Improving Access to Biology Education Research by Decreasing Barriers to Participation in the Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research’s 2021 National Conference

该项目旨在通过增加2021年生物学教育研究促进协会（SABER）全国会议的机会来服务于国家利益。 每年，SABER都会为生物学教育研究人员和实践者举办一次全国会议。 平均约有400人参加了这些面对面的会议。 然而，由于COVID-19疫情，2020年SABER全国会议以虚拟方式举行，不收取注册费。 这些变化导致与会人数大幅增加，会议注册人数超过1400人，500多人积极参加会议。 为了维持2021年会议的广泛出席并增加与会者的多样性，该提案打算通过定期举办一系列特别讲座来扩大会议活动，设计2021年年会，包括虚拟出席的选项，并提供注册和旅行奖学金，以扩大生物教育研究的参与。 SABER社区内的特殊兴趣小组将选择12位演讲者参加一系列现场网络研讨会，这些研讨会将在全年提供。 网络研讨会将免费提供给任何感兴趣的参与者。 此外，它们将在SABER网站上记录和存档。 此外，该项目还将在2021年SABER会议的所有会议中加入虚拟出席选项，预计该会议将于2021年7月22日至25日举行。 虚拟参与者将支付的注册费是亲自参与所需费用的一半。 预计虚拟参与选项将使生物教育研究人员和从业人员能够参与，否则他们将无法参加会议，由于财政或后勤方面的挑战。 最后，该项目将支持旅行研究金，以支持来自不同背景的个人亲自参与。将向为少数民族服务的机构，包括为西班牙裔服务的机构和历史上的黑人学院和大学，以及通过促进奇卡诺人和美洲土著人科学协会等伙伴组织，宣传旅行研究金的提供情况。 旅行奖学金的获得者将由SABER的多样性，公平性和包容性委员会选择。 这些努力旨在扩大对SABER活动的参与和利用。 NSF IUSE：EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生STEM教育的有效性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并且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 increasing access to the 2021 Society for Advancement of Biology Education Research (SABER) national conference. Each year, SABER hosts a national conference for biology education researchers and practitioners. On average, about 400 participants have attended these in-person conferences. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 SABER national conference was held virtually, with no registration fees. These changes led to a tremendous increase in participation, with over 1400 registrations for the meeting and over 500 active participants at conference sessions. To sustain broad attendance at the 2021 conference and to increase the diversity of attendees, this proposal intends to expand conference activities through a regular series of special lectures, to design the 2021 annual meeting to include the option for virtual attendance, and to provide registration and travel fellowships to broaden participation in biology education research. Special interest groups within the SABER community will select 12 speakers for a series of live webinars that will be offered throughout the year. The webinars will be freely available to any interested participant. In addition, they will be recorded and archived on the SABER website. In addition, the project will build virtual attendance options into all sessions of the 2021 SABER conference, which is expected to be an in-person conference scheduled for July 22-25, 2021. Virtual participants will pay registration fees that are half as much as those required for in-person participation. The virtual participation option is expected to enable participation by biology education researchers and practitioners who would be otherwise unable to attend the conference due to financial or logistical challenges. Finally, the project will support travel fellowships to support in-person participation by individuals from diverse backgrounds. The availability of travel fellowships will be advertised to minority-serving institutions including Hispanic-serving institutions and Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as well as through partner organizations such as the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science. Recipients of travel fellowships will be selected by SABER’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. These efforts are intended to broaden participation in and access to SABER activities. The NSF IUSE: EHR program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students.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.