This planning grant proposal under the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program will enable Lincoln University to conduct an assessment of science, mathematics, engineering and technology education, in order to develop an institutional action plan to enhance and improve the quality of STEM education programs. Activities include curriculum improvement, student education enrichment and faculty professional development. The goal of the planning grant is to ensure greater participation of minorities in STEM program areas with the end result of more students enrolling in, successfully graduating from, and eventually working in the STEM areas. The objectives of this planning grant are to establish advisory committees; to gather information from other NSF HBCU-UP institutions; to develop and conduct assessments of the STEM curriculum, program areas, students, and faculty; to seek outside evaluators; and to develop an implementation plan and proposal for submission to NSF.
These objectives will be accomplished through the commitment of faculty resources and time; through the participation of interested stakeholders; through visits to institutions that have already made improvements to the STEM program areas; through use of outside consultants for assessment, technical assistance and training; and through data collection and analysis.
The intellectual merit of this project is that it will encompass both quantitative and qualitative approaches to understanding the problems associated with the STEM program areas, why these problems exist, and how plans might be developed to address these problems. Through visits to other universities, this planning grant will also contribute to the understanding of factors that lead to success in STEM program areas, curriculum, student preparation, recruitment and retention. Once data is collected and analyzed, it can be used by other institutions, and the results may be appropriate for publication or for presentation at professional conferences.
The broader impacts of this planning grant are improvements to diversity, infrastructure, dissemination to enhance scientific understanding and society. Diversity - The assessment will include understanding the perspectives of underrepresented minorities in the STEM areas and the challenges they face, as well as understanding the perspectives of faculty and their competencies and abilities to mentor and advise these students. Infrastructure - The assessment will include understanding student perspectives of campus housing, facilities, classrooms, and equipment; and will include visits to other institutions where living and learning have been improved upon in the STEM program areas. These assessment activities will contribute to developing implementation plans to enhance the infrastructure of Lincoln University for its students. Dissemination to Enhance Scientific Understanding - The planning grant process will include building and strengthening relationships between and among stakeholders interested in the success of STEM programs at Lincoln University. Many of the stakeholders will have the resources to assist in the enhancement of dissemination of information and research to the public and to their constituencies. Benefits to Society - Establishing relationships with high school teachers who prepare students in the STEM areas and who could influence students to consider majoring in STEM areas could be beneficial to the recruitment process. These efforts may enhance the overall recruitment and retention process and contribute to a better understanding by the public of the STEM program areas.
