Central Oregon Community College

Preparing Central Oregon Community College Students for Careers in Information Systems -this Project Will Contribute to the National Need for Well-educated Scientists, Mathematicians, Engineers, and Technicians by Supporting the Retention and Graduation of High-achieving, Low-income Students With Demonstrated Financial Need at Central Oregon Community College. Over Its Six-year Duration, This Project Will Fund Scholarships to 15 Unique Full- or Part-time Students Pursuing an Associate Degree in Computer Information Systems (CIS) or Geographic Information Systems (gis). First-year Students Will Receive Up to Three Years of Scholarships. This Project Focuses on Developing Both Technological and Soft Skills During the Degree Programs. Technological Learning Will Be Enhanced With Focused Mentoring From Faculty and Peers as Well as Cohort Building Beginning With a First-year Course Sequence. Soft Career Skills Relate to Communication and Collaboration and Will Be Enhanced Using Career Counselors and Workshops With Local Employers. as a Result of Project Activities, the Project Will Increase the Number of Students Graduating in These Fields and Entering the Information Technology (IT) Workforce Who Are Low-income and From Groups Currently Underrepresented in Their Pursuit of Careers in It. Additionally, the Project Will Investigate Best Practices for Helping Academically Talented Students From These Groups to Succeed in College and Transition to the Workforce. the Overall Goal of This Project Is to Increase Stem Degree Completion of Low-income, High-achieving Undergraduates With Demonstrated Financial Need. the Main Objective of the Project Is to Help Low-income Students Complete Their Associates Degrees in Either Cis or Gis and Move on to a Career in Information Systems. This Project Will Enhance Hard Technological Skills While Also Building Soft Skills, Which Were Identified as Commonly Missing Skills for Recent Graduates by the the Institution's Cis Employer Advisory Board. the Project?s Main Research Question for Evaluation Will Be Whether Filling These Skill Gaps Can Improve College Retention and Graduation and Increase the Number of Graduates Qualified for Employment in the Information Systems Industry. the Project Will Target Hard and Soft Skill Gaps With Individualized Faculty and Peer Mentoring, Student Cohorts, a First-year Course Sequence, Career Counseling Sessions, and Workshops With Professionals From the Industry. Project Evaluation Takes an Applied Social Science Research Approach That Will: Use Data to Improve Decision Making, Determine If the Project Has Met Its Objectives, Measure the Project?s Impact, and Disseminate the Results. the Results Will Be Disseminated at the College, Regional, and National Levels and Will Help Fill the Knowledge Gap on How Building Soft Skills in Community College Students Can Lead to Increased Academic Performance and Job Placement in the Information Systems Industry. This Project Is Funded by NSF?S Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Program, Which Seeks to Increase the Number of Low-income Academically Talented Students With Demonstrated Financial Need Who Earn Degrees in Stem Fields. It Also Aims to Improve the Education of Future Stem Workers, and to Generate Knowledge About Academic Success, Retention, Transfer, Graduation, and Academic/career Pathways of Low-income Students. This Award Reflects NSF'S Statutory Mission and Has Been Deemed Worthy of Support Through Evaluation Using the Foundation's Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts Review Criteria.