Expanding Geographic Information Science Technology Education

随着更复杂的商业用途的开发和实施，地理信息科学技术(GIST)的使用正在太平洋西北部和全国的许多领域和职业中扩大。这一跨学科领域涵盖了解决空间问题的地理学、计算机科学和数学，被政府机构和私人公司用来解决美国和全球的许多社会挑战。随着这些公司的员工退休或这些行业的扩张，需要拥有最新技术和实践知识的员工。该项目将支持该区域对受过良好教育的测绘技术人员日益增长的需求。由于STEM领域在历史上并没有吸引很多女性、有色人种学生和低收入学生，该项目将专注于循证干预措施，以支持STEM中代表性不足的群体的学生招生、留住和项目完成。为了招收更多不同的学生，该项目将与文化相关的社区组织(CBO)和女性STEM教育工作者合作，以确定对地理空间技术感兴趣的高中生和社区大学生。使用地理空间技术和带薪实习的基于项目的学习将使学生参与基于工作的技能发展。这个项目将为那些从未考虑过在STEM领域工作的学生提供创新的机会，让他们进入令人兴奋的新职业。该项目的总体目标是改善地理空间项目的招生、留住和项目完成率，并与地区GIST合作伙伴一起定位该项目的未来增长。为这项工作奠定基础的战略包括：1)扩大与社区组织的伙伴关系，2)增加在校园和社区招聘特定学生群体的努力，3)为高中教师和社区大学教师举办地理空间技术暑期研习班，4)创建“妇女参与地理空间职业”讲习班系列，5)重新设计顶峰课程，以纳入更高级的技术技能，6)扩大与区域行业的伙伴关系，7)与区域地理空间协会协作，为地理空间研究所的学生提供导师，以及8)为教室和实验室配备适当的设备和软件，以满足这一新兴技术劳动力所需的能力。该项目的结果将提供给其他社区学院和GIST合作伙伴，以展示招聘和保留战略的价值，以及如何将其纳入现有的教学方法。该项目有可能通过实施对地理空间方案中任职人数不足的群体的个人产生最大影响的招聘和保留战略，促进不断发展的地理空间技术领域的知识。该项目由NSF的高级技术教育计划资助，该计划专注于为推动国家经济的先进技术领域的技术人员提供教育。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The use of Geographic Information Science Technology (GIST) is expanding in many fields and occupations in the Pacific Northwest and across the country as more sophisticated commercial uses are developed and implemented. This interdisciplinary field, which encompasses geography, computer science, and mathematics in spatial problem solving, is used in governmental agencies and private companies to solve many U.S. and global societal challenges. As employees within these companies retire or as these industries expand, employees with the most current knowledge of technologies and practices are needed. This project will support the growing need for well-educated surveying/mapping technicians in the region. Since STEM fields have not historically attracted many women, students of color, and low-income students, this project will focus on evidence-based interventions that support student recruitment, retention, and program completion for people from groups underrepresented in STEM. To recruit more diverse students the project will partner with culturally relevant community-based organizations (CBOs) and women STEM educators to identify high school and community college students interested in geospatial technology. Project-based learning using geospatial technology and paid internships will engage students in work-based skill development. This project will provide innovative opportunities for students, who never considered working in this STEM field, to enter an exciting new career. The overall goal of this project is to improve student recruitment, retention, and program completion in the Geospatial program, and position the program for future growth with regional GIST partners. The strategies that provide the foundation for this work include: 1) expanding partnerships with community-based organizations, 2) increasing recruitment efforts of specific student populations on campus and in the community, 3) conducting summer institutes for high school teachers and community college faculty in geospatial technologies, 4) creating a "Women in Geospatial Careers" workshop series, 5) redesigning a capstone course to incorporate more advanced technical skills, 6) expanding partnerships with regional industries, 7) collaborating with a regional geospatial association to provide mentors for the GIST students, and 8) equipping classrooms and labs with appropriate equipment and software to address the competencies needed for this emerging technical workforce. Results of the project will be made available to other community colleges and GIST partners to demonstrate the value of the recruitment and retention strategies and how they can be incorporated into existing pedagogical approaches. This project has potential to advance knowledge in the evolving GIST fields by implementing recruitment and retention strategies that have the greatest impact on individuals from groups underrepresented in geospatial programs. This project is funded by NSF’s Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the Nation's economy.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.