Towson University (TU) and Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) are in partnership with several Baltimore City high schools to increase the number of associate and bachelors degrees in five STEM departments, as well as two interdisciplinary programs, Environmental Science and Studies and Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, and Bioinformatics. This partnership is also focusing on enhancing the diversity of the STEM student body. The project is called Towson Opportunities in STEM (TOPS) because it provides multiple, smooth paths from Baltimore area high schools through the baccalaureate degree in STEM disciplines at TU. Strategies based on identified best practices include: high school outreach, articulated 2+2 programs between BCCC and TU, joint BCCC/TU student advising and mentoring, active recruitment of non-STEM BCCC students into STEM programs, scholarships for students from underrepresented groups in STEM disciplines at TU and BCCC, as well as Summer Bridge Scholarships for BCCC/TU transfer students, a new TOPS Learning Center, and research experiences. The program is coordinated by the PI working closely with two TU co-PIs and two BCCC co-PIs, as well as a number of senior personnel. Faculty are developing 2+2 articulation agreements between TU and BCCC that consider both overall curriculum, as well as course redesign, to ensure coordination of both content and pedagogy.
The intellectual merit of this project is the adaptation of several strategies that have been shown to be successful in the recruitment and retention of STEM students, in general, and underrepresented minorities, in particular. Beginning with strategies that have been successful in other environments, the project is studying which combinations and/or modifications are effective in an urban area such as the Greater Baltimore environment.
The broader impact of TOPS is reflected in the goal of increasing the diversity of the STEM graduates. Underrepresented students are the predominant population at BCCC and in the Baltimore City Schools. The project is opening doors for these students through proactive recruitment efforts that help introduce them into the world of postsecondary STEM education and multi-faceted support programs designed to retain these students through their college years
The importance of increasing the number of students successfully completing college as STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics] majors to join the STEM workforce is well known. Our nation needs more STEM professionals, but for the most part, we have been ineffective in our ability to tap into a pool of potential recruits to the STEM workforce, i.e., inner-city youth who are interested in pursuing a STEM major but who would be entering college from underserved high schools. These students often graduate from their high schools at the top of their class but too often they find, when they enter college, that their high school experience has not been adequate. To enable at-risk students from underserved Baltimore metropolitan schools to succeed and graduate with a STEM degree, we at Towson University created, with the support of this NSF grant, the Towson Opportunities in STEM (TOPS) program; TOPS was designed specifically to addresses the needs of this community of students. Our TOPS program has been successful--TOPS students coming to TU from underserved schools in the Baltimore metropolitan area are successfully retained as STEM majors, are often involved in research with faculty, and are graduating as STEM majors at rates higher than their peers. The TOPS program provides students with academic, financial, community support and training in the critical life skills and soft skills many students lack entering college. The program recruits participants from among newly admitted first-year students, from underserved schools, whose backgrounds suggest that additional support will enhance the probability of success in STEM. Our participants are mainly from groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM, are first in the families to attend college, and/or come from families with very limited financial resources. The TOPS program contains several components that appear most critical for student success in STEM. They are: TOPS summer experience: All incoming students participate in a weeklong summer program in which they experience life as a student: they listen to lectures and take exams, they undertake laboratory experiments and analyze their data, they submit written reports and essays, they create and give presentations, they prioritize tasks on their ‘to do’ list, etc. The experiences make faculty expectations explicit regarding in-class behavior, asking and answering oral questions, responding to exam questions, and the importance of communicating with faculty outside of class. During this week, students become acquainted with the culture of the university, and become familiar with the campus, its programs and facilities; they also begin to carefully explore their declared major. Most importantly, they have an opportunity to assess their strengths and weaknesses and learn how to strengthen their weak points. Cohort enrollment: TOPS routinely deploys cohort enrollment in introductory/gateway STEM courses for its students. Cohort enrollment provides an opportunity to encourage and schedule study groups and tutoring. Introductory course support: Students are required to participate in mandatory tutoring sessions and study groups based on their enrollment in introductory courses. The challenges faced early in an academic career in these difficult courses often lead students to change majors or drop out of college. One-on-one mentoring: First year students (and some upper-class students) participate in weekly one-on-one sessions with the Program Coordinator that help establish a caring/supportive relationship. This relationship develops as the staff member and student work together to identify potential problems and to plan approaches to address and mitigate consequences of challenging situations before they become insurmountable. Such a strong supportive relationship, when combined with the strong community of peers, makes students more likely to take risks that will enhance their education and job readiness. Community of peers: Membership in a community with shared values and a sense of mutual responsibility for each other’s success is a hallmark of the TOPS program. The strong sense of community begins to develop with the summer program and continues to build within and between cohorts through an annual challenge course experience and a shared study/computer space. Community is routinely celebrated. The program’s success can be measured by the enthusiasm of the participants for the program and the high retention rate. STEM attrition rates are greatest as students confront their ‘introductory’ courses, years 1 and 2; the 2 year STEM retention rate for TOPS is 86% whereas for their peers coming into STEM it is 49%. The retention rates for students coming to Towson with an interest in STEM from similar backgrounds but who chose NOT to participate in TOPS is 43%. Clearly, TOPS works!
