Vision and Change for Geoscience Undergraduate Education: Report and Toolkit

地球科学本科教育的愿景和变革：报告和工具包

• 批准号: 1748780
• 负责人: Christopher Keane
• 金额: $ 15.54万
• 依托单位: American Geological Institute
• 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: 2018-09-01 至 2021-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1748780&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Vision; Change; Geoscience; Undergraduate; Education

Significant changes in geoscience research and geoscience career opportunities have occurred over the past two decades, and for the most part, undergraduate geoscience curricula and programs have not kept up with these changes. Thus, students from many colleges and universities leave undergraduate programs without the necessary educational products to successfully engage in geoscience employment or for attending graduate school. As a result of the multi-year effort on the Future of Undergraduate Geoscience Education (Futures), the skills competencies and concepts that students need to be successful in the current and future workforce have been defined and agreed on by both the academic and employer components of the geoscience community. In addition to developing a consensus, the Futures effort investigated best practices for imparting these core needs to students and implementing changes within geoscience departments across the country. The current project will develop a Vision and Change document and toolkit for the geosciences that encapsulates all of the results and outcomes from the Futures effort. Department heads, chairs, and other administrators, faculty, students and employers will have access to the document and toolkit to guide systematic changes in geoscience education at the undergraduate level in the United States. The education of undergraduate students in departments that successfully evolve their programs will be greatly enhanced, and those students will be better prepared for graduate school and/or future employment. The experiential learning recommended by the wider geoscience academic and employment community is also most conducive to learning by underrepresented groups and to their future success.The Vision and Change document will make the case for the critical need for institutional change and provide guidance on best practices for achieving these changes for departments of different sizes and institution types. The current project will produce a suite of information products to be used as a tool set for deans, department chairs, and faculty in assessing their existing curriculum and guiding the priorities and strategies for modernizing their program to meet current and emerging needs. The Vision and Change document and associated products will provide critical data on the skills, concepts and competencies needed for undergraduate geoscience education and on effective strategies for updating undergraduate curricula and programs and in identifying common obstacles or roadblocks and solutions. Results from previous pilot studies at different institution types and faculty levels will be presented to help departments identify the approaches that would be most beneficial to them. Preparing students to be successful future geoscientists requires a solid understanding of current and future workforce needs and the evolution of curricula and programs to keep in step with the changes in geoscience research and technology. Fomenting change in departments, particularly with respect to undergraduate curricula, can be a challenge and being able to design successful strategies for changing undergraduate programs in different types of institutions will be a significant advancement. The Vision and Change document will be a catalyst for change and provide a roadmap for proven pathways to success.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.

在过去的二十年里，地球科学研究和地球科学职业机会发生了重大变化，而在很大程度上，本科地球科学课程和课程没有跟上这些变化。因此，许多学院和大学的学生离开本科课程时，没有必要的教育产品来成功地从事地球科学工作或进入研究生院。作为多年来关于本科地球科学教育(未来)未来的努力的结果，学生在当前和未来的劳动力中取得成功所需的技能、能力和概念已经得到了地球科学界学术界和雇主的定义和同意。除了达成共识外，Futures的努力还调查了将这些核心需求传授给学生并在全国各地的地球科学系内部实施变革的最佳实践。目前的项目将为地球科学开发一份愿景与变革文件和工具包，其中概括了未来工作的所有成果和成果。系主任、主任和其他管理人员、教师、学生和雇主将可以访问该文件和工具包，以指导美国本科生水平的地球科学教育的系统性变化。在成功发展其课程的部门对本科生的教育将得到极大加强，这些学生将为研究生院和/或未来的就业做好更好的准备。更广泛的地球科学界、学术界和就业界推荐的体验式学习也最有利于代表性不足的群体的学习和他们未来的成功。展望与变革文件将阐明体制变革的迫切需要，并为不同规模和机构类型的部门提供实现这些变革的最佳做法的指导。目前的项目将产生一套信息产品，作为院长、系主任和教职员工评估其现有课程并指导其计划现代化的优先事项和战略以满足当前和新出现的需求的工具集。愿景与变革文件及相关产品将提供有关本科生地球科学教育所需技能、概念和能力的关键数据，以及更新本科生课程和计划以及确定常见障碍或障碍和解决方案的有效战略的关键数据。不同院校类型和教员水平的先前试点研究的结果将被介绍，以帮助各部门确定对他们最有利的方法。培养学生成为成功的未来地球科学家，需要对当前和未来的劳动力需求以及课程和计划的演变有充分的了解，以跟上地球科学研究和技术的变化。在院系中推动变革，尤其是在本科课程方面，可能是一项挑战，能够为改变不同类型机构的本科课程设计成功的战略将是一个重大进步。愿景与变革文件将成为变革的催化剂，并为已证实的成功之路提供路线图。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。