skip to main content

NSF INCLUDES Shared Measures

Contact Us

What Network Members Are Achieving

Given the breadth of outcomes that Network members are designed to achieve (and the range of methods being used to measure progress toward those outcomes), it is difficult to collect common data that can be aggregated across STEM BP projects. This inventory provides Network members a public space to highlight the various ways they are promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM. Specifically, the inventory represents a catalog of STEM BP outcomes across a range of educational and career pathways.

The examples and related materials will also serve as a resource for Network members who are seeking information about the range of key STEM BP milestones that might be used to plan and assess their efforts (as well as the tangible ways in which other initiatives are documenting their progress across a comprehensive range of STEM BP outcomes).

Preparation for STEM Education

PreK-12 STEM Instruction

 

Expand All

CAHSI: The CAHSI Alliance has implemented effective practices to promote the professional development of PreK-12 STEM teachers. With funding from Microsoft, the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), the lead institution for CAHSI, created a pilot CS teacher Academy to prepare El Paso area teachers for the CS teacher certification exam. The Academy also provided teachers with a pathway to CS graduate education by funding 15 semester-credit hours of computer science graduate courses that will lead to a certificate (Source: 2020 RPPR, p. 3).

CAHSI: California State University-Dominguez Hills and San Francisco State University, two CAHSI partner institutions, lead the CS Supplementary Authorization (CSSA) program in their respective region to increase the number of in-service teachers with supplementary authorization in CS. New Mexico State University (NMSU) CS also facilitated a CSforAll workshop for NM school districts. (Source: 2021 RPPR)

CAHSI: The CAHSI Alliance has promoted the adoption/adaption of effective practices in outreach to Hispanics and underrepresented groups of students in computing: (1) New Mexico State University (NMSU), a CAHSI institution, implemented the Young Women in Computing program that engages middle and high-school students in computational thinking, computer science, and confidence-building activities; (2) University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) also presented its second AI4All summer workshop to high school students in rural areas; and (3) with support from an industry partner, the electrical and computer engineering department at the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez (UPRM) provides a range of workshops to promote interest in STEM among high school students. (Source: 2021 RPPR)

No projects have provided evidence about this STEM BP outcome

Transitional Support PreK-20

 

Expand All

CAHSI: The CAHSI Alliance established graduate support structures to prepare students for success in academia. For instance, Cal Bridge CS, which includes many CAHSI institutions from the CAHSI West region, aims to bridge upper-level students to CS Ph.D. programs at University of California selected institutions. Planning efforts were supported through an NSF supplement from the CAHSI INCLUDES grant. University of California Merced, a CAHSI Alliance institution, held a virtual conference that provided students with an opportunity to learn more about graduate school and participate in panels and networking sessions. In addition, the Google ExploreCSR program is focused on encouraging BIPOC students to apply to graduate school, engage in research, and provide information to students about academic careers. CAHSI institutions have received funding from Google to provide the program. CAHSI expanded its CAHSI membership with nine Carnegie-classified R1 HSIs joining the Alliance. (Source: 2020 RPPR, p. 4; 2021 RPPR)

CAHSI: University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez (UPRM), a CAHSI Alliance institution, implemented a Fem Prof program to support Hispanic women in computing. The programmatic elements were designed to provide a high level of mentorship to support Latina undergraduate students in REUs and applying for a scholarship and graduate school. (Source: 2021 evaluation report)

Postsecondary STEM Instruction

 

Expand All

CAHSI: The CAHSI Alliance has partnered with various industry partners to fund a number of efforts that support faculty development, such as the Faculty in Residence program, a one-month program for faculty who work with Googlers on project-based learning techniques and development of course plans. CAHSI also held ideation sessions for 54 CAHSI faculty members to strengthen research capacity at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) that lack funding from Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) programs by building collaborations among HSIs and other institutions to plan research projects. Teams of researchers from various CAHSI institutions submitted research proposals to NSF under the Computer and Information Science and Engineering Minority-Serving Institutions Research Expansion program in April 2021. CAHSI further collaborated with the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) on the 2021 NSF CISE-MSI Proposal Development Workshops.

