Long-Range Improvement of Technology-Based Science Instruction to Support Student Career Transistion into the Workforce:

Project Summary— This is an Institutional Project submitted to the U.S. Department of Education under the Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP) by Del Mar College (DMC) a minority serving institution of Corpus Christi, Texas. DMC is the 12th largest Hispanic serving institution in the nation, enrolling over 25,000 students annually. The student population is comprised of 61% minority, with 57% Hispanic, 60% female, and with a majority of students being the first generation from their family to attend college.

To successfully implement alternative instructional methods we will provide problem–based laboratory exercises utilizing both modern scientific instrumentation and computer/communication technology. We plan to meet the objectives in the class room by

1) designing and developing interactive computer exercises with multimedia workstations;

2) establishing the course on the DMC campus fully integrating scientific technology as an integral "hands-on" component of the course methodology; and

3) development of over 1200 DMC students real world skills to more effectively prepare for science-based careers during the 36-month project. DMC is interested in improving capacity to recruit, provide educational access, and retain under-represented, under-served and first-generation students.

The overall goals of this proposal are the long-range improvement of recruitment, the access to education and retention of underrepresented students in South Texas through the teaching of updated technology-based classes at DMC.