Framing an Applied Science to Support Adult Working Learners

构建应用科学来支持成人在职学习者

• 批准号: 2128165
• 负责人: Mitchell Stevens
• 金额: $ 4.98万
• 依托单位: Stanford 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: 2021-06-15 至 2022-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2128165&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Framing; Applied; Science; Support; Adult

This project aims to serve the national interest by setting a broad agenda for applied science that will serve to improve educational opportunities for adult working learners. These are adults who are seeking postsecondary learning opportunities over the course of their lives. Despite widespread recognition of the need for effective and accessible learning opportunities for adult Americans, the nation is without shared scientific or policy goals for serving this vast population and lacks protocols for the cross-sector collaborative activity this service requires. The project fills this gap, with special foci on educational opportunities related to STEM careers and on working learners served by community colleges. STEM education and pathways into STEM-related occupations are the target domains of the entire endeavor. The project outcomes include the specification of (a) a taxonomy of the kinds of people and life circumstances that comprise the broad category of working learners, (b) applied research goals whose pursuit will serve to improve the educational and occupational success of working learners, and (c) templates for cross-sector sharing of data, expertise, and infrastructure to pursue this applied research. Attendees will meet virtually as a whole on four consecutive Wednesdays in July. Outputs include a portfolio of policy briefs outlining a vision for applied research in such domains as: building a taxonomy of working learners; framing a learning science for specifically for adults; building the social science of academic progress and credential returns for working learners; dynamics of evaluation, hiring and retention of adults seeking employment through alternative pathways; envisioning a data infrastructure to observe the careers of working learners; and serving working learners in community colleges. The portfolio of policy briefs will be disseminated to the general public via a dedicated web page and presentations. The NSF IUSE:EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. The NSF Science of Organizations Program in the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate is providing co-funding for this project in recognition of its relevance to the study of workforce and organizational development.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.

该项目旨在通过制定广泛的应用科学议程来服务于国家利益，这将有助于改善成人在职学习者的教育机会。这些成年人正在一生中寻求高等教育学习机会。尽管人们普遍认识到美国成年人需要有效且易于获得的学习机会，但美国没有为这一庞大人口提供服务的共同科学或政策目标，也缺乏这项服务所需的跨部门协作活动的协议。该项目填补了这一空白，特别关注与 STEM 职业相关的教育机会以及社区大学服务的工作学习者。 STEM 教育和进入 STEM 相关职业的途径是整个努力的目标领域。项目成果包括详细说明（a）构成工作学习者这一广泛类别的人员和生活环境的分类，（b）其追求将有助于提高工作学习者的教育和职业成功的应用研究目标，以及（c）跨部门共享数据、专业知识和基础设施的模板，以进行这项应用研究。与会者将在 7 月份的连续四个星期三举行虚拟会议。产出包括一系列政策简报，概述了以下领域应用研究的愿景：建立工作学习者分类法；构建专门针对成人的学习科学；为在职学习者建立学术进步和证书回报的社会科学；通过替代途径寻找就业的成年人的评价、雇用和保留动态；设想一个数据基础设施来观察在职学习者的职业生涯；并为社区大学的在职学习者提供服务。政策简报组合将通过专门的网页和演示文稿向公众传播。 NSF IUSE:EHR 计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生 STEM 教育的有效性。 NSF 社会、行为和经济科学理事会的组织科学计划正在为该项目提供共同资助，以表彰其与劳动力和组织发展研究的相关性。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并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，被认为值得支持。