Dual-Credit Physical Geology Classes: A Strategy for Improving the "Pipeline" from High Schools into University Geology Programs

为了解决高中缺乏严格的地球科学课程和学生缺乏地球科学职业意识的问题，加州州立大学贝克斯菲尔德分校(CSUB)多年来一直支持克恩高中学区(KHSD)两所学校的双学分物理地质学课程。完成课程的学生可以获得可转让的大学学分。通过这一奖项，CSUB通过增加学校地球科学教材、实地经验、专业地球科学家的客座演讲以及旨在招收CSUB和地区社区大学地质学项目学生的津贴和奖学金，加强了现有的双学分KHSD物理地质学课程。CSUB还实施了一项严格的评估计划，将收集证据，证明双学分课程在改善从高中到大学的地球科学计划方面的有效性，特别是在拉美裔学生参与方面。资金还被用来通过在该地区其他学校开设类似的班级来帮助宣传示范计划。该项目的总体目标是记录双学分班在招收地学专业学生方面的有效性，并确定这些班最有效的要素和策略，重点是少数族裔学生。这些发现将被用来指导其他有兴趣开发类似班级的人，并加强对提供此类课程的学区、校长和大学教职员工和管理人员的支持。

To address the lack of rigorous geoscience classes in high schools and geoscience career awareness among students, California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB) has been supporting dual-credit physical geology classes at two schools in the Kern High School District (KHSD) for many years. Students completing the classes receive transferable university credit. With this award, CSUB is enhancing existing dual-credit KHSD physical geology classes through augmentation of school geoscience teaching materials, field experiences, guest speakers from professional geoscientists, and stipends and scholarships aimed specifically at recruiting students into CSUB and area community college geology programs. CSUB is also implementing a rigorous assessment program that will collect evidence on the effectiveness of the dual-credit classes in improving the pipeline from high schools to college geoscience programs, particularly with regard to the participation of Hispanic students. Funds are also being used to help propagate the model program through creation of similar classes at other schools in the region. The overarching goal of this project is to document the effectiveness of dual-credit classes in recruiting students into geoscience majors and identify the most effective elements and strategies of these classes, with a focus on minority students. The findings will be used to guide others interested in developing similar classes and strengthen the case to school districts, principals, and university faculty and administrators for offering them.