RII-BEC: Transcending Barriers to Success in Economics for Underrepresented Students: Preparing COVID-Affected Students for Their Climate-Resilient Future

该奖项的全部或部分资金来自《2021年美国救援计划法案》(公法117-2)。在夏威夷，新冠肺炎大流行对夏威夷土著、太平洋岛民和菲律宾社区以及妇女产生了不成比例的影响。在夏威夷大学马诺阿分校的经济学领域，这四个群体的代表性也极低。与此同时，气候变化进一步加剧的环境挑战威胁着这些岛屿、更广泛的大洋洲以及亚洲和美洲的沿海社区。该项目在卡皮奥拉尼社区学院(KCC)和夏威夷大学马诺阿分校(UHM)之间建立了一座新的经济学桥梁，以准备和转移100名来自这些不成比例的COVID影响群体的学生进入学士学位和研究生水平的经济学学位课程。该项目将本土和西方的知识体系和社区参与战略结合起来，将经济学课程与副学士、学士和硕士学位课程联系起来。积极的学习、同行指导、积极的研究和实习机会将增强经济学课程的紧迫性和相关性，以便学生能够接受和改善他们所在社区、社区、地区和世界的生物文化恢复和气候适应能力方面的挑战。该项目将通过将本土科学的关键概念和实践与经济学课程、教学和研究联系起来，促进科学进步。此外，该项目将通过放大土著声音和价值观，促进生物多样性保护，促进混合经济和社区企业模式，为所有美国家庭的营养、健康、福祉、气候适应性、创收和繁荣做出贡献，从而服务于国家利益。该项目的目标是为100名来自不成比例受COVID影响的群体的学生开发、实施和评估KCC和UHM之间的经济学桥梁计划，因为他们和他们的社区正在从受COVID影响的群体过渡到气候适应性和繁荣。第一个项目的目标是将本土和西方的知识体系联系起来，以重新设计课程，并在KCC的一年级和二年级的经济学课程以及UHM的五个文学士和硕士主导的夏季桥梁课程中增加学习机会。领导团队将实施一项为期5年的教师发展计划，以创造新的课程材料、教学方法和积极的学习机会，包括服务、研究和实习。暑期桥牌课程的学生将就生物文化恢复和气候变化的重大挑战进行研究。这项研究可以在三、四年级和研究生课程中进一步发展和进阶。随着这一目标的实现，该项目还将制定招生、辅导、留学生和学习策略，帮助这些学生在大学获得强烈的归属感，成为一名经济学专业的学生，并在社区和职业中增强互惠和责任感。该项目将建立真实、持久的校内、校际和校园社区合作伙伴关系，以增加学生的福祉和项目健康，并缩小土著和女性在经济学学位完成方面的差距。该项目有六项成果：1)KCC-UHM转移和衔接协议；2)两年制、四年制和研究生课程的八门经济学课程序列(包括课程教学大纲)；3)关于未被充分代表的学生的社区积极学习机会的手册；4)关于整合和推进城市和区域规划、可持续性和复原力以及经济未来研究的手册；5)《本土化经济学》概念文件，6)气候适应能力和经济繁荣的网络改善通信计划。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。

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). In Hawaii, the COVID-19 pandemic is having a disproportionate impact on Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Filipino communities, and on women. These four groups are also extremely underrepresented in the field of economics at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. At the same time, environmental challenges that are further exacerbated by climate change threaten these islands, wider Oceania, and coastal communities in Asia and the Americas. This project creates a new economics bridge between Kapiolani Community College (KCC) and the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM) to prepare and transfer 100 students from these disproportionately COVID-affected groups into baccalaureate and graduate level economics degree programs. The project weaves indigenous and western knowledge systems and community engagement strategies to contextualize economics coursework to bridge associate, baccalaureate, and master’s degree programs. Active learning, peer mentoring, engaged research, and internship opportunities will enhance the urgency and relevance of economics coursework so that students can embrace and ameliorate the challenges of biocultural restoration and climate resilience in their neighborhoods, communities, regions, and world. The project will promote the progress of science by connecting key concepts and practices from indigenous science with economics curricula, instruction, and research. Further, the project will serve the national interest by amplifying indigenous voices and values, promoting biodiversity conservation and mixed economy and community enterprise models that contribute to nutrition, health, well-being, climate resilience, income generation and prosperity for all American households.The project goal is to develop, implement and evaluate a bridge program in economics between KCC and UHM for 100 students from disproportionately COVID-affected groups as they and their communities transition from COVID-affected to climate-resilient and prosperous. The first project objective is to make indigenous and western knowledge system connections for redesigned curriculum and enhanced learning opportunities in first- and second-year economics courses at KCC and five BA and MA leading summer bridge courses at UHM. The Leadership Team will implement a 5-year faculty development program to create new curricular materials, instructional methods, and active learning opportunities, including service, research, and internships. Students in the summer bridge courses will conduct research on the grand challenges of biocultural restoration and climate change. This research can be further developed and advanced in third- and fourth-year and graduate courses. As this objective is met, the project will also develop student recruitment, mentoring, retention and learning strategies that will help these students gain a strong sense of belonging in college, becoming an economics major and a growing sense of reciprocity and responsibility in community and careers. The project will build authentic, durable intra- and inter-campus and campus-community partnerships that increase student well-being and program health, and close indigenous and female degree completion gaps in economics. The project has six deliverables: 1) a KCC-UHM Transfer and Articulation Agreement; 2) an eight course sequence in economics (with course syllabi) across 2-year, 4-year and graduate programs; 3) a handbook on community-based active learning opportunities for underrepresented students; 4) a handbook on integrating and advancing research in urban and regional planning, sustainability and resilience, and economic futures; 5) an “Indigenizing Economics” concept paper, and 6) a network improvement communications plan for climate resilience and economic prosperity.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.