GP-UP: Geoscience Engagement: Growing Interest at Hispanic-Serving Institutions by Scaffolding Classroom Intervention to Service-Learning Projects

该奖项全部或部分由《2021年美国救援计划法案》（公法117-2）资助。尽管在过去二十年中作出了协调一致的努力，但地球科学工作人员的规模和多样性并没有显著改变，无法满足对地球科学家的预计需求，这对自然资源的可持续性和总体环境质量产生了重大影响，而环境质量支持着强劲的经济，并确保所有美国居民的健康和福利。该项目旨在通过创新的课程计划，从历史上被排斥的群体中招收和留住更多的本科生，来解决这一短缺问题；它将促进两年制院校中对地球科学的兴趣，因为地球科学课程有限，并促进从两年制到四年制院校的转学途径和保留到完成学位，以便学生获得进入地球科学工作岗位所需的教育证书。从该项目中获得的新见解将形成一个最佳实践模型，可以在其他大学进行调整和实施，以培养更大、更多样化的地球科学劳动力。该项目旨在通过在本科学位领域实施和测试三阶段早期干预策略的有效性，扩大对地球科学的参与，提高对地球科学的保留。该项目由西北维斯塔学院和德克萨斯大学圣安东尼奥分校的西班牙裔服务机构开展，为期三年，将在STEM入门课程中提高人们对地球科学的认识和兴趣，并通过课外服务学习项目提高学生的保留率。在地球科学入门、化学和物理课程中，四个模块将测试针对特定障碍和动机的招聘策略的有效性，以扩大和多样化地球科学专业和辅修专业的人才库。参与者将获得多层次的指导、建议、转移桥接活动和津贴；一个特定项目的互动网站将促进学生、教师、专业人员和社区之间的正式和非正式学习和互动。项目设计允许对招聘方法进行关键测试，该方法针对更广泛的潜在专业和促进学习和保留的服务学习项目的关键要素。从形成性和总结性项目评估中确定的新知识将广泛转移，因为它侧重于许多机构通常提供的入门课程和可以独立于正式课程的体验式学习经验。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 award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).Despite concerted effort over the last two decades, the size and diversity of the geoscience workforce has not significantly changed to meet the projected demand for geoscientists, which has major consequences for the sustainability of natural resources and overall environmental quality that supports a strong economy and ensures the health and welfare of all United States residents. This project aims to address this shortfall using an innovative curriculum program to recruit and retain more undergraduate students from historically excluded groups; it will promote interest in geoscience within 2-year institutions where geoscience courses are limited and facilitate transfer pathways from 2- to 4-year institutions and retention to degree completion so students earn the educational credential needed to enter the geoscience workforce. The new insights gained from the program will form a model of best practices that can be adapted and implemented at other universities to grow a larger, more diverse geoscience workforce.This project aims to broaden participation and enhance retention in geoscience by implementing and testing the effectiveness of a three-stage early intervention strategy within the undergraduate degree arena. Conducted at the Hispanic Serving Institutions of Northwest Vista College and the University of Texas at San Antonio, the three-year program will generate greater awareness of and interest in geoscience in introductory STEM courses and promote retention through extracurricular service-learning projects. In introductory geoscience, chemistry, and physics courses, four modules will test the effectiveness of a recruitment strategy that targets specific barriers and motivations to broaden and diversify the pool of geoscience majors and minors. Participants will be supported by multi-level mentoring, advising, a transfer bridging event, and stipends; a program-specific interactive website will facilitate formal and informal learning and interactions between students, faculty, professionals, and community. The project design permits a critical test of a recruitment approach that targets a wider pool of potential majors and the critical elements of service-learning projects that promote learning and retention. The new knowledge identified from formative and summative program assessments will be widely transferrable because it focuses on introductory courses that are generally offered at many institutions and experiential learning experiences that can flourish independently from formal coursework.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.