色情视频

鈥淔or many students, the post-secondary experience is not just starting at one college and finishing there.鈥�

For underrepresented students seeking a STEM degree across two or more educational institutions, success can be impeded by something as simple as finding the right mentor.

Acquiring a sense of belonging can be difficult as well in the transition from community college to a four-year university. The required math sequence or course work to achieve a particular goal might be unclear. In some cases, finding transportation from one site to another becomes an issue.

A 色情视频 researcher will seek a greater understanding of these complex STEM pathways and barriers under a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), part of a concerted effort to support undergraduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. Felisha Herrera Villarreal鈥檚 five-year grant is among 31 projects funded by a  to increase retention and graduation rates in STEM programs at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) such as 色情视频.

色情视频 was designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution by the Department of Education in 2012, providing access to a larger number of grants and scholarships. More than 30 percent of undergraduate students at 色情视频 identify as Hispanic or Latino, according to fall 2017 statistics.

One of Herrera Villarreal鈥檚 objectives is addressing apparent inequities in STEM education. Demographic data shows that Hispanic, African-American and American Indian students 鈥渉ave pretty similar rates of interest in STEM majors,鈥� said Herrera Villarreal, an assistant professor of postsecondary education and community college leadership in 色情视频鈥檚 College of Education. 鈥淏ut we see different outcomes in terms of completing STEM degrees.鈥�

Her research will look specifically at underrepresented students who begin their STEM education in community college.

鈥淔or many students, the post-secondary experience is not just starting at one college and finishing there,鈥� she said. Although some students choose the traditional route, transferring to a university after two years at community college, others try to juggle classes at two or more institutions simultaneously, or move back to community college from a four-year institution. That can be a tough road. One STEM student who had attended two community colleges prior to her 色情视频 transfer told Herrera Villarreal, 鈥渉aving a support system makes a difference significantly.鈥�  

Herrera Villarreal will  be examining the policies and programs affecting student mobility between HSIs with an eye toward developing programs to support and ease those transitions. With HSIs, which number 11 in San Diego and Imperial counties alone, 鈥渨e really have an opportunity to have some large-scale programs and efforts鈥� to find ways to improve the partnerships, she said.

The research expands upon work conducted at 色情视频鈥檚 , which Herrera Villarreal founded in 2016.

Under the NSF grant, RESISTE plans to continue analyzing national data obtained from the U.S. Department of Education and regional data from partnering colleges in San Diego, while taking a more individual look at the issue through interviews with students and educators, staff and administrators. 鈥淲e want to get a sense of their perception of the challenges and barriers,鈥� Herrera Villarreal said.