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

许多代表不足的少数族裔作为本科生就读于两年制的技术和社区学院(2YC)或为少数族裔服务的机构(MSI)；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将帮助2YC和MSI院校更好地为代表不足的学生为地球科学职业做准备的战略。该项目将合作机构、个别教员、教育资源提供者、教育研究人员和地球科学雇主聚集在一起，在一系列有重点的研讨会上确定最适合于提高目标机构的地球科学能力的系统。该项目直接涉及20个2YC/MSI机构合作伙伴和教职员工以及另外30个利益相关者。主要项目成果是为普通地球科学教育界编写了一系列报告和相关的网上资源，概述了改进和扩大2YCs和MSI的地球科学教学的挑战和机会。缺乏进入两年制学院(2YC)和为少数群体服务的机构(MSI)的本科生机会的机会仍然是改善地球科学劳动力的准备和多样性的主要障碍。该项目的具体目标是(1)确定和澄清更好地利用现有教学资源的障碍和机会，这些资源在2YCs/MSI的地球科学中吸引了代表不足的学生，以及(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。通过举办一系列有重点的利益攸关方需求评估讲习班来实现这些目标。需求评估讲习班将通过汇聚五个主要利益攸关方群体，提供有关障碍和机会的信息，这些群体包括(1)2YCs和MSI的教学人员，(2)教育资源提供者，(3)学术教席和管理人员，(4)以学科为基础的地球科学教育研究人员，以及(5)地球科学劳动力雇主。每次讲习班期间产生的报告和相关的网上资源将突出可持续的体制基础设施，这些基础设施将增加现有教育资源的获取和利用。评价和项目团队活动将综合各小组的调查结果，以产生知识并使未来的提案与利益攸关方的需求保持一致。该项目侧重于机构和系统层面的活动，直接涉及20个2YC/MSI机构合作伙伴和教员，以及来自其他利益攸关方群体的30个其他个人。通过在系统一级开展工作，将有可能确保不仅创建单独的课程，而且创建通向地球科学的途径。外部评价将：(1)就项目管理作为一个团队的运作情况提供一个独立、客观的看法；(2)评价需求评估讲习班实现项目目标的程度；(3)审查利益攸关方报告和项目小组的最终报告是否准确和完整。评估员将是所有项目小组活动的参与者观察员，并将在项目管理活动结束后通过简短的问卷从管理小组收集定性数据。评估员将(通过SERC内容管理系统)访问管理委员会编制的所有文件和记录，从而能够跟踪核心项目活动并评估团队的进展情况。该署会最少每季度提供意见，告知督导人员哪些地方可以作出改善。为了完成第二项任务，外部评估员将编制和管理一份关于学员对讲习班的满意度的调查问卷。

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.