RCN-UBE: The River Field Studies Network: Connecting rivers, people, & science through immersive field-based education

RCN-UBE：河流实地研究网络：连接河流、人民、

• 批准号: 2120665
• 负责人: James Vonesh
• 金额: $ 49.71万
• 依托单位: Virginia Commonwealth University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-12-15 至 2026-11-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2120665&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RCN; UBE; River; Field; Studies

Rivers perform a broad set of functions essential to human societies and the landscapes rivers flow through. The relationship between humans and rivers are often impaired, which threatens both rivers and people. Restoring these relationships will require a diverse workforce of interdisciplinary problem solvers. Field studies are essential to creating this workforce because they connect students to learning objectives, peers, instructors, and society through immersive active learning in real world environments. They help overcome achievement gaps, propel inclusion, catalyze career interest, and create informed and engaged citizens. However, to achieve these benefits, field instructors must overcome a unique and growing set of challenges. In addition to knowledge of their STEM discipline, field studies instructors require a sophisticated grasp of specialized pedagogy and assessment, fundraising, negotiating institutional bureaucracy, issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and multiple dimensions of risk management. Mastering these is more than many self-taught instructors will be able to manage on their own. Without a network for support and guidance, instructors will burn out, risk-averse institutions will shy away, and field studies will continue to decline. The River Field Studies Network is a response to the paired crises of rivers and field studies. At this moment of critical vulnerability, we must restore and expand the capacity to bring students and rivers into contact through active learning. The River Field Studies Network aims to advance STEM education and support healthy rivers by connecting rivers, people, and science through immersive field education. To accomplish this, the network will, create a dual-track professional-development structure, including a network for mentorship and curricular exchange as well as a more intensive field-based certificate program; develop an online library of open-source lessons and other content for instructors, featuring innovative modules designed to enable student collaboration across institutions and regions; recruit intentionally to overcome barriers to diversity of all kinds, and train participants in pedagogical methods that foster inclusivity; tackle the pressing need for informed risk management in field-based education through in-person instruction and expert tutorial videos; reach out to a wider community by building the premier public-facing website for river field studies and creating structures to facilitate student exchange; and incorporate assessment at every level to evaluate and continually refine our programming. These are the essential elements needed to form a sustainable community of practice in river-based education that shares expertise, imparts specialized skills, and cultivates the next generations of leaders, ultimately closing the gaps in institutional capacity that currently threaten the future of the field.This project is funded by the Directorate for Biological Sciences, Division of Biological Infrastructure, as part of their efforts to address the challenges posed in Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action (http://visionandchange/finalreport/).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.

河流对人类社会和河流流经的景观具有广泛的功能。人与河流的关系经常受到破坏，这对河流和人都构成了威胁。恢复这些关系将需要一支由跨学科问题解决者组成的多样化的工作队伍。实地研究对于创造这种劳动力至关重要，因为它们通过在真实的世界环境中沉浸式主动学习将学生与学习目标，同伴，教师和社会联系起来。它们有助于克服成就差距，推动包容性，催化职业兴趣，并创造知情和参与的公民。然而，要实现这些好处，实地教员必须克服一系列独特的和不断增长的挑战。除了他们的STEM学科的知识，实地研究导师需要专业的教学和评估，筹款，谈判机构官僚，多样性，公平和包容性问题，以及风险管理的多个层面的复杂把握。掌握这些是超过许多自学成才的教师将能够管理自己。如果没有一个支持和指导的网络，教师将精疲力竭，规避风险的机构将回避，实地研究将继续下降。河流实地研究网络是对河流和实地研究双重危机的回应。在这个脆弱的关键时刻，我们必须恢复和扩大通过积极学习使学生与河流接触的能力。河流实地研究网络旨在通过沉浸式实地教育将河流，人和科学联系起来，促进STEM教育并支持健康的河流。为实现这一目标，该网络将建立一个双轨专业发展结构，包括一个导师和课程交流网络以及一个更密集的实地证书方案;为教员开发一个开放源课程和其他内容的在线图书馆，其中包括旨在使学生能够在各机构和区域之间进行协作的创新模块;有意识地招募人员，以克服各种多样性障碍，并对参与者进行促进包容性的教学方法培训;通过现场教学和专家辅导视频，满足实地教育中知情风险管理的迫切需要;通过建立河流实地研究的首要公共网站和创建促进学生交流的结构，接触到更广泛的社区;并在各个层面进行评估，以评估和不断完善我们的计划。这些都是形成可持续的河流教育实践社区所需的基本要素，该社区将分享专业知识，传授专业技能，培养下一代领导人，最终缩小目前威胁该领域未来的机构能力差距。作为他们努力应对本科生物学教育中的愿景和变革所带来的挑战的一部分：行动呼吁（http：//visionandchange/finalreport/）。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持的。

项目成果

Alignment among environmental programs in higher education: What Food-Energy-Water Nexus concepts are covered in introductory courses?

高等教育环境项目之间的协调：入门课程涵盖了哪些食物-能源-水关系概念？

• DOI: 10.1080/10899995.2023.2187680
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Journal of Geoscience Education
• 作者: Horne, Lydia;Manzanares, Amanda;Babin, Nicholas;Royse, Emily A.;Arakawa, Lee;Blavascunas, Eunice;Doner, Lisa;Druckenbrod, Daniel;Fairchild, Ennea;Jarchow, Meghann
• 通讯作者: Jarchow, Meghann