The Start SMART - Self-Motivated, Academic, Reflective, Talented project of Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC) will provide scholarships for 90-100 academically talented and low-income students to increase their retention, degree completion, and transfer to baccalaureate programs. Students majoring in science, engineering, mathematics, computing, drafting, industrial automation, electronics technology, electrical technology, mechanical technology, and nanofabrication technology will participate as a cohort in structured activities to motivate them to persist in their STEM programs. These activities will include one-on-one mentoring with STEM faculty, orientation, monthly meetings featuring integrated learning labs, mathematics support, student-facilitated study groups, S-STEM buddies, presentations by professionals, workshops, field trips, STEM Club, and job/transfer fairs. Students will be required to create and maintain ePortfolios to record their goals, artifacts of coursework and activities, and ongoing reflections of their personal and professional development. The goal of the Start SMART program is to produce skilled graduates prepared to enter the STEM workforce.
A research study will determine the correlation between the project's evidence-based strategies and the attributes of growth mindset, grit, goal orientation, self-regulation, and STEM momentum predicted to lead to academic success for community college students in STEM programs. The use of ePortfolios will serve a three-fold purpose: (1) enhancing student learning by helping them make connections across courses and activities; (2) enabling students to share their experiences and connect with each other and faculty; and (3) measuring STEM momentum through an analysis of students' artifacts and reflections. Integrative learning experiences will expand students' knowledge of other disciplines and instill professional skills necessary for the workplace. Research questions are: 1) To what extent do the non-cognitive variables of growth mindset, grit, goal orientation, and self-regulation change over the duration of the program? 2) Is there a correlation between the project activities and the non-cognitive variables that are predictive of student outcomes? 3) Is successful completion of the first mathematics course in the first year associated with STEM momentum? 4) To what extent does the ePortfolio demonstrate STEM momentum? Findings from the research study will expand on the concept of STEM momentum as it relates to community college students.
