Algebra, Science, Instruction And Student Retention Focus Of Federal Grants

Miami Dade College has secured $13 million in federal grants to help support students and improve the way they learn.

The funds will be used in programs such as the Science Student Access and Success (SSAS) project at Hialeah Campus,  STEM Talent Opportunity Priority (STEM TOP) at Kendall Campus, ARCOS (Accelerate, Retain, Complete with Opportunities and Support) at Wolfson Campus, and the Institute of Teaching and Learning at InterAmerican Campus. Grant funding will also be used for the First in the World (FITW) initiative, which is college-wide.

“These grant dollars allow us to invest in key improvements to the student experience, by providing better trained faculty and new classroom and laboratory resources,” said Lenore Rodicio, College Provost at Wolfson Campus.

The college received the money from two separate grants, $10 million came from Title V grants, a grant specifically made to help expand educational opportunities for Hispanic students, and the other $3 million from FITW. Both are federal grants administered through the United States Department of Education. The grant is meant to help improve classes, such as mathematics courses, in the college and aid Hispanic and low-income students.  

From the $13 million grant, approximately $11.5 million will be used for STEM purposes.

ARCOS is meant to serve 600 students enrolled in STEM disciplines. Its goal is to improve retention, progression, and completion rates among Hispanic and other low-income, high-need students.

SSAS, another STEM program in Hialeah Campus, will establish a Professional Development Institute to design, develop, and deliver high-impact pedagogical practices focused on active, experiential learning in lectures and discovery-based laboratories for students taking college algebra, anatomy and physiology, health sciences, chemistry and non-majors biology.

Kendall Campus will implement the new project STEM TOP, which will address underrepresented populations in STEM disciplines. It will also have three main activities: peer-led tutoring,  the STEM undergraduate research program PRISM (Program Research in Involved, Science and Math), and STEM Center for Student Engagement (SCSE).

InterAmerican Campus’ Institute of Teaching and Learning is a project designed to improve retention, progression and completion rates among Hispanic and other low-income students

“The grants are critical,” said Heather Belmont, Dean of the School of Science. “In a time when funding is increasingly limited, this external support allows us to provide invaluable services to our students and faculty that will help us improve student success in the STEM disciplines.”

The FITW is focused on improving mathematics courses in the college. This means that the college will  implement and evaluate the effectiveness of a revised intermediate algebra course. The goal is to increase completion of mathematics courses that currently are a major barrier to students’ progression.

“This grant allows us to make improvements to the way we provide teaching experiences to our students,  both inside and outside the classroom,” said Alicia Giovinazzo, Dean of Academic Affairs at Kendall Campus.