Implementation and Investigation of a Holistic Student Support Learning Environment for Undergraduate Chemistry Majors

With funding from the National Science Foundation's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) program, this project will support the success of 24 high-achieving students with demonstrated financial need at the University of North Carolina Asheville. Throughout its five years, this project will fund scholarships to four groups of six students who are pursuing baccalaureate degrees in chemistry. The project will integrate comprehensive student support into the chemistry curriculum and departmental culture. It is expected that this support will help students: overcome academic, social, and emotional challenges; earn undergraduate chemistry degrees; and promote matriculation to graduate education. Beginning in their first year, the students will join a chemistry student community and have access to support including faculty and peer mentoring, cohort building activities, academic course support, career professional development, and undergraduate research. By partnering with the University's Student Affairs Office, the project will integrate focused support into the chemistry major to help students meet the challenges of being a college student. This project will investigate the impact of this approach on student engagement, as well as how that engagement correlates with student achievement and degree completion.

The project will use a three-phase holistic support structure that includes all chemistry majors, beginning with their entry and extending through completion of their degree. Although the support system will target the needs of first-generation college students, it will be adaptable to individual student needs. The project aims to construct a learning environment that motivates and develops the academic, social, and emotional skills students need to be successful in the chemistry major. By improving students' academic achievement, persistence, engagement, and well-being, the project expects that more students will graduate and matriculate into graduate school or enter a chemistry career. A long-term recruiting plan, built upon prior recruiting efforts, will attract promising low-income, first-generation students to pursue chemistry majors. Assessment of the learning environment, student engagement, and project outcomes will be used to determine how the holistic support system affects student achievement and well-being. This research will generate new knowledge regarding the impact of a holistic supportive learning environment on chemistry student engagement and well-being. As a result, this project has the potential to inform future directions for chemistry and STEM education. The support structure and recruiting plan could be adopted by other departments or institutions that aim to support the academic, social, and emotional skills of their 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.