Targeted Infusion Project-EDU RURAL RAMS-UP (Rural Access and Math Success Undergraduate Pathways)

The Rural Access and Math Success Undergraduate Pathways project is a three-year initiative at Albany State University (ASU) designed to improve student success in introductory mathematics courses that serve as gateways to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degree programs. ASU serves students from Southwest Georgia and beyond, including many from rural communities who enter college with varying levels of mathematics preparation. The project seeks to strengthen students' mathematics readiness by providing adaptive diagnostic assessments, structured faculty and peer mentoring, and focused academic support, coupled with professional development for mathematics faculty. The project describes intentional collaboration with the Dougherty County School System to facilitate alignment on college mathematics expectations, support outreach activities, and strengthen students' transition from high school to postsecondary mathematics. The long-term goal is to increase student success, strengthen persistence in STEM academic pathways, and establish a sustainable model that can be adapted by other rural-serving institutions. The research team will conduct a mixed methods evaluative approach to examine how adaptive diagnostic assessment, mentoring, and professional development for faculty influence mathematics readiness, academic achievement, self-efficacy, and persistence among students enrolled in gateway mathematics courses. Quantitative measures will include diagnostic assessment results, course success rates, persistence, and institutional outcomes. Qualitative data will be collected through surveys, reflection journals, interviews, and focus groups to better understand participants' experiences and engagement. Findings will contribute to the evidence base on mathematics readiness, student success, faculty development, and effective instructional practices in undergraduate STEM education. Project results, instructional resources, and implementation strategies will be shared through scholarly publications, conference presentations, faculty learning communities, and regional partnerships to support adoption of effective practices at rural-serving institutions and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. This award is funded by the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP), through Targeted Infusion Projects, which supports the development, implementation, and study of evidence-based, innovative models and approaches for improving the preparation and success of HBCU undergraduate students to pursue science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) graduate programs and/or careers. 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.