This project is building upon a prior S-STEM project that had a significant impact on improving STEM enrollments and student diversity, and further improving its effectiveness. Specifically, the project is offering 25 scholarships of $5,200 each per year over a four year period. It is expanding the existing mentoring program, including activities that facilitate career exploration, particularly through a self-selected Experiential Learning Module, where students pursue their interests in academic and career development. It is enhancing the effectiveness of individualized student mentoring through a personalized, data-driven approach based on academic progress, career interests, and predictive information collected at the time of matriculation. Finally, it is developing an online application that determines students' level of interest in STEM fields. This helps select and advise students interested in engineering and science. The project especially recruits women and members of underrepresented groups.
The results of this project have intellectual merit, particularly the development of the data-driven approach to mentoring and its ability to predict and improve student success in STEM fields. The assessment data include responses to nationally-normed Assessing Women in Engineering surveys. That allows comparison of data with other institutions and facilitates dissemination of program results.
The broader impacts include continued growth of STEM graduates, including underrepresented groups, at the university. They constitute a pool of technical talent for the northwestern Pennsylvania region and beyond. The model developed, the mentoring program, and the data-driven approach to student advising are transferable and adaptable to other institutions.
