Collaborative Research: The Geo-CC&CP Foundry - Building Institutional Capacity for Broadening Participation in the Geoscience Workforce

许多未被充分代表的少数族裔就读两年制技术和社区学院（2YCs）或少数族裔服务机构（msi）作为本科生；但这些机构通常缺乏足够的地球科学课程。该项目的目的是确定有助于2YC和MSI机构更好地为代表性不足的学生做好地球科学职业准备的策略。该项目将合作机构、个别教师、教育资源提供者、教育研究人员和地球科学雇主聚集在一系列重点研讨会上，以确定在目标机构中提高地球科学能力的理想系统。该项目直接涉及20个2YC/MSI机构合作伙伴和教师以及30个其他利益相关者。该项目的主要成果是为普通地球科学教育界提供一系列报告和相关的网络资源，概述了改善和扩大2yc和msi地球科学教学的挑战和机遇。缺乏在两年制大学（2YCs）和少数民族服务机构（msi）获得本科学位的机会仍然是提高地球科学劳动力准备和多样性的主要障碍。该项目的具体目标是：(1)识别和澄清障碍和机会，以便更好地利用现有的教学资源，让2yc / msi中代表性不足的学生参与到地球科学中来；(2)与利益相关者一起探索资源、专业发展和对教师和机构的持续支持的理想模式。这些目标是通过举办一系列重点关注的利益相关者需求评估研讨会来实现的。需求评估研讨会将汇集五个关键利益相关者群体，包括(1)2YCs和msi的教学教师，(2)教育资源提供者，(3)学术主席和行政人员，(4)基于学科的地球科学教育研究人员，(5)地球科学劳动力雇主，从而产生有关障碍和机会的信息。在每次讲习班期间产生的报告和相关的网络资源将强调可持续的体制基础设施，这将增加现有教育资源的获取和可用性。评估和项目团队活动将综合小组的发现，以产生知识，并使未来的建议与涉众的需求保持一致。该项目侧重于机构和系统层面的活动，直接涉及20个2YC/MSI机构合作伙伴和教师，以及来自其他利益相关者群体的30个其他个人。通过在系统层面开展工作，不仅可以确保个人课程的建立，还可以确保通往地球科学的道路的建立。外部评估将(1)提供一个独立的、客观的观点，关于项目管理作为一个团队的运作情况如何；(2)评估需求评估研讨会满足项目目标的程度；(3)审查干系人报告和项目团队的最终报告的准确性和完整性。评估者将是所有项目团队活动的参与者观察者，并在项目管理活动结束后通过简短的问卷调查从管理团队收集定性数据。评估人员将可以访问（通过SERC内容管理系统）管理委员会产生的所有文件和记录，从而可以跟踪核心项目活动并评估团队的进展情况。至少每季度提供一次反馈，告知项目负责人可以在哪些方面进行改进。为了完成第二项任务，外部评估员将开发并管理一份关于参与者对研讨会满意度的问卷。

Many underrepresented minorities attend two year technical and community colleges (2YCs) or minority-serving institutions (MSIs) as undergraduates; but these institutions commonly lack adequate geoscience programs. The purpose of this project is to identify strategies that will help 2YC and MSI institutions to better prepare underrepresented students for geoscience careers. This project brings together partner institutions, individual faculty, educational resource providers, educational researchers, and geoscience employers in a series of focused workshops to determine the systems that would be ideal for increasing geoscience capacity at the targeted institutions. This project directly involves 20 2YC/MSI institutional partners and faculty and 30 additional stakeholders. The main project outcome is a series of reports and related web-based resources for the general geoscience education community outlining challenges and opportunities for improving and expanding geoscience teaching at 2YCs and MSIs. Lack of access to undergraduate opportunities in two year colleges (2YCs) and minority-serving institutions (MSIs) remains a major barrier to improving the preparation and diversity of the geoscience workforce. The specific goals of this project are to (1) identify and clarify barriers and opportunities for better use of existing instructional resources that engage underrepresented students in the geosciences at 2YCs/MSIs and (2) explore with stakeholders what an ideal model of resources, professional development, and ongoing support for faculty and institutions might look like. These goals are addressed through holding a series of focused stakeholder needs assessments workshops. The needs assessments workshops will yield information about barriers and opportunities by bringing together five key stakeholder groups including (1) instructional faculty at 2YCs and MSIs, (2) educational resource providers, (3) academic chairs and administrators, (4) discipline-based geoscience education researchers, and (5) geoscience workforce employers. Reports and related web-based resources generated during each of these workshops will highlight sustainable institutional infrastructure that will increase access and usability of existing educational resources. Evaluation and project team activities will synthesize findings across the groups to generate knowledge and align future proposals with stakeholder needs. This project focuses activities at the institution and system level, directly involving 20 2YC/MSI institutional partners and faculty, and 30 other individuals from additional stakeholder groups. By working at the system level, it will be possible to ensure that not only individual courses but also pathways to the geosciences are created. The external evaluation will (1) provide an independent, objective view as to how well the project management is functioning as a team, (2) evaluate the extent to which the needs assessment workshops are meeting the project goals, and (3) review stakeholder reports and the project team's final report for accuracy and completeness. The evaluator will be a participant observer in all project team activities and will collect qualitative data from the management team after project management activities via short questionnaires. The evaluator will have access (via the SERC content management system) to all documents and records produced by the management board making it possible to track core project activities and evaluate how the team is progressing. Feedback will be provided at least quarterly to inform the PIs as to where improvements can be made. To complete the second task, the external evaluator will develop and administer a questionnaire about participant satisfaction with the workshops.