruitment, retention, and graduation rates in all STEM disciplines at VUU by at least 50% within the next 5 years while maintaining the academic rigor that is required for student success after graduation. To meet this objective three strategic initiatives were proposed: (1) the establishment of a STEM Summer Institute that improves the preparedness of rising freshmen for college; (2) the implementation of proven high-impact educational practices across STEM curricula; (3) the hiring of two full-time, discipline-specific STEM Coaches, who will provide individualized student support, aimed at academic and professional success. Intellectual Merit: Using an evidence-based approach, and introducing a novel coaching strategy, this project will optimize conditions for minority student success in undergraduate STEM education, with special consideration for students who are underprepared for the academic and extracurricular demands of a successful college career. Broader Impact: While the strategies implemented in this project will improve STEM education at VUU, it is anticipated that they will be equally effective at other Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) as well as non-HBCUs. The project emphasizes the importance of close relationships between undergraduate STEM programs, high schools, graduate institutions, and employers of STEM graduates, and, consequently, will enhance the mission of each of these partners. The project is expected to lead to a significant and sustained annual increase of minority STEM graduates prepared to compete successfully for admission into graduate school and/or the STEM workforce.
