GP-EXTRA: Expanding GeoFORCE Alaska, a Pathway to STEM Degrees for Rural, First-Generation, and Alaska Native Students

GP-EXTRA：扩展 GeoFORCE Alaska，为农村、第一代和阿拉斯加本地学生提供 STEM 学位的途径

• 批准号: 1701259
• 负责人: Sarah Fowell
• 金额: $ 20.81万
• 依托单位: University of Alaska Fairbanks Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-04-01 至 2021-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1701259&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: GP; EXTRA; Expanding; GeoFORCE; Alaska

Part 1Residents of predominantly Alaska Native villages holding degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields bring valuable perspectives to decisions regarding management of cultural and natural resources. However, during the 2014-2015 school year, 37.6% of Alaska Native students dropped out of Alaskan public schools (education.alaska.gov/stats/). At the college level, Alaska Native students are underrepresented in University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) STEM majors. GeoFORCE Alaska is a four-year, field-based, summer geoscience program that has successfully raised graduation rates in rural Alaskan high schools and increased the diversity of students pursuing college degrees in STEM fields. The program applies the cohort model, leading the same group of high school students on 10-day field academies during four consecutive summers. The curriculum builds across the program, giving students a chance to apply the scientific method to relevant questions at spectacular geological locations. Now in its fifth year, GeoFORCE Alaska has served 54 students in two cohorts. 76% of these students identify as Alaska Native, reflecting the demographics of their communities. A stable base of industry sponsors funds one summer academy per year, limiting recruitment of a new cohort of 8th and 9th grade students to once every four years. By funding participant support for a second summer academy during 2018 and 2019, this expansion grant will double the frequency of recruiting and expand the region served, thereby offering the GeoFORCE experience to interested applicants in remote communities throughout northern and interior Alaska. Based on results thus far, doubling the number of GeoFORCE participants will raise high school graduation rates in the school districts served and increase the number and diversity of rural Alaskan students attending college and pursuing STEM degrees.Part 2Launched in 2012 by the University of Alaska Fairbanks in partnership with the longstanding GeoFORCE Texas program and adapted for a cohort of rural, predominantly Alaska Native students, GeoFORCE Alaska employs best educational practices as established by research in order to engage and prepare future STEM majors. Through a combination of active learning, high academic standards, mentorship and teamwork, participants acquire habits that promote academic success and gain the confidence to pursue STEM degrees. The goals of GeoFORCE Alaska are: 1) Promote high school graduation; 2) Increase the number of rural students attending college and pursuing STEM degrees; and 3) Diversify Alaska?s technical workforce. Program success in achieving these goals is assessed via qualitative metrics, including an annual survey of participants, and quantitative metrics, including participant retention, comparison of participants? high school graduation rates with rates for their school districts as a whole, and long-term tracking of college matriculation, persistence, majors, and degrees earned. The inaugural cohort of 18 students from the North Slope Borough completed the Fourth-Year Academy in summer 2015. 94% of these students graduated from high school and 72% are going to college. Of these, 85% chose STEM majors, and 38% will pursue undergraduate degrees in geoscience. A second cohort of 34 rising 9th and 10th graders entered the program in 2016. At the request of Alaska Native Regional Corporation sponsors, this cohort was recruited from both the Northwest Arctic and North Slope boroughs. On an exit survey following the 2016 First-Year Academy, 100% of participants indicated that they learned a lot, 97% made new friends, and 94% increased their interest in science. The success of the first two cohorts indicates that GeoFORCE Alaska is highly effective as a means of raising high school graduation rates in remote Alaskan villages and increasing the participation of rural, Alaska Native, and first-generation college students in STEM majors. An expansion grant will significantly increase the number of students and school districts served by the program over the next two years, with the goals of doubling the number of GeoFORCE alumni entering STEM majors by fall 2022 and attracting additional regional sponsors to sustain a biennial recruiting schedule.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

第1部分主要是阿拉斯加原住民村庄的居民持有科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）领域的学位，为有关文化和自然资源管理的决策带来了有价值的观点。然而，在2014-2015学年，37.6%的阿拉斯加原住民学生从阿拉斯加公立学校辍学（education.alaska.gov/stats/）。在大学一级，阿拉斯加土著学生在阿拉斯加大学费尔班克斯（UAF）STEM专业的代表性不足。GeoFORCE Alaska是一个为期四年的，基于实地的夏季地球科学计划，成功地提高了阿拉斯加农村高中的毕业率，并增加了在STEM领域攻读大学学位的学生的多样性。该计划采用队列模型，在连续四个夏天带领同一组高中生参加为期10天的野外学院。该课程建立在整个计划，让学生有机会将科学方法应用于壮观的地质位置的相关问题。现在已经是第五年了，GeoFORCE阿拉斯加已经为两个队列的54名学生提供了服务。这些学生中有76%认为自己是阿拉斯加原住民，反映了他们社区的人口统计数据。一个稳定的行业赞助商基础每年资助一个暑期学校，限制每四年招收一批新的八年级和九年级学生。通过资助参与者在2018年和2019年期间支持第二个夏季学院，该扩展赠款将使招聘频率增加一倍，并扩大服务区域，从而为整个北方和阿拉斯加内陆偏远社区的感兴趣的申请人提供GeoFORCE体验。根据迄今为止的结果，GeoFORCE参与者人数增加一倍将提高所服务学区的高中毕业率，并增加上大学和攻读STEM学位的阿拉斯加农村学生的数量和多样性。Part 2由阿拉斯加大学费尔班克斯与长期的GeoFORCE德克萨斯计划合作于2012年推出，并适用于农村，主要是阿拉斯加原住民学生的队列，GeoFORCE Alaska采用研究建立的最佳教育实践，以参与和准备未来的STEM专业。通过积极学习，高学术标准，指导和团队合作的结合，参与者获得促进学术成功的习惯，并获得追求STEM学位的信心。阿拉斯加地理力量的目标是：1）促进高中毕业; 2）增加农村学生上大学和攻读STEM学位的人数; 3）使阿拉斯加多样化？的技术劳动力。通过定性指标（包括对参与者的年度调查）和定量指标（包括参与者保留率、参与者的比较）评估计划在实现这些目标方面的成功。高中毕业率与其学区整体的比率，以及对大学入学率、持续性、专业和学位的长期跟踪。来自北坡自治市的18名学生的首届队列在2015年夏天完成了第四年的学院。这些学生中有94%从高中毕业，72%将进入大学。其中，85%的人选择了STEM专业，38%的人将攻读地球科学本科学位。第二批34名9年级和10年级的学生于2016年进入该项目。应阿拉斯加土著地区公司赞助商的要求，这一群体是从北极西北部和北坡自治市镇招募的。在2016年第一年学院结束后的一项退出调查中，100%的参与者表示他们学到了很多东西，97%的人结交了新朋友，94%的人增加了他们对科学的兴趣。前两个队列的成功表明，GeoFORCE Alaska是提高阿拉斯加偏远村庄高中毕业率以及增加农村、阿拉斯加原住民和第一代大学生对STEM专业的参与的一种非常有效的手段。在未来两年，扩大拨款将大大增加该项目所服务的学生和学区的数量，目标是到2022年秋季将进入STEM专业的GeoFORCE校友人数增加一倍，并吸引更多的地区赞助商来维持两年一次的招聘计划。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识产权进行评估，被认为值得支持。优点和更广泛的影响审查标准。