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Board 391: SUCCESS Scholars: Early Findings from an NSF S-STEM Project

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Conference

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Portland, Oregon

Publication Date

June 23, 2024

Start Date

June 23, 2024

End Date

July 12, 2024

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Tagged Topic

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Permanent URL

https://strategy.asee.org/46977

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Paper Authors

biography

Krystal Corbett Cruse Louisiana Tech University

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Dr. Krystal Corbett is the First-Year Engineering Programs Coordinator and Assistant Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Louisiana Tech University. She is also the Co-Director of the Office for Women in Science and Engineering at Louisiana Tech.

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David Hall Louisiana Tech University

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David Hall develops and promotes project-based engineering courses. He believes that projects build intuition and confidence which are important for the effective application of engineering fundamentals and for the development of robust technology solutions.

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biography

Mary E Caldorera-Moore Louisiana Tech University

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Dr. Mary Caldorera-Moore is an assistant professor of Biomedical Engineering and Nanosystems Engineering, director of Women Influencing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (WiSTEM) outreach organization, and the co-organizer of the New Frontiers in

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Mitzi Desselles Louisiana Tech University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0003-2806-9838

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Dr. Desselles is Associate Professor and Chester Ellis Endowed Professorship in the Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences at Louisiana Tech University. She is a member of the graduate faculty in Industrial/Organizational Psychology.

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Abstract

The SUCCESS Scholars Program (SSP) is an NSF S-STEM project awarded in Fall of 2022 to Louisiana Tech University. The five-year project supports two cohorts of engineering students as they each progress through four years of academic study. A first cohort of twenty-four, first-year engineering students was selected for the 2022-23 academic year, and a second cohort of twenty-two students was selected for the 2023-24 year. Each year the students in the program receive scaffolded levels of financial support based on their unmet need.

Cohorts in their first year of the program are provided with concentrated academic support through an additional two hours per week with their engineering instructor and supplemental instruction led by upper-level peer mentors. Faculty mentors are introduced to the students through weekly lunches beginning after their first quarter. The lunches, which provide a venue for professional development discussions, are also leveraged to build community among the students and faculty. As the first cohort progresses into their second year of study and begins to branch out into more discipline-specific courses, the weekly lunches have become the primary connection point for the students and faculty. Additionally, the faculty mentors meet with their students regularly and serve as academic advisors to guide the students as they progress academically.

This paper will discuss the SSP in detail by outlining the many activities implemented and highlighting lessons learned as the project moves into the second year of implementation. Preliminary data will be used to assess outcomes pertaining to retention and academic performance. Initial results indicate a positive impact on the student population participating in the project.

Cruse, K. C., & Hall, D., & Caldorera-Moore, M. E., & Desselles, M. (2024, June), Board 391: SUCCESS Scholars: Early Findings from an NSF S-STEM Project Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://strategy.asee.org/46977

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