College of San Mateo Program Aims to Boost Diversity in STEM Fields

A new program at the College of San Mateo in California's Bay Area hopes to increase graduation rates for Latino and low-income students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects. The institution partnered with InsideTrack to provide students with access to the company's uCoach platform as well as one-on-one student success coaching over the next three years.

Funded by a Title III Hispanic-Serving Institutions STEM grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the program is "part of a broader effort across Silicon Valley by the education, tech, and philanthropic communities to close achievement gaps among Latino and low-income students in STEM disciplines and to connect them with meaningful STEM careers," according to a news announcement.

InsideTrack's coaches will work with students to define long-term goals and degree plans, as well as help with "soft skills" such as time management. The uCoach platform provides multiple communication channels for coaches and students, and generates data analytics to help fine-tune the college's student success initiatives.

"In the Valley and throughout our region, there is growing demand for college graduates with STEM credentials, creating opportunities for well-paying jobs with high potential for career advancement," said José Rocha, director of METaS, the Hispanic-Serving Institution — STEM grant at College of San Mateo, in a statement. "With the economic opportunity afforded through the growth in STEM fields, it is imperative that we help students from a wide range of backgrounds, particularly Latino and low-income students, succeed in STEM programs. Our partnership with InsideTrack enables us to provide students with the personalized support needed to chart a path to success, overcome obstacles and gain access to these thriving professions."

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • glowing digital brain above a chessboard with data charts and flowcharts

    Why AI Strategy Matters (and Why Not Having One Is Risky)

    If your institution hasn't started developing an AI strategy, you are likely putting yourself and your stakeholders at risk, particularly when it comes to ethical use, responsible pedagogical and data practices, and innovative exploration.

  • people collaborating around tables with a giant glowing lightbulb, surrounded by futuristic data visuals and technology icons

    California Community Colleges Google, Partner to Provide Students with AI Skills

    A new collaboration between the California Community Colleges system and Google will provide free access to AI tools and training for more than 2 million students and faculty across the state.

  • server racks, a human head with a microchip, data pipes, cloud storage, and analytical symbols

    OpenAI, Oracle Expand AI Infrastructure Partnership

    OpenAI and Oracle have announced they will develop an additional 4.5 gigawatts of data center capacity, expanding their artificial intelligence infrastructure partnership as part of the Stargate Project, a joint venture among OpenAI, Oracle, and Japan's SoftBank Group that aims to deploy 10 gigawatts of computing capacity over four years.

  • interconnected blocks of data

    Rubrik Intros Immutable Backup for Okta Environments

    Rubrik has announced Okta Recovery, extending its identity resilience platform to Okta with immutable backups and in-place recovery, while separately detailing its integration with Okta Identity Threat Protection for automated remediation.