COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: THE GEO-CC&CP FOUNDRY BUILDING INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY FOR BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN THE GEOSCIENCE WORKFORCE

许多代表性不足的少数族裔就读两年制技术和社区学院 (2YC) 或少数族裔服务机构 (MSI) 作为本科生；但这些机构普遍缺乏适当的地球科学项目。该项目的目的是确定策略，帮助 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的准备。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起，举办一系列重点研讨会，以确定最适合提高目标机构地球科学能力的系统。该项目直接涉及 20 个 2YC/MSI 机构合作伙伴和教员以及 30 个其他利益相关者。主要项目成果是为普通地球科学教育界提供的一系列报告和相关网络资源，概述了改进和扩大 2YC 和 MSI 地球科学教学的挑战和机遇。缺乏在两年制学院 (2YC) 和少数族裔服务机构 (MSI) 获得本科机会的机会仍然是改善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) 确定并澄清更好地利用现有教学资源的障碍和机会，这些资源吸引了 2YC/MSI 中代表性不足的学生参与地球科学；(2) 与利益相关者一起探索资源、专业发展以及对教师和机构的持续支持的理想模式可能是什么样子。这些目标是通过举办一系列有针对性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) 2YC 和 MSI 的教学人员、(2) 教育资源提供者、(3) 学术主席和管理人员、(4) 基于学科的地球科学教育研究人员和 (5) 地球科学劳动力雇主，从而提供有关障碍和机遇的信息。每次研讨会期间生成的报告和相关网络资源将突出可持续的机构基础设施，这些基础设施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各小组的调查结果，以产生知识并使未来的提案与利益相关者的需求保持一致。该项目重点关注机构和系统层面的活动，直接涉及 20 名 2YC/MSI 机构合作伙伴和教员，以及来自其他利益相关群体的 30 名其他个人。 通过在系统层面上开展工作，不仅可以确保创建单独的课程，还可以创建通向地球科学的途径。 外部评估将 (1) 就项目管理作为一个团队的运作情况提供独立、客观的观点，(2) 评估需求评估研讨会满足项目目标的程度，以及 (3) 审查利益相关者报告和项目团队最终报告的准确性和完整性。评估员将作为所有项目团队活动的参与者观察员，并在项目管理活动结束后通过简短的调查问卷从管理团队收集定性数据。评估员将可以（通过 SERC 内容管理系统）访问管理委员会生成的所有文件和记录，从而可以跟踪核心项目活动并评估团队的进展情况。将至少每季度提供一次反馈，以告知 PI 可以在哪些方面进行改进。为了完成第二项任务，外部评估员将制定并管理一份有关参与者对研讨会满意度的调查问卷。

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.