Establishing Community College Pathways to Environmental Science Through Research Opportunities and Professional Engagement along the Buffalo National River

通过布法罗国家河沿岸的研究机会和专业参与，建立社区大学环境科学途径

• 批准号: 2135864
• 负责人: Sherri Townsend
• 金额: $ 54.01万
• 依托单位: North Arkansas College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2024-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2135864&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Establishing; Community; College; Pathways; Environmental

This project aims to serve the national interest by redesigning the typical two-year college model of environmental science education to improve the success, completion, and transfer rates of community college students. The project will provide an undergraduate research program. It will include extended time for field work and involvement in applied science using research and monitoring projects deemed critical by environmental partners. The research program will also include a curriculum that integrates science-thinking, communications, and analytics. This will support building connections between North Arkansas College (Northark) students, university faculty, and environmental professionals. Each semester, pairs of complementary courses will be scheduled in convenient blocks to provide extended time for field research and serve as a platform to integrate science and non-science content. The College’s greenhouse, high-tunnel, and planned environmental studies plot, will provide on- and near-campus research facilities. Sites on the Buffalo National River will be the launching points for multiple research and monitoring projects needed by environmental partners. The project’s specific goals are to (1) embed authentic project-based learning and undergraduate research into Northark’s existing Associate of Science in Science, Engineering, and Mathematics, (2) recruit and retain a diverse group of students, (3) utilize engaged environmental and educational partners in program development and training, and (4) provide professional development for program faculty. Activities are designed to advance the understanding of techniques and interventions required to provide in-depth undergraduate research experiences and professional connections. The project will incorporate evidence-based strategies to support women, first generation, low income, and Hispanic/Latino students with well-structured collaborative learning, relevant projects, and ongoing interaction with faculty and professional environmental scientists. The key activities of this proposal will be designed to be scaled and adapted by other two-year colleges. This project will also provide much needed resources for environmental monitoring in the state. Northark will share all results from this project with other disciplines and programs in the college, on its media outlets, through presentations at the college and at local, state, regional, and national conferences. Specifically, the Northark team will share the project’s strategies for enhancing experiential learning through undergraduate research and immersive field work with other community colleges. The NSF program description on Advancing Innovation and Impact in Undergraduate STEM Education at Two-year Institutions of Higher Education supports projects that advance STEM education initiatives at two-year colleges. The program description promotes innovative and evidence-based practices in undergraduate STEM education at two-year colleges.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.

该项目旨在通过重新设计典型的两年制环境科学教育模式来服务于国家利益，以提高社区学院学生的成功率、完成率和转化率。该项目将提供一个本科生研究项目。它将包括延长实地工作的时间，并利用环境合作伙伴认为至关重要的研究和监测项目参与应用科学。该研究计划还将包括一门整合了科学思维、沟通和分析的课程。这将支持在北阿肯色州学院(诺萨克)的学生、大学教师和环境专业人员之间建立联系。每学期将安排成对的互补性课程，安排在方便的街区，为实地研究提供更长的时间，并作为整合科学和非科学内容的平台。学院的温室、高隧道和规划中的环境研究地块将提供校内和校园附近的研究设施。布法罗国家河上的地点将成为环境合作伙伴所需的多个研究和监测项目的起点。该项目的具体目标是(1)将真实的基于项目的学习和本科生研究嵌入到诺萨克现有的科学、工程和数学科学助理中，(2)招收和保留不同的学生群体，(3)利用积极参与的环境和教育合作伙伴进行项目开发和培训，以及(4)为项目教师提供专业发展。活动的目的是促进对提供深入的本科生研究经验和专业联系所需的技术和干预措施的理解。该项目将纳入以证据为基础的战略，以支持女性、第一代、低收入和西班牙裔/拉丁裔学生进行结构良好的协作学习、相关项目以及与教师和专业环境科学家的持续互动。这项提案的主要活动将被设计成可供其他两年制学院参考和调整。该项目还将为该州的环境监测提供急需的资源。Northark将通过在学院以及地方、州、地区和国家会议上的演讲，在学院的媒体上与学院内的其他学科和项目分享该项目的所有成果。具体来说，Northark团队将与其他社区学院分享该项目通过本科生研究和身临其境的实地工作来增强体验式学习的策略。NSF关于在两年制高等教育机构推进本科STEM教育的创新和影响的项目描述支持在两年制大学推进STEM教育倡议的项目。该项目描述促进了两年制大学本科STEM教育的创新和循证实践。该奖项反映了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。