Using Support Networks as a Predictor of Success for STEM Degrees: Preliminary Results Detailing a Selection Process for Test Subjects Engaged in a Longitudinal Study of Low Socio-Economic Status American Undergraduate Students

Abstract

This study follows the selection process for participants in a National Science Foundation S-STEM grant program for low socio-economic students. State land grant institution were created to provide states with technical universities for mid- to lower-class citizens, but they have generally failed to deliver successful instruction to residential, low-socioeconomic status, underrepresented minority students. There is a need for more research on additional predictors to assess the potential of non-traditional students in the admissions process. The primary research question in this work is whether students from low-SES backgrounds possessing lower incoming metrics can still have success earning a STEM degree with the help of a web of support adults. This metrics-based selection process was generated from a five-year study of underrepresented minority (URM) students who had previously succeeded in earning an engineering degree, even though they were not originally admitted into engineering. The selection process also asked students to identify the members of their support network, how they used this support to succeed in life, and culminated in an on-campus interview. The high school metrics for these students were found to be significantly lower than their engineering peers, but the average number of anchor/mentors that were identified was 6.2. These 21 students are currently performing well and will be compared against other residential students for retention, performance, and graduation through their time at the institution.

Construction of College Students’ Management Informatization Ecosystem Based on Data Analysis Technology

“…The college student management informatization ecosystem can be composed of multiple informatization applications and tools, which can be interconnected and support each other to form a complete informatization ecosystem, providing support and services for the study and life of college students [1][2][3][4][5][6]. The information ecosystem used for college student management includes learning management systems, task management tools, information collection and organization tools, social networks and online communities, and cloud storage services [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14].…”

Board 397: The Development of Professional Mentors to Supplement Low Socio-Economic Students’ Webs-of-Support

“…These matches have then been used to compare academic performance and retention throughout the college tenure. A complete description of this process is presented in reference [9].…”

“…These students have become known colloquially as 'Rising Scholars' (RS) [7] [8]. Twenty-one admitted students were selected through a process designed to quantize and measure the quality of a student's adult mentor support network [9]. During the execution of the program, it was hypothesiszed that certain types of mentors, Purdue faculty, staff, and students, might prove more useful in transitioning to a professional career than others.…”