Abstract
The Rocky Mountain Scholars Program (RMSP) was developed, in part, to improve student success and persistence in Engineering disciplines at Colorado State Universi-ty through a portfolio of engagement activities focused around undergraduate research experiences. Female RMSP participants exhibited substantially higher retention rates and grade point averages relative to other female engineering students at CSU. To better understand the impact of the RMSP, and its effectiveness among female engi-neering students, researchers focused on whether, and how, experiences and percep-tions differ between male and female students in engineering programs. That is, how do male and female students differ, if at all, in their subjective perception of life as an engineering major at CSU? A survey was developed measuring resilience, self-efficacy, motivation, social support, academic support, and perceived sexism. Data was obtained from 144 first-year engineering students at CSU. Results indicated that social support from extracurricular activities is particularly important among female students. This points to an increasing need for programs like the RMSP to create social networks among students and faculty, link students to the broader impacts of their work, and ultimately improve the undergraduate experience of under-represented groups in STEM programs.
Highlights
1.1 The programIn 2011, Colorado State University launched the Rocky Mountain Scholars Program to improve the support, success, and retention of students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics disciplines
The survey resulted in 144 responses from current first-year engineering students, including 59 men and 76 women. This represents an oversample of female engineering majors, who make up just over 25% of incoming engineering majors at Colorado State University
A comparison of survey respondents to the reported race and ethnicity of incoming freshman in the College of Engineering suggests that our sample may be slightly more diverse than the college as a whole
Summary
1.1 The programIn 2011, Colorado State University launched the Rocky Mountain Scholars Program to improve the support, success, and retention of students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics disciplines. Ence built on a foundation of student engagement in faculty-mentored research experiences designed to provide the critical support mechanisms linked to student persistence in college and career. Additional attributes of the program include: 1) participation of students in an orientation program; 2) co-enrollment of students in a one-credit engineering research seminar section open only to students in their cohort; 3) training workshops to prepare them for participation in CSU’s undergraduate research symposium; 4) training to serve as peer mentors; 5) engagement in a community outreach program; 6) participation in CSU’s STEM Career Fair; and 7) involvement in a range of social activities. The program is designed to accommodate a total of 45 women engineering majors. This program is housed in CSU’s Center for Undergraduate Research where participants have designated space and access to the Undergraduate Training Laboratory, the Undergraduate Research Library, the Student Scholars Lounge, and the full breadth of additional resources offered by the Center
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