LaCourse William R, Sutphin Kathy Lee, Ott Laura E, Maton Kenneth I, McDermott Patrice, Bieberich Charles, Farabaugh Philip, Rous Philip
1College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250 USA.
2Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250 USA.
BMC Proc. 2017 Dec 4;11(Suppl 12):24. doi: 10.1186/s12919-017-0094-5. eCollection 2017.
UMBC, a diverse public research university, "builds" upon its reputation in producing highly capable undergraduate scholars to create a comprehensive new model, STEM BUILD at UMBC. This program is designed to help more students develop the skills, experience and motivation to excel in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This article provides an in-depth description of STEM BUILD at UMBC and provides the context of this initiative within UMBC's vision and mission.
The STEM BUILD model targets promising STEM students who enter as freshmen or transfer students and do not qualify for significant university or other scholarship support. Of primary importance to this initiative are capacity, scalability, and institutional sustainability, as we distill the advantages and opportunities of UMBC's successful scholars programs and expand their application to more students. The general approach is to infuse the mentoring and training process into the fabric of the undergraduate experience while fostering community, scientific identity, and resilience. At the heart of STEM BUILD at UMBC is the development of BUILD Group Research (BGR), a sequence of experiences designed to overcome the challenges that undergraduates without programmatic support often encounter (e.g., limited internship opportunities, mentorships, and research positions for which top STEM students are favored). BUILD Training Program (BTP) Trainees serve as pioneers in this initiative, which is potentially a national model for universities as they address the call to retain and graduate more students in STEM disciplines - especially those from underrepresented groups. As such, BTP is a research study using random assignment trial methodology that focuses on the scalability and eventual incorporation of successful measures into the traditional format of the academy.
Critical measures to transform institutional culture include establishing an extensive STEM Living and Learning Community to increase undergraduate retention, expanding the adoption of "active learning" pedagogies to increase the efficiency of learning, and developing programs to train researchers to effectively mentor a greater portion of the student population. The overarching goal of STEM BUILD at UMBC is to retain students in STEM majors and better prepare them for post baccalaureate, graduate, or professional programs as well as careers in biomedical and behavioral research.
马里兰大学巴尔的摩县分校（UMBC）是一所多元化的公立研究型大学，凭借其在培养能力出众的本科学生方面的声誉，打造了一个全新的综合模式——UMBC的STEM BUILD。该项目旨在帮助更多学生培养在科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）领域取得优异成绩所需的技能、经验和动力。本文深入介绍了UMBC的STEM BUILD，并阐述了该项目在UMBC愿景和使命中的背景。
STEM BUILD模式的目标是有前途的STEM学生，他们以新生或转学生身份入学，且不符合获得大量大学或其他奖学金支持的条件。对该项目至关重要的是能力、可扩展性和机构可持续性，因为我们提炼了UMBC成功学者项目的优势和机会，并将其应用扩展到更多学生身上。总体方法是将指导和培训过程融入本科学习体验的结构中，同时培养社区意识、科学认同感和适应力。UMBC的STEM BUILD的核心是构建小组研究（BGR）的发展，这是一系列旨在克服没有项目支持的本科生经常遇到的挑战的经历（例如，有限的实习机会、指导以及顶尖STEM学生更受青睐的研究职位）。构建培训项目（BTP）的学员是该项目的先驱，这可能成为大学的全国性模式，因为它们响应了在STEM学科中留住更多学生并使其毕业的号召——尤其是那些来自代表性不足群体的学生。因此，BTP是一项采用随机分配试验方法的研究，重点关注可扩展性以及最终将成功措施纳入传统学术形式。
转变机构文化的关键措施包括建立广泛的STEM生活和学习社区以提高本科生留校率，扩大“主动学习”教学法的采用以提高学习效率，以及制定项目来培训研究人员有效地指导更多学生群体。UMBC的STEM BUILD的总体目标是让学生留在STEM专业，并更好地为本科后、研究生或专业项目以及生物医学和行为研究领域的职业做好准备。
