STEM Bridge Program: Underrepresented Minority Students’ Perceptions of Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Program Impact

We explored underrepresented minority (URM) students’ perceptions of the merit and worth of a summer STEM bridge program. The Ohio State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program facilitated a three-week residential program for three consecutive summers with the goal of social and academic integration of first-year URM students into the Ohio State University. We were interested in understanding students’ perception of the impact of the bridge program. Through qualitative data analysis, our findings revealed five impacts of the program: acclimation to college, confidence, self-awareness, connections with others, and college preparation. In addition to exploring students’ perception of the program impacts, we asked students to identify elements of the program that were most beneficial and elements of the program to change. Our findings revealed that students found the introduction to college, facilitation of connections, and autonomy to be the most beneficial aspects of the program. Interestingly, students disagreed on elements of the bridge program to change. In light of our findings, we highlight the importance of ongoing evaluations of bridge programs, particularly evaluations that emphasize students’ perceptions of the impact of programs.