Belonging Increased by Effective Networking in Service to Educational Meaning (Year 4 Report)
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| Title: | Belonging Increased by Effective Networking in Service to Educational Meaning (Year 4 Report) |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Jianjun Wang, California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB) |
| Source: | Grantee Submission. 2026. |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 30 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Department of Education (ED) |
| Contract Number: | P031C210146 |
| Document Type: | Reports - Evaluative |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education Two Year Colleges |
| Descriptors: | Community Colleges, STEM Education, Community College Students, Hispanic American Students, Low Income Students, Program Evaluation, Program Implementation, Accountability, Academic Degrees, Academic Persistence, Career Pathways, Student Personnel Services, Sense of Belonging, Program Effectiveness, Grants, Enrollment Trends, Majors (Students), Work Experience Programs, Capacity Building, Sustainability |
| Geographic Terms: | California |
| Abstract: | Glendale Community College (GCC) is completing the fourth year of its five-year HSI-STEM grant, Belonging Increased By Effective Networking In Service To Educational Meaning (BIEN in STEM), launched in Fall 2021 to strengthen STEM pathways for Hispanic and other low-income students through coordinated academic, experiential, and student support strategies. This Year 4 report presents the first comprehensive external evaluation of the project using a Context, Input, Process, and Product (CIPP) framework, synthesizing implementation and outcome evidence while sustaining continuity with progress achieved during the first three years of the grant. The evaluation documents the project's response to federal accountability expectations by examining evidence across three core outcome domains: (1) STEM Degree and Certificate Production, (2) STEM Persistence along the Learning and Professional Pathways, and (3) Enhancement of Student Support Services. Findings are interpreted within a dynamic institutional context marked by overall enrollment contraction alongside sustained and increasing proportional representation of Hispanic students. Together, the results indicate that BIEN in STEM has reached the level of operational maturity expected by the fourth year of implementation, with core components functioning at scale and producing measurable interim outcomes. With one project year remaining, the evaluation is intentionally framed as formative and improvement-oriented, identifying high-leverage opportunities to strengthen evidence quality, documentation coherence, and implementation effectiveness during the final year. The report concludes with targeted recommendations and a sustainability discussion that highlight mechanisms for institutionalization, including planning for the continuation of high-impact student support services beyond the grant period. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | ED678093 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Glendale Community College (GCC) is completing the fourth year of its five-year HSI-STEM grant, Belonging Increased By Effective Networking In Service To Educational Meaning (BIEN in STEM), launched in Fall 2021 to strengthen STEM pathways for Hispanic and other low-income students through coordinated academic, experiential, and student support strategies. This Year 4 report presents the first comprehensive external evaluation of the project using a Context, Input, Process, and Product (CIPP) framework, synthesizing implementation and outcome evidence while sustaining continuity with progress achieved during the first three years of the grant. The evaluation documents the project's response to federal accountability expectations by examining evidence across three core outcome domains: (1) STEM Degree and Certificate Production, (2) STEM Persistence along the Learning and Professional Pathways, and (3) Enhancement of Student Support Services. Findings are interpreted within a dynamic institutional context marked by overall enrollment contraction alongside sustained and increasing proportional representation of Hispanic students. Together, the results indicate that BIEN in STEM has reached the level of operational maturity expected by the fourth year of implementation, with core components functioning at scale and producing measurable interim outcomes. With one project year remaining, the evaluation is intentionally framed as formative and improvement-oriented, identifying high-leverage opportunities to strengthen evidence quality, documentation coherence, and implementation effectiveness during the final year. The report concludes with targeted recommendations and a sustainability discussion that highlight mechanisms for institutionalization, including planning for the continuation of high-impact student support services beyond the grant period. |
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