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Education Innovation initiative is Bowie State University’s first signature program, the Education Innovation Initiative (EI²) is a preK-20 pipeline program that promotes academic success and exposes students from underrepresented groups to careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The EI² programs are designed to encourage more students to enroll, stay in school, and graduate in four years. Bowie State undergraduates can participate in a broad spectrum of EI² activities that provide the support students need to succeed in their classes and the opportunities to engage in real-world, hands-on projects.

Ways Education Innovation Initiative Is Making An Impact

Student Support Services

Living And Learning Communities: Communities of first-year students, with similar academic interests, live together in a residence hall, take the same schedule of classes and enjoy a wide range of specialized educational experiences in a supportive environment. Students who do not live in residence halls benefit from block scheduling that enables them to take the same classes in a cohort of their peers.

Holistic Advising: Selected first-time students get intensive academic support, starting with their new student orientation, to provide a clear outline of what they can do to graduate in four years, as well as extra resources they need to be successful in college.

Experiential Learning

Near-Peer Mentors: Freshman students taking general education and introductory major courses get tutoring and additional support from outstanding upperclassmen students, trained to assist faculty with course instruction inside and outside of the classroom.

Robotics Clinics: Freshman students, working in teams, get hands-on learning opportunities as they develop technology projects that address real-world problems.

Research and Graduate School Preparation

Summer Undergraduate Research Institute (SURI): Undergraduate students, selected by a competitive process, engage in faculty-guided research in an intensive 8- to 10-week program to prepare them to present their work at academic conferences and in scholarly journals.

The McNair Scholars Program: A group of 25 selected undergraduate students receive mentoring from faculty to conduct interdisciplinary research to prepare for doctoral study.

Partnerships to Strengthen STEM Pipeline

Early Career Exposure: Select students from Eleanor Roosevelt High School engage in hands-on Robotics Clinics, visits to the BSU campus and other outreach activities to give them a glimpse of college life and STEM careers.