Collaborative Research: Georgia STEM Accessibility Alliance (GSAA)

佐治亚大学和佐治亚理工学院正在与佐治亚大学合作，提议建立佐治亚州STEM无障碍联盟(GSAA)。GSAA的目标是在佐治亚理工学院、佐治亚大学、佐治亚州周长学院和三个公立中学学区之间建立联盟。所有项目活动都支持提高残障人士中学后STEM学位和职业成就的目标。GSAA-S的目标涉及增加中学残疾学生(SWD)在STEM大专班级和专业的入学人数，提高STEM大专专业的残障人士的保留率和毕业率，以及提高GSAA学生进入STEM研究生课程的成功率。GSAA的一个显著特点是使用虚拟世界作为主要的服务交付模式。使用虚拟辅导和教学、社交网络、学术支持、过渡援助和编写指导将是GSAA利用的主要干预措施。GSAA的目标是：目标1：在第1年开发和评估GSAA干预技术和材料，供第2-5年使用。目标2：增加参加GSAA STEM辅导和虚拟世界STEM活动的中学SWD人数(每年40人/140人)，并进入两年制学院、技术学院或大学合作机构的STEM后课程(50%的参与者，或每个项目年20人，总计80人)。入学被定义为录取STEM相关领域的指定专业。目标3：在GSAA？S两年制学院和大学伙伴机构中，通过同行和教员虚拟和指导活动、循证STEM学习实践、UDL解决方案和专业发展倡议，将STEM专业的保留率增加180人(基线为2,479人，已宣布STEM专业的学生为723人)，并将获得STEM学位(专科、学士和研究生学位)的学生人数比2007年基线(94人)增加10人。目标4：在2-5年内，GSAA STEM毕业生(助理、学士和研究生)进入STEM研究生项目的人数比基线措施(71人)每年增加10人。该项目将实施干预措施，以支持社署跨越三个关键学术关口：高中到两年制大学；两年到四年制大学；以及从本科教育到研究生教育或就业。GSAA的活动包括：1.在第二人生的虚拟世界中创建一个辅导/培训岛，并将社交网络工具整合到所有参与者的全年辅导体验中；2.通过STEM学习研讨会和社署虚拟学习社区，提供以证据为基础的STEM学习策略，并将技能应用于STEM内容；3.提高STEM教职员工利用基于网络的和第二人生培训模块教育社署的能力，以提供核心的专业培训和发展；4.提供过渡准备和持续支持，以发展社会福利署在STEM中学和中学后院校取得成功所必需的自我宣传和学术技能。内部和外部/独立评估员的工作将为项目提供形成性和终结性评估，这将为GSAA模式提供证据。调查结果小组的Tom McKlin博士将为该项目提供外部评估服务。虚拟世界的开发和维护将由Vesuvius，Inc.提供。该项目将开发材料，在全国范围内的中学和高等教育机构复制该模型。招聘流程、参与者培训方法、评价反馈工具和成果衡量标准将正式确定，以便便于扩大使用。GSAA的材料和资源将很容易通过网络提供给寻求复制该项目模式的其他机构。GSAA将寻求首先将规模扩大应用于其他联盟。一旦这一点被衡量和记录下来，该项目将努力扩大到该资助委员会之外的其他组织

The University of Georgia and Georgia Institute of Technology are collaborating partners with University of in a proposal to create the Georgia STEM Accessibility Alliance (GSAA). GSAA aims to establish an alliance between Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Georgia, Georgia Perimeter College and three public secondary school districts. All project activities support the goal of increasing the postsecondary STEM degree and career attainment of individuals with disabilities. The GSAA?s goals relate to increasing the number of secondary students with disabilities (SWD) enrolling in STEM postsecondary classes and majors, increasing the retention and graduation rates of individuals with disabilities in postsecondary STEM majors, and increasing successful entry rates of GSAA students into STEM graduate programs. A distinctive feature of GSAA is the use of a virtual world as the primary service-delivery model. The use of virtual mentoring and teaching, social networking, academic support, transition assistance, and preparation of instructions will be the primary interventions utilized in GSAA. GSAA goals are:Goal 1: Develop and evaluate GSAA intervention technologies and materials in Year 1 for use in Years 2-5. All modular materials will be made available via the Virtual Learning Reserves, one Reserve for secondary students and faculty and one for post-secondary students and faculty.Goal 2: Increase the number of secondary SwD (40/per year/140 total) participating in the GSAA STEM mentoring and virtual world STEM activities and entering STEM postsecondary programs in two-year colleges, technical colleges or university partner institutions (50% of participants, or 20 per project year, 80 total). Entering is defined as matriculating with a stated major in a STEM-related field. Goal 3: Increase retention in STEM majors by 180 students (baseline of 2,479 SWD, 723 SWD with declared STEM majors) and number of students graduating with STEM degrees (associates, baccalaureate, and graduate degrees) by 10 students from 2007 baseline (baseline of 94 students) in GSAA?s two-year college and university partner institutions through peer and faculty virtual and mentoring activities, evidence-based STEM learning practices, UDL solutions, and professional development initiatives.Goal 4: Increase the entry of GSAA STEM graduates (associates, baccalaureate and graduate) into STEM graduate programs by 10 per year from baseline measures (71 students) in Years 2-5. The project will implement interventions to support SWD as they cross three critical academic junctures: high school to two-year college; two-year to four-year college; and undergraduate education to graduate education or employment. GSAA activities include: 1. Creating a mentoring/training island in the virtual world of Second Life and integrating social networking tools to all participants year-round mentoring experiences; 2. Providing evidence-based STEM learning strategies with application of skills to STEM content via STEM Learning Seminars and Virtual Learning Communities for SWD;3. Enhancing the STEM faculty and staff ability to educate SWD using web-based and Second Life training modules to provide core professional training and development;4. Providing transition preparation and ongoing support to develop self-advocacy and academic skills essential for SWD to succeed in STEM secondary and postsecondary institutions.Work by internal and external/independent evaluators will provide formative and summative evaluation for the project which will provide evidence for the GSAA model. Dr. Tom McKlin of The Findings Group will provide external evaluation services to the project. Virtual world development and maintenance will be provided by Vesuvius, Inc. The project will develop materials for replicating the model nation-wide at secondary and postsecondary institutions. Recruiting processes, participant training methods, evaluation feedback instruments, and outcome measures will be formalized so that they can become easy to use for scale-up. GSAA materials and resources will be easily available via the Web to other institutions that seek to replicate the project model. GSAA will seek to apply scale-up first to other Alliances. Once this has been measured and documented, the project will apply efforts to scale up to other organizations outside of this funding directorate