Facilitating Accessibility in STEM at Two-Year Colleges

该项目旨在通过为两年制大学的残疾学生提供实用技能的科学和数学教师来服务于国家利益。与四年制大学相比，两年制大学的学生中有残疾记录的比例更高。为了提高STEM的包容性和多样性，残疾学生取得与全体学生相当的成功是很重要的。在为每个学生提供合理住宿的同时，更细致入微的技术将增强学生的体验，为成功提供更多机会，并为教师提供指导。这次培训会议将为两年制大学的科学和数学教师带来专业知识，让他们学习具体的、实用的、可立即实施的技能，以更好地与神经发散型学生以及有视觉、听觉或行动障碍的学生接触。与会者将学习技术，发起一个实践社区以相互支持，并成为各自机构和地区团体内的教员联络人。该项目的总体目标是召开一次会议，为两年制大学教师提供支持残疾学生的培训。参加会议的将包括数学、物理和化学专业的两年制大学教师。会议将提供研讨会，以帮助教师提高视觉障碍学生的图形素养，并确保行动障碍学生的实验室安全。参与者将通过学生带领的科学博物馆之旅和小组讨论获得无障碍挑战的第一手知识。学科和跨学科讨论将有助于建立沟通渠道，以集思广益地讨论包容性教学的具体策略，同时为参与者提供机会，在其本国机构开展和促进类似的研讨会。会议将由三个两年制大学专业组织的领导人组织，在明尼苏达州的明尼阿波利斯召开，预计将有24人出席。传播将采用多种方式，包括在会议、专业学科学会发表演讲，并将广泛分发一份有益做法手册。美国国家科学基金会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教育计划的项目。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。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to serve the national interest by providing science and math faculty with practical skills to teach students with disabilities at two-year colleges. A greater proportion of the student population at two-year colleges have documented disabilities compared with four-year institutions. To improve inclusivity and diversity in STEM, it is important that students with disabilities achieve success at rates comparable to the whole population. While reasonable accommodations are provided for each student, more nuanced techniques will enhance the student experience, provide more opportunities for success, and give guidance to faculty. This training conference will bring expertise to science and math faculty at two-year colleges, engaging them in specific, practical, and immediately implementable skills to better engage with neurodivergent students, and students with visual, auditory, or mobility disabilities. Conference participants will learn techniques, initiate a community of practice to support each other, and become faculty liaisons within their own institutions and regional groups.The overall goal of this project is to convene a conference that prepares two-year college faculty to support students with disabilities. Participants in the conference will include two-year college faculty in math, physics, and chemistry. The conference will offer workshops to help faculty enhance student graphical literacy among students with visual disabilities, and to ensure laboratory safety for students with mobility disabilities. Participants will gain first-hand knowledge of accessibility challenges through a student-led science museum tour and a panel discussion. Disciplinary and cross disciplinary discussions will support the creation of communication channels to brainstorm specific strategies for inclusive teaching while providing opportunities for participants to develop and facilitate similar workshops in their home institutions. The conference will be organized by the leaders of three two-year college professional organizations and convened in Minneapolis, Minnesota with expected attendance of 24 participants. Dissemination will involve multiple modalities, including presentations at conferences, professional disciplinary societies and a handbook of helpful practices will be widely distributed. 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.