Collaborative Research: GP-IMPACT: The Green Tech High School Academy: A Model Program of Combined Geoscience Field Learning, Classroom Instruction and Career Preparation

合作研究：GP-IMPACT：绿色科技高中学院：地球科学实地学习、课堂教学和职业准备相结合的示范项目

• 批准号: 1540608
• 负责人: Katherine Ellins
• 金额: $ 23.83万
• 依托单位: University of Texas at Austin
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-09-15 至 2019-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1540608&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; GP; IMPACT; Green

The transition between high school and undergraduate institutions is a particularly important critical juncture for students considering whether to pursue degrees and careers in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines. Due to state and local policies that govern high school science curriculum and graduation requirements, most high school students are not exposed formally to the geosciences prior to making choices about future careers in STEM. As a result, many of the students who do ultimately choose the geosciences have found this field through happenstance, making the geosciences a "discovery major" in college. With the anticipated need of ~135,000 geoscientists in the next several years, due to retirements and higher-than-average job growth rates, as well as the critical role that geoscientists play in the employment sectors related to energy production, natural hazards mitigation, and the infrastructure construction, more intentional approaches to recruiting students into the geosciences are needed. In addition, greater engagement of traditionally underrepresented minorities in STEM is needed to build diversity in the geosciences workforce, which is currently very limited. The University of Texas at Austin is testing the underlying theory of change for the IUSE: GEOPATHS program that "using novel ways of engaging a larger population of students and exposing them to authentic, career relevant geoscience experiences that augment the formal curriculum will increase their desire to earn degrees and pursue careers in the field." To test this theory, the project is investigating whether a collaboratively developed and implemented geoscience-focused program of career exploration, student mentoring, 6-8 days of field excursions, and evidence-based geoscience-infused classroom instruction will impact a students' sense of belonging in geoscience and help them transition into undergraduate geoscience programs. The summer mentored field program is offered through the award-winning GeoFORCE program; the classroom instruction activities are using tested pedagogical approaches and content developed with prior NSF support for the Diversity and Innovation for Geosciences in Texas (DIG Texas) and EarthLabs projects. It is expected that a sense of belonging will consequently lead to an increased desire to earn geoscience degrees and pursue geoscience careers. This three year project is establishing a robust collaboration between geoscience educators and researchers in the Jackson School of Geosciences at UT Austin and Michigan State University, educators and administrators at Akins High School in the Austin Independent School District in Texas, and geoscientists at DrillingInfo, an oil and gas firm. Activities are underway to (1) provide Akins administrators and science teachers with educational resources and professional development, allowing them to teach about geoscience, environmental systems, energy, and natural resources in the school's Green Tech Academy; and (2) conduct educational research to investigate the role that classroom and field experiences play in developing students' sense of belonging in geoscience, with anticipated simultaneous effects on (a) geoscience knowledge, (b) attitudes towards geoscience, and (c) engagement in geoscience and geoscience career activities in high school. By focusing on Akins High School, which has large a large minority (84 percent Hispanic and African American) student population, the project has the potential to achieve greater diversity in the geosciences through education, exemplary teacher preparation, and career exploration.

对于考虑是否从事科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）学科的学生而言，高中与本科机构之间的过渡是一个特别重要的关键点。 由于管理高中科学课程和毕业要求的州和地方政策，大多数高中生在选择STEM的未来职业之前，并未正式接触地球科学。 结果，许多最终选择地球科学的学生通过偶然发现了这一领域，使地球科学成为大学的“发现专业”。 由于退休和高于平均水平的工作增长率，在未来几年内预计需要约135,000名地球科学家，以及地球科学家在地球科学家在就业部门中所发挥的关键作用，与能源生产，自然危害相关，基础设施缓解和基础设施相关，因此需要将学生招募到地理位置上。此外，需要在传统上代表性不足的少数群体参与STEM，以建立地球科学劳动力的多样性，目前非常有限。 德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校正在测试IUSE：GEOPATHS计划的基本变革理论，该计划“使用新颖的方式吸引更多的学生，并使他们接触到真实的，职业相关的地球科学经验，以增强正式课程，从而增加他们在该领域获得学位和从事学位的愿望。”为了检验该理论，该项目正在研究一个以地球科学探索，学生指导，6-8天的野外游览以及基于证据的地球科学注入循证的课堂教学的共同开发和实施的计划，是否会影响学生对地球的属于地球的归属感，并帮助他们过渡到学生地理位置学不足计划。夏季指导的现场计划是通过屡获殊荣的Geoforce计划提供的；课堂教学活动正在使用经过测试的教学方法和内容，并以前的NSF支持对德克萨斯州（DIG Texas）和Earthlabs项目的地球科学的多样性和创新进行了支持。 预计归属感将导致赢得地球科学学位并从事地球科学职业的渴望增加。这个为期三年的项目正在建立UT奥斯汀和密歇根州立大学杰克逊地球科学学院的地球科学教育者与研究人员之间的强大合作，德克萨斯州奥斯汀独立学区的Akins高中的教育工作者和管理人员，以及一家石油和天然气公司Drillinginfo的地球科学家。正在进行（1）的活动，为阿金斯的管理人员和科学教师提供教育资源和专业发展，使他们可以在学校的绿色科技学院教授地球科学，环境系统，能源和自然资源； （2）进行教育研究以调查课堂和田野经验在发展学生在地球科学中的归属感中所扮演的角色，并预期对（a）地球科学知识，（b）对地球科学的态度以及（c）在高中的地球科学和地球科学活动中的态度。通过专注于阿金斯高中（Akins High School），该高中具有很大的少数（84％的西班牙裔和非裔美国人）的学生人数，该项目有可能通过教育，示例性的教师准备和职业探索来实现地球科学的更大多样性。