Low-income students at universities across the country possess the intellectual aptitude to succeed and graduate but their graduation rates are half those of their peers. The reasons are diverse and include underfunded schools in low-income areas not adequately preparing students for college and the students’ difficulties in adapting to university culture (Green, 2005) (Markus & Conner, 2013). On the latter point, low-income students have difficulty in navigating the often labyrinthine administrative structures of universities, causing them to not use available resources. The lower persistence and graduation rates of low-income students nationally is mirrored in our three institutions representing the spectrum of research university (Purdue (IN)), regional university (University of Cincinnati (OH)), and community college (Rhodes State College (OH)).

The Psi program aims to significantly increase the success of low-income students in STEM degrees. It builds on evidence-based approaches to student motivation, retention and success. It also seeks to generate new evidence on effective implementation and adaptation of these approaches. The project is a collaborative initiative of large, state universities with a mission to enlarge access to STEM education, which makes it a highly relevant education laboratory. The project builds on previous experience and is supported by these three institutions. It will reach its aims by integrating targeted services with disciplinary learning using competency-based and personalized education.

The Psi project has three objectives organized to reflect the three goals of the S-STEM program:

Increase the number of academically talented low-income students who enroll and complete a STEM degree in each participating institution. We aim to support approximately 160 students over the 5-year program with 20-30 enrolled in B.S. in Computer Graphics Technology (Purdue), 30-40 in B.S. in Information Technology (UC), and 100 in A.S. in Information Technology and Engineering Technology (RSC). The numbers reflect only the immediate goals of the project. In the longer term, once implemented, the strategies proposed by the project will impact many future student cohorts.

Implement a set of established and proven practices articulated around competencies and personalized learning. Faculty mentoring is considered essential and will be highly personalized as well. The same set of competencies and experiences will be implemented and refined in three institutions of different types: research, regional, and community college.

Study and assess the effectiveness of the implementation and the ease of portability and integration in a diversity of educational settings.