Collaborative Research: Georgia STEM Accessibility Alliance (GSAA)

佐治亚大学和佐治亚理工学院正在与佐治亚大学合作，提议创建佐治亚STEM无障碍联盟（GSAA）。GSAA旨在建立佐治亚理工学院、佐治亚大学、佐治亚周边学院和三个公立中学学区之间的联盟。所有项目活动都支持提高残疾人士的高等STEM学位和职业成就的目标。GSAA吗?GSAA的目标涉及增加残疾中学生在STEM高等教育课程和专业的注册人数，提高残疾学生在STEM高等教育专业的保留率和毕业率，以及提高GSAA学生进入STEM研究生课程的成功率。GSAA的一个显著特征是使用虚拟世界作为主要的服务交付模型。使用虚拟指导和教学、社交网络、学术支持、过渡援助和准备指导将是GSAA中使用的主要干预措施。目标1：开发和评估一年级的GSAA干预技术和材料，供2-5年级使用。所有模块材料将通过虚拟学习储备提供，其中一个储备供中学生和教师使用，另一个供大专学生和教师使用。目标2：增加中学SwD参与GSAA STEM指导和虚拟世界STEM活动的人数（每年40人/总共140人），并进入两年制学院、技术学院或大学合作机构的STEM高等教育课程（占参与者的50%，或每个项目年20人，总计80人）。进入被定义为在stem相关领域的指定专业入学。目标3：在2007年GSAA的基线（基线为94名学生）基础上，增加180名STEM专业的学生（基线为2,479名SWD学生，723名SWD学生宣布主修STEM专业）和10名STEM学位（副学士学位，学士学位和研究生学位）毕业的学生？美国的两年制学院和大学通过同行和教师虚拟和指导活动、基于证据的STEM学习实践、UDL解决方案和专业发展计划与机构合作。目标4：在第2-5年级的基础上，每年增加10名GSAA STEM毕业生（副学士、学士和研究生）进入STEM研究生课程。该计划将实施干预措施，支持社署学生跨越三个重要的学业阶段：高中至两年制大学；两年制至四年制大学；并将本科教育转到研究生教育或就业。GSAA活动包括：1。在第二人生的虚拟世界中创建一个指导/培训岛，并将社交网络工具整合到所有参与者全年的指导体验中；2. 2 .为社署提供循证的STEM学习策略，并透过STEM学习研讨会和虚拟学习社区，将技能应用于STEM内容；3 .提高STEM教职员利用网络及第二人生培训模块教育社署人员的能力，提供核心专业培训及发展；为社署在STEM中学和专上院校取得成功，提供过渡准备和持续支持，以发展自我宣传和学术技能。内部和外部/独立评估人员的工作将为项目提供形成性和总结性评估，这将为GSAA模型提供证据。调查小组的Tom McKlin博士将为该项目提供外部评估服务。虚拟世界的开发和维护将由维苏威公司提供。该项目将编制材料，以便在全国的中等和高等教育机构复制这种模式。招聘流程、参与者培训方法、评估反馈工具和结果衡量标准将被正式化，以便在扩大规模时易于使用。GSAA的材料和资源将很容易通过网络提供给其他寻求复制项目模式的机构。GSAA将首先寻求将规模扩大到其他联盟。一旦测量和记录了这一点，项目将努力扩大到该资助理事会以外的其他组织

The University of Georgia and Georgia Institute of Technology are collaborating partners with University of in a proposal to create the Georgia STEM Accessibility Alliance (GSAA). GSAA aims to establish an alliance between Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Georgia, Georgia Perimeter College and three public secondary school districts. All project activities support the goal of increasing the postsecondary STEM degree and career attainment of individuals with disabilities. The GSAA?s goals relate to increasing the number of secondary students with disabilities (SWD) enrolling in STEM postsecondary classes and majors, increasing the retention and graduation rates of individuals with disabilities in postsecondary STEM majors, and increasing successful entry rates of GSAA students into STEM graduate programs. A distinctive feature of GSAA is the use of a virtual world as the primary service-delivery model. The use of virtual mentoring and teaching, social networking, academic support, transition assistance, and preparation of instructions will be the primary interventions utilized in GSAA. GSAA goals are:Goal 1: Develop and evaluate GSAA intervention technologies and materials in Year 1 for use in Years 2-5. All modular materials will be made available via the Virtual Learning Reserves, one Reserve for secondary students and faculty and one for post-secondary students and faculty.Goal 2: Increase the number of secondary SwD (40/per year/140 total) participating in the GSAA STEM mentoring and virtual world STEM activities and entering STEM postsecondary programs in two-year colleges, technical colleges or university partner institutions (50% of participants, or 20 per project year, 80 total). Entering is defined as matriculating with a stated major in a STEM-related field. Goal 3: Increase retention in STEM majors by 180 students (baseline of 2,479 SWD, 723 SWD with declared STEM majors) and number of students graduating with STEM degrees (associates, baccalaureate, and graduate degrees) by 10 students from 2007 baseline (baseline of 94 students) in GSAA?s two-year college and university partner institutions through peer and faculty virtual and mentoring activities, evidence-based STEM learning practices, UDL solutions, and professional development initiatives.Goal 4: Increase the entry of GSAA STEM graduates (associates, baccalaureate and graduate) into STEM graduate programs by 10 per year from baseline measures (71 students) in Years 2-5. The project will implement interventions to support SWD as they cross three critical academic junctures: high school to two-year college; two-year to four-year college; and undergraduate education to graduate education or employment. GSAA activities include: 1. Creating a mentoring/training island in the virtual world of Second Life and integrating social networking tools to all participants year-round mentoring experiences; 2. Providing evidence-based STEM learning strategies with application of skills to STEM content via STEM Learning Seminars and Virtual Learning Communities for SWD;3. Enhancing the STEM faculty and staff ability to educate SWD using web-based and Second Life training modules to provide core professional training and development;4. Providing transition preparation and ongoing support to develop self-advocacy and academic skills essential for SWD to succeed in STEM secondary and postsecondary institutions.Work by internal and external/independent evaluators will provide formative and summative evaluation for the project which will provide evidence for the GSAA model. Dr. Tom McKlin of The Findings Group will provide external evaluation services to the project. Virtual world development and maintenance will be provided by Vesuvius, Inc. The project will develop materials for replicating the model nation-wide at secondary and postsecondary institutions. Recruiting processes, participant training methods, evaluation feedback instruments, and outcome measures will be formalized so that they can become easy to use for scale-up. GSAA materials and resources will be easily available via the Web to other institutions that seek to replicate the project model. GSAA will seek to apply scale-up first to other Alliances. Once this has been measured and documented, the project will apply efforts to scale up to other organizations outside of this funding directorate