2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

To provide industry and government with STEM graduates that have the skillset to help our country be competitive on a global scale, students need to learn how to become innovators. With funding from a National Science Foundation Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Program (S-STEM) grant, researchers at the University of Arkansas aim to increase the number of STEM graduates with innovation training and experience. The Closing America’s Innovation Gap through Collaboration with Industry (DUE 2030297) program (INNOV) provides academic innovation opportunities while also providing scholarships and retention programming to help students succeed.

INNOV was informed by an earlier S-STEM grant program, Closing the STEM Labor Gap through a Path to Graduation (PTG) for Low Income, Rural Students (DUE 1742496). PTG graduates felt that their credit-bearing bridge program was important to their success. To take it a step further, INNOV provided two first-year innovation courses. PTG identified specific student struggles which allowed the INNOV team to address these issues from the beginning to improve retention.

The INNOV program components include a credit-bearing innovation bridge program during the intersession immediately before the students’ first semester on campus, a two-semester first-year sequence of innovation courses with industry-partnered projects, and innovation-related field trips to industry. It also has a non-course related portion called the Path program which includes a first-year living community, peer mentoring, professional mentoring, faculty mentoring, monthly cohort meetings, and teambuilding activities.

Cohort 1 began in fall 2021 with 12 students (9 from historically underrepresented groups (HUG), 7 female) and the fall 2022 cohort had 16 students (10 HUG, 6 female). Spring 2023 ended with 26 students in the program, a 93% retention rate. Entering students are low-income Pell Grant recipients, have an ACT of 23-27, and a high school GPA of 3.50+.

INNOV program sophomores were surveyed at the end of their sophomore year and asked to reflect on their experience. Related to the innovation experience courses in their first year and how it impacted them in their sophomore year courses and/or in life outside the classroom,
• 81% felt the courses helped them feel more comfortable expressing their ideas.
• 76% said the courses helped them feel more comfortable with taking risks.
• 63% felt that the courses were valuable to their future educational and career goals.
• 54% said that the courses helped them be more creative and innovative.
• 54% felt that the courses helped motivate them to continue in their STEM degree program.

Related to the non-academic Path program portion of the grant program,
• 73% felt that Path was an important factor in continuing their chosen degree program.
• 73% felt that Path was important in promoting their sense of belonging.

This paper will discuss the academic and retention components of INNOV including new strategies informed by lessons learned from an earlier grant. Student success and achievement data, as well as student survey data, will be presented.