A Learning Culture of Success: A Cultural Approach for Increasing

Diversity and Inclusion in STEMRafael Alvarez - MESA Program Director

Theresa Garcia - MESA Engineering Program DirectorEric Pamintuan - SPSD Coordinator

Raga Bakhiet - MESA Program Director

Friday, March 16, 2012

Culture

Need

“LearningCulture”

“A Conversation”

Need

“Color of the sky”:

Student Realities

What is Culture?

Graduates of high schools with low API scores

First generation college students Economically disadvantaged Placement into basic skills courses Lack of necessary social and cultural capital

“Color of the sky”: Student Realities

"the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group"

"the characteristic features of everyday existence shared by people in a place or time <popular culture>"

"the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization <a corporate culture>"

What is Culture?

Background - Strategies

Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America's Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads

1. Academic Support and Social Integration

2. Research/Internship Experiences3. Professional Development Activities4. Summer Bridge Programs5. Mentoring

Student Interest in STEM

Hurtado, S. and Chang, M. (2010). Degrees of Success: Bachelor’s Degree Completion Rates among Initial STEM Majors. Higher Education Institute at UCLA.

Degree Completion

Hurtado, S. and Chang, M. (2010). Degrees of Success: Bachelor’s Degree Completion Rates among Initial STEM Majors. Higher Education Institute at UCLA.

“New” American Dilemma

28.5% - Percentage of underrepresented minority groupsin national population (2006)

9.1% - Percentage of underrepresented minority groups among college-educated Americans in science and engineering occupations (academic and non-academic)

Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America's Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads (2010). National Academy of Sciences.

Commitment – Culture Begins Here!

Victims …- Blame others- Complain- Make excuses- Repeat ineffective behavior- “Have to” do things- Pretend their problems belong

to others- “Try”- Give up

FAILUREVictims seldom achieve goals

Creators … Accept responsibility Take actions Seek solutions Do something new “Choose to” do things Own their problems Commit & follow through Take control of their choices & their

lives!

SUCCESSCreators often achieve goals

Downing, S. (2009). Strategies for Creating Success in College and in Life. Wadsworth, Boston, MA, 6th Edition.

Cultural Beliefs

Secret to Success (a.k.a. African Village story):

“When you find something in life that you want as much as you want to breathe, then you will find the secret to success!”

Capstone for life: The purpose for the learning Skills Knowledge Wisdom FREEDOM!

MESA Works!

http://mesa.ucop.edu/ (See “MESA Video 2011”)

MESA USA

San Diego map

MESA Schools Program ~ 1,600 students San Diego Unified (K–12) – 800 Imperial Valley Unified (K–12) – 800

Community College ~ 365 studentsSan Diego City College – 200Southwestern College – 165

University (SDSU) ~ 320 students MESA Engineering Program (MEP) - 275 Maximizing Science Potential (MSP) - 45

INDUSTRY

or Graduate School

San Diego AllianceSan Diego’s pipeline for tomorrow’s

Mathematicians, Engineers & Scientists

Serving over 2,200 students

A Working Alliance

Regular Directors’ meetings

Sharing of best practices

Joint planning

Shared Industry Advisory Board

Joint grant seeking

• NSF STEP: STEP Partnership of San Diego

• California Space Grant Consortium: STEM Outreach focused on Research in the Control of Lagrangian Mixing in Fuel Injector Flows into Supersonic Cross-Stream

Academic Support & Social Integration

Academic Advising and Individual Academic Plans

STEM Course Clustering

Academic Excellence Workshops

Tutoring

College and Career Exploration

Transfer Assistance to 4-year Universities (2-year colleges only)

Assistance Applying to Graduate Schools (4-year universities only)

College Orientation Course

Collaboration with Student/Professional Organizations

Professional Development Activities

Training Academies for Industry Skills

Regional Job Shadow Day

Scholarships

StrengthsQuest

Leadership Summit

Faculty Advisors

STEM Competitions

San Diego Region Joint Planning Conference

As important as classroom teaching

Develop tomorrow’s STEM workforce

Advisory Board Direct Access to students

Paid Interns - SPSD

Future hires

Industry Standards

Internships & Undergraduate Research

Industry Engagement

IndustryStandards

Standards:

University Bridging

Counseling

Academic Support

Community

Industry Exposure

Goal 1: Recruitment and Participation• Enrollment at each school will increase 10% over previous year

201 104 145224 198 176245 211 202318 204 2180

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

SDSU SDCC SWC

07/0808/0909/1010/11

Goal 2: Recruitment and Participation• At least 350 students will be enrolled in the SPSD/MESA

program from declared major through transfer or graduation within grant period

- 127 SDSU graduates- 107 transfers from SDCC- 96 transfers from SWC - 330 Total graduates or transfers (94% of goal)- More than 580 current active enrollees

• To meet the goal, 20 students will need to graduate or transfer in the next academic year

Goal 3: Academic Counseling• At least 160 program students will graduate in a STEM major

by the end of the grant period. (SDSU only)

Goal 4: Industry Exposure• At least 36 SPSD/MESA students will complete an internship

(100+ hours) each year

Goal 5: University Bridging Activities• At least 15 graduating seniors in the SPSD/MESA program will

enter STEM graduate study programs by the end of the 5-year grant period. (SDSU only)

07-08 08-09 09-10 10-11 11-12 TotalChemistry 1 1 0 1 - 3

Engineering 3 1 5 3 - 12Math 1 1 2 2 - 6

5 3 7 6 - 21

Building the Culture: Stages

1 2 30%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Deg

ree o

f Im

ple

men

-ta

tio

n

Future Direction

Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America's Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads (2010 Report)

Identifies 5 proven, intensive strategies for student success in STEM

MESA/SPSD implements 3 of 5 strategies

SPSD II proposes to build on MESA/SPSD best practices and implement remaining 2 strategies (Summer Bridge & Mentoring) in the context of a STEM pipeline (high school-CC-4 year university)

Chinese Bamboo

Lessons:HardworkPatienceSuccess