CAHSI also received a RAPID award in 2021 from NSF to support virtual research experiences (vREU) for CAHSI faculty and students. Faculty received professional development through a virtual platform in the Affinity Research Group model to support students’ growth in professional skills. A total of 21 faculty and 51 students from 14 colleges and universities participated, and posters were submitted to the Great Minds in STEM conference in fall 2020. Each week faculty received professional development to enable them to coach their students on professional skills. In 2021, with residual funding from the RAPID grant, another vREU was launched in June 2021 with 14 faculty and 19 students from 12 universities and colleges. The 2021 American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) conference will feature a paper on the CAHSI vREU program entitled “Faculty Development for Research Inclusion: Virtual Research Experiences for Undergraduates. (Source: 2021 RPPR)

Aspire: Aspire’s National Change has engaged 1300+ participants in inclusive practices professional development activities. The Inclusive Professional Framework for Faculty (IPF: Faculty) identifies three core domains - Identity, Intercultural, and Relational - which underlie inclusive practices in higher education. The IPF: Faculty promotes student success by providing a set of skills in the three domains that can be applied to inclusive practices across faculty roles such as teaching, research mentoring, advising, leadership, and colleagueship. These skills also contribute to health and well-being and inclusive climates within the institution.

Aspire: Aspire's National Change has engaged 84 individuals from 19 institutions in the Aspire Summer Institute, a week-long immersive experience for institutional teams, centered around the Inclusive Professional Framework for Faculty (IPF: Faculty), that supports campus diversity, equity, and inclusions efforts through the development of key skills applicable across faculty roles.

Aspire: The IAspire Leadership Academy has supported 44 fellows. The academy elevates the preparedness of academic leaders from underrepresented groups so they can aspire to and succeed in more senior leadership roles. Fellows gain critical leadership skills across numerous competencies and learn how to lead more effectively in increasingly complex environments and build confidence to influence institutional transformation.

CAHSI: Signature practices of the CAHSI Alliance include the Affinity Research Group (ARG) model, Peer-Led Team Learning, Fellow-Net, and the Google-CAHSI problem-solving course. Partnerships with various industry partners have resulted in funding efforts that support student development (e.g., Googler in Residence, Tech Exchange, and Hispanic Student Leadership Summit). (Source: 2020 RPPR, p. 5; 2021 RPPR)

No projects have provided evidence about this STEM BP outcome

No projects have provided evidence about this STEM BP outcome

No projects have provided evidence about this STEM BP outcome

Postsecondary STEM Culture/Infrastructure

 

Expand All

IGEN: The IGEN Alliance has enacted structural changes in postsecondary institutions through its long-term goal to conduct research and propagate results that distill scalable, effective practices in inclusive graduate education and institutional change within the physical sciences. (Source: 2020 RPPR, p. 8) After a recent training about delivering future workshops, participants were asked: To what extent are IP participants learning from their workshop experiences and promoting changes in their institutions? The results were generally positive. (Source: 2020 Evaluation Report, p. 30)

CAHSI: The CAHSI Alliance was asked to comment on House Bill 4372, The MSI STEM Achievement Act. CAHSI Leadership offered feedback to the bill developers, which was passed in the United States House of Representatives in September of 2019 (Source: 2020 Evaluation Report, p. 6).

CAHSI: Excelencia in Education STEM-ESS Institute offered a workshop on how to better understand how to be a Hispanic "Serving" CS department, which was taken by CAHSI member New Mexico State University (NMSU). (Source: 2021 PRRP)

Aspire: Aspire has engaged 112 4-year and 2-year colleges and universities in activities designed to enact structural changes that support more inclusive and diverse faculty.

Aspire: Aspire’s Regional Change, in 6 regions, has 18, 4-yr and 24, 2-yr institutions that are working together to 1) increase the number and diversity of the pool of graduate students and qualified professionals pursuing a teaching career in STEM at 2-year colleges; and 2) expand and strengthen the skills of future, early-career and current STEM faculty to teach the diverse student population. In 2020, RC had over 120 graduate students participate in mentored teaching practicums at 2-year colleges.

