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Project Pathways
[ Overview ] [ Objectives ] [ Mission and Vision ] [ Intellectual Merit ] [ Broader Impact ]
A STEP In The Right Direction

Eastfield College, the National Science Foundation, area high schools, and businesses have teamed up in an effort to offer underrepresented students a seamless 2+2+2 transition in their field of study in Science Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics through three levels of academia - high school, community college, and four-year college.

STEP:
Science Talent Expansion Program

Various fields of study include:
Biology, Chemistry, CAD/Engineering Technology, Computer Information Technology, Computer Science, Geology, Physics, and Mathematics.
Project Description and Overview

Eastfield College, joined by Mesquite Independent School District, the Big Thicket National Preserve, and the Conservation Fund, with special assistance from University of Texas Southwest Medical Center, University of North Texas, Harvard University, and Texas Instruments, requested a five-year NSF Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program (STEP, Type 1) grant to increase the number of students pursuing and receiving degrees in STEM disciplines.

Project Pathways is a model program that will broaden access and success for STEM students, including those from underrepresented groups such as women, minorities, and students with disabilities.

As Figure 1 illustrates, the project provides a seamless transition from high school to community college and on to a four-year degree program through:
  1. Educational outreach at the pre-college level
  2. Fostering inquiry based learning through curricula enhancements
  3. Specialized recruitment of underrepresented students across STEM disciplines, and
  4. Providing early undergraduate research experiences


2+2+2 transition image

Figure 1: Students may enter through pre-college efforts and underrepresented college student outreach, encounter inquiry based learning in STEM courses, and participate in early research opportunities toward graduation/transfer. Support is provided to STEM students and faculty.
 
 
Project Objectives

Successful implementation of the project will result in achievement of the following objectives:

  1. Increase the number of students at Eastfield with a declared major in one of the STEM disciplines by 25% over five years
  2. Improve the retention rate of STEM students by 20% over five years
  3. Increase the number of students who graduate with a STEM degree and/or transfer to four-year institutions as STEM majors by 15% over five years
  4. Increase the number of underrepresented groups majoring in STEM fields by 15% over five years

 
Mission and Vision

Many students in Eastfield’s service area are from minority populations and at high schools where excellence in STEM programs is not facilitated. Eastfield has proven to be a critical community resource for students from disadvantaged backgrounds (i.e., first generation, low income, minority, etc.) desiring a better life through higher educational attainment.

Project Pathways is compatible with the college’s mission because all project activities described are geared toward high quality instruction, student success, and valuing diversity.

EFC logoEastfield College’s mission is to provide educational opportunities through high-quality instruction, services and programs in an environment conducive to student success in academic, technical, occupational, and continuing education. Our purpose is to develop responsible citizenship, to value diversity and cultural enrichment, and to be accountable and adaptable.
The vision of Project Pathways is to add value in the lives of students by remaining accessible and affordable while maintaining educational quality. The project will embrace and celebrate the diversity of students, staff, and communities.

Finally, Project Pathways will continue to improve student retention and offer academic and student supports that are necessary for students to successfully reach their goals. This vision underlies the management plan to increase the numbers of students graduating in STEM fields.

Intellectual Merit
 
Broader Impact

Over 44% of all undergraduates are enrolled in two-year colleges and over 34% of undergraduates enrolled in STEM courses are at two-year colleges. Despite these large numbers, the vast majority of these potential and existing STEM students do not have adequate supports, inquiry-based learning, and access to research opportunities early in their undergraduate careers.

This STEP project is uniquely designed to bring together high schools, home schools, pre-college and college programs for underrepresented students, community college, four-year institutions, nonprofits, and industry to provide a seamless 2+2+2 transition of STEM students through three levels of academia and on to STEM careers.

Additionally, the project will provide community-based research opportunities in such places as The Big Thicket National Preserve. Many students often consider such research “as more relevant than fundamental research projects” and which “can be particularly effective in attracting minority students to science.”

Furthermore, it is rare for two-year colleges to obtain such major scientific instrumentation as the scanning electron microscope and use it for educational outreach and for an early undergraduate research program. Project Pathways will fill this void in the field.


Over the past ten years, Eastfield has seen an explosion in the number of first generation, low income, minority students, and/or students with disabilities. The college is now a minority serving institution and next year will be a Hispanic Serving Institution.

As the only comprehensive institution of higher education in the area, Eastfield provides the critical first experiences many underrepresented students will have in STEM. These trends are not unique to Eastfield – many two-year colleges across the country are experiencing demographic shifts from majority to minority serving institutions.

This STEP project will illustrate how community colleges can nurture students to engage “in the very business of science through the generation of new knowledge.”