S-STEM: Bothell Engineering and Technology Scholars

About This Grant

The UW Bothell Engineering and Technology Scholars project will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need at the University of Washington Bothell. UW Bothell is a Minority Serving Institution, and its student body is one of the most diverse in the state where 38% of incoming first-year students are first generation and 28% are eligible for federal Pell Grants. Over its six-year duration, this Track 2 S-STEM project will fund scholarships to 60 unique full-time students who are pursuing bachelor's degrees in Engineering and Technology (E&T), including computer and software systems, computer engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, data visualization, mathematics, and physics. Project activities include dedicated math and science courses and cohort-based programming that provides academic success workshops, networking and career development opportunities, and faculty mentoring. Faculty mentors will learn about proven best practices and support each other through a faculty learning community. This project investigates which of several evidence-based strategies are the most effective in supporting and training low-income students specifically interested in E&T degrees through their journey from first year through graduation. In addition to measuring traditional elements of student success such as pass, persistence, and graduation rates, the project tracks students' sense of purpose, academic and social belonging, career readiness, and overall well-being. Faculty will deepen their understanding of the complex student experiences and use this knowledge to help address institutional barriers for all students entering UW Bothell in the post-pandemic era. The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of academically talented, low-income undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. This project seeks to increase the percentage of students who complete an E&T major by providing coaching, dedicated academic support, and re-designed prerequisite courses; increase the number of students obtaining an E&T major by providing faculty mentoring, networking, and career development opportunities that promote a sense of belonging and a sense of purpose; and enhance faculty and staff ability to best support student populations by creating an ongoing faculty learning community. Currently, only 30% of incoming students who want to pursue E&T degrees graduate with an E&T degree, and the diversity of the incoming class is starkly different from the graduating class. National and institutional research indicates that the loss of UW Bothell students in E&T fields can be attributed to four primary barriers: financial burdens, early academic struggles, a lack of sense of belonging and purpose, and complex institutional systems. Research has shown that providing financial support, academic support through dedicated coursework and academic seminars, mentoring, cohort experiences, and/or career development opportunities can help bridge these barriers. The project will provide additional support to faculty mentors to help students overcome these barriers and provide faculty opportunities to learn about and address institutional barriers. Most research studies only examine one or two of these components. This project seeks to understand which combination of programing, academic support, pedagogical approaches, and faculty mentoring have the greatest impact for low-income students by implementing an extensive assessment plan. The assessment plan utilizes both formative and summative evaluation methods that include student and faculty mentor surveys, student focus groups, and monitoring of institutional data to explore our research questions: (1) How are academic supports affecting students' academic skills and metrics of success? (2) How are mentorship and professional development activities affecting students' sense of belonging, purpose, and commitment to pursuing a STEM degree? (3) What is the relative importance of various program elements for retaining students in STEM? (4) How is the faculty mentor learning community affecting faculty perceptions of student experience and assets? (5) To what extent is the program providing responsive program supports and how can the program supports be improved? Results of the project will be published in journal articles and presented at conferences. Project information will also be available on a public website. This project is funded by NSF's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. It also aims to improve the education of future STEM workers, and to generate knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low-income students. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.