Strengthening rural stem education: an evidence-based framework for increasing student success

The National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education awarded Heritage University $2,125,000 on October 1, 2025, under the STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076) to strengthen rural STEM education through institutional transformation and evidence-based teaching practices.

The project develops and implements a comprehensive model for transforming STEM education at the rural institution serving local communities in Toppenish, Washington. The work addresses academic achievement gaps in STEM fields by fostering strong STEM identities at both institutional and student levels. The project transforms institutional practice through structured dialogue between leadership and STEM stakeholders, professional development for administrators, and increased leadership engagement in student-centered STEM events. It pursues two complementary objectives: enhancing institutional leadership's engagement in STEM programs to transform student support networks, and developing innovative experiential learning opportunities across STEM disciplines.

Research methods include photovoice documentation and reflective student journaling to investigate how backgrounds and experiences in community-based institutions influence STEM outcomes, and what knowledge transfer approaches effectively help students engage in STEM programs across varied educational contexts. The project creates a model for other institutions across the United States to follow.

Performance period extends from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2030. Heritage University is a private, nonprofit Hispanic-Serving Institution in Toppenish, Washington, serving diverse student populations from Hispanic and rural backgrounds.

Abstract

With support from the improving undergraduate stem education: hispanic-serving institutions (HSI program), this institutional transformation project aims to develop and implement a comprehensive model for transforming stem education at a rural institution serving local communities. The project will address academic achievement gaps in stem fields by fostering strong stem identities at both institutional and student levels. This work is especially timely as rural, community-based institutions face unique challenges in retaining stem students, particularly following the covid-19 pandemic's disproportionate impact on college-level preparedness. The project will transform institutional culture through structured dialogue between leadership and stem stakeholders, professional development for administration, and increased leadership engagement in student-centered stem events. Through this dual approach of institutional transformation and evidence-based teaching practices, the project will contribute new understanding of how community-based institutions can effectively support all students while preparing them for the global stem workforce. Through innovative programming and teaching practices, this work will create a model for other institutions across the united states to follow. The project will pursue two complementary objectives: i) enhancing stem identity in institutional leadership to transform student support networks, and II) developing innovative experiential learning opportunities across stem disciplines. Two primary research questions will guide this work: how backgrounds and experiences found in community-based institutions influence stem identity development, and what knowledge transfer approaches effectively help students develop stem identities in varied educational contexts. The project will employ multiple research methods including photovoice documentation during international experiences, reflective student journaling, traditional storytelling approaches during research fellowships, and semi-structured interviews with institutional leaders. Specific interventions include undergraduate research fellowships fostering mentored research experiences and the global interconnectedness of stem, and comprehensive academic support systems with early intervention strategies. The project will advance the field by generating new knowledge about institutional transformation in rural higher education settings, particularly regarding the relationship between institutional stem identity and student success. Expected broader impacts include developing a model for mutual exchange between institutional leadership and students that can inform stem policy development at other institutions, creating a guide for building community-based programs that benefit both students and their surrounding communities in both regional and international settings, and increasing the number of stem graduates prepared for the workforce. Results will be disseminated through publications in undergraduate education journals, conference presentations, and through the NSF HSI program network resource centers and hubs. The HSI program aims to enhance undergraduate stem education and build capacity at hsis. Projects supported by the HSI program will also generate new knowledge on how to achieve these aims. 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.- subawards are planned for this award.