Field-based Undergraduate Training: Utilizing Research for Equity (FUTURE) in Biology

实地本科生培训：利用生物学研究实现公平（未来）

• 批准号: 2329523
• 负责人: Roxanne Beltran
• 金额: $ 124.88万
• 依托单位: University of California-Santa Cruz
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-01-01 至 2026-12-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2329523&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Field; based; Undergraduate; Training; Utilizing

Undergraduate field courses can be used as pedagogical tools in the curriculum to increase persistence in biology majors, especially for marginalized students. However, it is unclear how field courses should be designed and when they should be offered in the undergraduate curriculum to provide the most benefits to students. This project will recruit a cohort of 3 postdoctoral fellows who will lead qualitative and quantitative research on the benefits of field course design elements in three existing departmental initiatives at University of California- Santa Cruz (UCSC), a Hispanic-Serving Research Institution. Fellows’ discoveries will connect pieces of the puzzle to improve retention, equity, and student success in STEM, especially among marginalized students, through refinement and implementation of courses and internships during strategic curricular time points. Fellows will benefit intellectually, professionally, and socially in preparation for education research careers, and will provide role models for hundreds of graduate students who seek similar opportunities. By providing cohort- and community-based support for the fellows and building capacity for biology education research, this work will be of significance in empowering STEM talent and knowledge creation in higher education research. A major priority in higher education is to improve retention of students from marginalized groups and support them through admission to graduate school and employment in the expanding STEM workforce. Although field courses show promise for recruitment and persistence of marginalized undergraduate students, many questions remain about which design components are important to generate desired outcomes, and when in the undergraduate curriculum these opportunities should be offered. This project will build on existing strengths in equitable field-based teaching and diverse leadership to support 3 fellows to undertake research to improve field-based undergraduate training in the life sciences. This comprehensive support program for the Postdoc Fellows has the four goals: 1) Targeted recruitment, selection, and retention strategies including a professional development plan and identification of impactful, feasible projects; 2) Cultivating a community of practice in field teaching, education research, and diversity, equity, and inclusion to support success and networking; 3) Fostering connections outside the department and institution; and 4) Assessing and disseminating the program outcomes to turn knowledge into scalable solutions. By collaboratively designing and delivering a new field teaching program based on equity, safety, and cultural responsibility, the postdoc Fellows will transform the experiences of hundreds of undergraduate students and dozens of field course instructors. This project is supported by NSF’s STEM Education Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (STEM Ed PRF) Program with co-funding from the Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Program. The STEM Ed PRF Program aims to enhance the research knowledge, skills, and practices of recent doctorates in STEM, STEM education, education, and related disciplines to advance their preparation to engage in fundamental and applied research that advances knowledge within the field. The HSI Program supports projects that improve undergraduate STEM education and increase the rates of recruitment, retention and graduation of undergraduate STEM students at Hispanic-serving institutions.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.

本科课程可以用作课程中的教学工具，以增加生物学专业的持久性，尤其是对于边缘化的学生而言。但是，目前尚不清楚应该如何设计野外课程，以及何时应在本科课程中提供它们，以为学生提供最大的好处。该项目将招募一个由3个博士后研究员组成的队列，他们将在加利福尼亚大学圣克鲁斯分校（UCSC）的三项现有部门设计倡议中领导定性和定量研究，这是一家西班牙裔服务机构。研究员的发现将通过在战略货币时间点期间的完善和实施课程和实习，将拼图的各种拼图联系起来，以提高STEM的保留，公平和学生的成功，尤其是在边缘化的学生中。研究员将智能，专业和社会上的好处为教育研究事业做准备，并将为寻求类似机会的数百名研究生提供榜样。通过为研究人员和建立生物学教育研究的建立能力提供基于社区和社区的支持，这项工作将在增强高等教育研究中的STEM人才和知识创造方面具有重要意义。高等教育的主要优先事项是提高边缘化群体的学生的保留，并通过入学毕业生来支持他们。尽管野外课程对边缘化的本科生的招募和持久性表现出希望，但是关于哪些设计组件对于产生期望的结果仍然很重要，并且在本科课程中应提供这些机会。该项目将基于公平的基于现场的教学和潜水员领导力的现有优势，以支持3名研究员进行研究，以改善生活科学领域的基于现场的本科培训。这项针对博士后研究员的全面支持计划具有四个目标：1）有针对性的招聘，选择和保留策略，包括专业发展计划以及对有影响力的，可行的项目的识别； 2）在实地教学，教育研究以及多样性，公平和包容方面培养一个实践社区，以支持成功和网络； 3）在部门和机构之外建立联系； 4）评估和传播程序成果以将知识转化为可扩展的解决方案。通过协作设计和提供基于公平，安全和文化责任的新现场教学计划，博士后研究员将改变数百名本科生和数十名实地课程教练的经验。该项目得到了NSF的STEM教育博士后研究奖学金（STEM ED PRF）计划，并获得了西班牙裔服务机构（HSI）计划的共同资助。 STEM ED PRF计划旨在增强STEM，STEM教育，教育和相关学科的最新博士学位的研究知识，技能和实践，以推动他们准备从事该领域知识的基本和应用研究的准备。 HSI计划支持改善本科STEM教育的项目，并提高西班牙裔服务机构本科生STEM学生的招聘，保留和毕业率。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是通过基金会的知识分子和更广泛影响的评估审查审查的标准来通过评估来通过评估来支持的。