Aspire: Aspire’s Institutional Change has 3 cohorts with 53, 4-yr institutions. These institutions are engaging in a three-year systematic change initiative to cultivate more inclusive and diverse campus cultures; develop inclusive practices for all STEM faculty; and, to implement effective recruitment, hiring and retention practices to diversify STEM faculty.

Aspire: Aspire Institutional Change has engaged over 360 leaders from 53 IChange Network campuses in over 90 hours of group meetings, trainings, and 1:1 consultations designed to build the capacity of institutional leaders to cultivate more inclusive campus ecosystems for faculty.

IGEN: The IGEN Alliance outlined how it works to ensure that students feel included and supported in their academic program or department. In their evaluation, IGEN specifically asks whether faculty and leaders in their Bridge program believe they are being supported by IGEN to support their Bridge students. Among faculty members, almost all agreed or strongly agreed both that diversity is an issue in the physical sciences and that increasing the number of underrepresented students adds value to their departments. (Source: 2020 Evaluation, p. 28)

CAHSI: The CAHSI Alliance has contributed to the undergraduate support structure in computing at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) through the following: (1) CAHSI Student Advocates disseminate information to students and propose ways to build inclusion; (2) the CAHSI Student Scholars program recognizes students who provide evidence of experiences that develop their technical and professional skills and engage in activities that have societal impact; and (3) CAHSI created a pilot program, the Allyship program, that connects near peers in order to increase retention and graduation rates of undergraduate women of color. (Source: 2021 RPPR)

Student Interest, Identity, and Confidence in STEM

Undergraduate

 

Expand All

First2: A 2020 survey administered by the First2 Alliance survey found that participants in their summer internship programs (rising college freshmen) had very high ratings for STEM plans, both before and after the internships, with no statistically significant change between the two time periods. (Source: 2020 Evaluation Report p. 96-99)

First2 also conducts focus groups of interns and asks if their participation in the program has influenced that decision about a STEM major. Most interns “noted they had already declared their STEM major but added that it did help them identify contacts within their major, strengthened their desire for a particular STEM major, opened their eyes to new areas of interest within their STEM majors, and provided insights into different fields and research within those fields. A few perceived that it did influence their decisions related to a STEM major.” (Source: 2020 Evaluation Report p. 111)

First2: The First2 Alliance asked their internship participants a series of questions that contributed to several subscales related to STEM identity. The subscales on School Belonging, STEM Identity, Knowledge about Research, Attitudes about Research, Personal Skills, and Research Skills all showed positive, statistically significant changes between pre-internship and post-internship surveys. Other subscales, such as STEM Career, STEM Efficacy, and STEM Plans saw no statistically significant change between pre- and post-internship surveys. (Source: 2020 Evaluation Report p. 96-99)

CAHSI: The CAHSI Alliance reported that nearly half of CAHSI members replied in response to an open-ended question that student clubs or student development activities (e.g., hack-a-thons, trainings, workshops, etc.) were their most important achievement in the past year. (Source: 2020 RPPR, p. 8)

CAHSI: The percentage of CAHSI departments with CAHSI chapters or student clubs rose from 55 percent to 83 percent in the past year. (Source: 2020 RPPR, p. 8)

CAHSI: The CAHSI Alliance noted that faculty, staff, and other students regularly affirmed Hispanic students' skills in computing and encouraged Hispanic students to apply for special programs. This encouragement helped validate Hispanic students' sense of themselves as belonging in the major. (Source: 2020 RPPR, p. 9)

CAHSI: The CAHSI Alliance reported that the overwhelming majority of their students’ long-term interests, intentions, and career goals remained the same or increased in Year 2, even despite Covid-19. For example, in its 2020 evaluation report, CAHSI noted that students’ long-term interests and intentions remained stable amid the disruptions and campus closures from the pandemic (i.e., 80-85 percent responded “remained the same” or “increased” to the items related to long term interest and intention in computing). Therefore, the vast majority of students maintained or increased their interest in computing and their commitment to a computing career. Students remained more committed to a computing career (only 14 percent had less intention), to a greater degree than they sustained general interest in their major (21 percent did report a loss of interest in the computing major from the pandemic). Because students generally maintained strong intentions in computing, there were no differences in interest or intentions among different student populations or across regions. (Source: 2020 Evaluation Report, p. 69)

