The Role of Two-year Colleges in Education and Broadening Participation in the Geosciences: A Planning Workshop

两年制学院(TYC)招收的本科生约占全国本科生总数的45%，学生群体高度多样化。鉴于这种多样性，TYCs为扩大对地球科学的参与提供了一个潜在的丰富渠道。他们还在为地球科学劳动力做出贡献、向任职前的K-12教师教授科学以及培养具有地球科学素养的公民方面发挥重要作用。然而，TYC的教职员工面临着挑战，包括资源有限、与世隔绝、缺乏四年制大学同事的尊重，以及有针对性的地球科学专业发展机会有限。OEDG规划基金的目标包括为TYC的地球科学教师和学生确定问题、挑战和机会，并为加强这一社区重要组成部分的下一步行动提出建议。2010年夏天将召开一次规划研讨会，以规划如何：1)更好地支持TYC地球科学项目、教师和学生；2)为TYC的地球科学教师提供更专业的支持；3)确定战略，以TYC参与的方式扩大对地球科学的参与；4)在TYC地球科学教师之间建立网络；5)与四年制学院和大学建立更紧密的合作和联系，以努力更好地支持通过地球科学渠道招收和留住学生；以及，6)考虑专业协会和组织如何支持TYC教师、学生和项目。在这次研讨会期间，大约25名两年和四年制的学院和大学教职员工以及来自专业协会的代表将聚集在一起，制定一项计划，并提出优先建议。由卡尔顿学院科学教育资源中心(SERC)主办的一个相关网站正在开发中，以支持该项目。它将记录讲习班并扩大其影响范围，从讲习班以及讲习班前和讲习班后的贡献中获得资源。它还将提供关于TYC问题的专业学会会议的链接，并作为TYC更广泛的地球科学信息的基础。

Two-year colleges (TYC) enroll approximately 45% of all undergraduate students in the country and have a highly diverse student population. Given this diversity, TYCs provide a potentially rich conduit for broadening participation in the geosciences. They also play an important role in contributing to the geoscience workforce, teaching science to pre-service K-12 teachers, and producing earth-science literate citizens. However, TYC faculty face challenges including limited resources, isolation, lack of respect from four-year college colleagues, and limited opportunities for targeted geoscience professional development. The goals of this OEDG planning grant include identifying issues, challenges, and opportunities for geoscience faculty and students in TYC and making recommendations for next steps in strengthening this important component of the community. A planning workshop is being convened in the Summer of 2010 to strategize how to: 1) better support TYC geoscience programs, faculty, and students; 2) provide more professional support for geoscience faculty in TYC; 3) identify strategies to broaden participation in the geosciences in ways that involve TYC; 4) establish networks among TYC geoscience faculty; 5) build stronger collaborations and connections with four-year colleges and universities, in an effort to better support recruitment and retention of students moving through the geoscience pipeline; and, 6) consider how professional societies and organizations can support TYC faculty, students, and program. During this workshop ~25 two-year and four-year college and university faculty, as well as representatives from professional societies, will be brought together to develop a plan with prioritized recommendations. An associated website, hosted by the Science Education Resources Center (SERC) at Carleton College, is being developed to support the project. It will document the workshop and extend its reach, building resources from the workshop and from pre- and post-workshop contributions. It will also provide links to professional society sessions on TYC issues and serve as a foundation for information about geoscience in TYC more broadly.