CAHSI also found that they had a lower self-efficacy in computing, largely attributed to disruptions from the pandemic. CAHSI also reported: Despite students’ widespread sustained interest in computing, many students did experience lower self-efficacy in computing from the pandemic and campus disruptions, meaning that students experienced a loss of confidence that they could be successful in their coursework and the in the field of computing in general. Students experienced the greatest loss in feeling that they comprehended the computing concepts in their courses (57 percent experienced a decline, mean of 2.39 on 5-point scale, or between “slightly less” and “remained the same”). Perhaps because of their decreased understanding of their coursework, students also reported declines in their ability to maintain their grades (52 percent reported a decline, mean of 2.49). Likewise, a similar number of students experienced declines in their confidence that they could succeed in their coursework. Therefore, about 50 percent-60 percent of students experienced lower confidence and decreased self-efficacy in computing from the pandemic. (Source: 2020 Evaluation Report, p. 69)

First2: The First2 Alliance reported positive findings from a number of survey questions students answered about their STEM confidence, skills and knowledge. Specifically, First2 reported that a majority of respondents “strongly agreed” with each of the following statements:

  • This experience helped to improve my research skills.
  • This experience helped me to increase my knowledge of research within a STEM field.
  • This experience helped me to increase my general scientific knowledge.
  • This experience helped me learn how STEM research is conducted.
  • This experience helped me see myself as someone who can do STEM.

In focus groups, students reported that "internships improved their confidence to do STEM coursework and that ongoing Network support helped them progress and persist in their STEM studies." (Source: 2020 Evaluation Report, p. 4)

Graduate

 

Expand All

CAHSI: The CAHSI Alliance has partnered with Google for a Dissertation Award and Faculty Start-Up package for Hispanic citizen or permanent resident doctoral students in the last year of their Ph.D. program. (Source: 2020 RPPR, p. 4)

Academic Outcomes

PreK-12

 

Expand All

Undergraduate

 

Expand All

First 2: The First2 Alliance plans to collect data on persistence in STEM after two years of postsecondary education, at the participant level, at participating institutions, and across the entire state, and has plans to collect more. But after two years of NSF INCLUDES funding, students had not yet been in the program that long. Instead, they measured semester-to-semester persistence in STEM. That early persistence rate was 80 percent. (Source: 2020 Evaluation Report, p. 117)

First 2: The First2 Alliance reported that a majority of undergraduate students "strongly agreed" with the following statement: The things I learned during this experience will help me stay in my STEM major when my coursework is challenging. And about half "strongly agreed" with these two statements: I am more likely to pursue a STEM degree as a result of this experience; and This experience will help me succeed in college. (Source: 2020 Evaluation Report p. 102)

Graduate

 

Expand All

IGEN: A primary outcome of the IGEN Alliance is to generate an increase in the fraction of students from underrepresented groups who complete doctoral degrees in the physical sciences to match the levels of undergraduate degrees awarded. To achieve this goal, the Alliance has launched a Bridge Program, through which partner institutions will better serve underrepresented students in graduate programs. By the end of the second year of NSG INCLUDES funding, they had 16 Bridge Partners and 6 Bridge Sites, serving 138 Bridge students. (Source: 2020 Evaluation Report, p. 16-18)

Workforce Representation

Workforce Representation

 

Expand All

No projects have provided evidence about this STEM BP outcome

No projects have provided evidence about this STEM BP outcome

IGEN: One of the IGEN Alliance's evaluation questions focuses on whether the Alliance is fostering sustained partnerships between and among critical stakeholders that support the advancement of underrepresented students from undergraduate through professional employment. Progress toward this goal after two years of NSF INCLUDES funding included "partnering with National Laboratories and establishing the IGEN Professional Networking LinkedIn group, launching the adaption of a mentor training curriculum for National Laboratories, and convening the first IGEN National Meeting." (Source: 2020 Evaluation Report, p. 21)

First 2: The First2 Alliance noted that approximately half (47 percent) of their summer undergraduate internship participants "strongly agreed" that they were more likely to pursue a career in research as a result of their experience. (Source: 2020 Evaluation Report, p. 102)