Geo-Needs Action Plan for Broadening Participation in the Earth Sciences

In this workshop we are focused on developing courses, curricula, or extracurricular programs (such as outreach, recruitment programs, bridging programs, internships, or other student support) that will bring underrepresented students to the geosciences at your institution. This action plan is designed to help you think though the steps and resources needed to bring your idea to fruition.

Complete the following form and click on SUBMIT to complete your action plan. Be sure to hit the SUBMIT button before leaving this page or your information will be lost. After you submit, you can continue to edit your Action Plan by logging in with your SERC account, and returning to your page. Be sure to save early and often. We encourage you to compose your answers to the longer questions in a word processor and to cut and paste the resulting text into this form. This gives you access to conveniences like spell checking as well as the opportunity to save and reflect on your work before submitting. Your submission will be turned into a webpage and you will be able to edit your action plan after you submit it.

If you'd like to draft your responses offline, you can download a Word document with the questions from this form (Microsoft Word 59kB Jun21 16) and copy and paste your responses into the form when you are ready to submit them.

Contact InformationFirst Name:

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Institution:

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(Please Note: Your email address is what we use to track your application and participation in the workshop. Be sure to use the same email address in all forms relating to your workshop participation. This email will also be our primary means of communication with you. Please double-check that you have typed it correctly.)

Action Plan Questions
Short Profile of Your Institution
Please describe your institution and consider including items such as type (e.g. 2YC, MSI), setting, (e.g. urban/rural, in-residence/commuter), regional affiliations, and institutional mission.

How are the Earth Sciences situated in your institution?
Below are some possible suggestions for describing how Earth Sciences are situated: Earth Science is not currently offered; we're developing new course/s curricula; Earth Science is taught in a general STEM or physical science program; and in an identified Earth/Environmental/Geoscience Department, program, or other organizational structure. In addition, please discuss how many faculty teach Earth Science, how many/what type of Earth Science courses are offered, and the earth science degrees offered.

Brief Profile of the Students You Serve
Describe the demographics of your students, their motivations and concerns, and their typical career path: degrees and certificate programs; workforce; and graduate degree.

Brief Description of the Course/Curriculum/Extracurricular Program you are designing:
If you are describing a course, include the following: course name, level of Instruction (e.g. introductory non-majors), expected course enrollment, course format (e.g. lecture, project-based).
Curriculum, include the following: program name, degree granted (e.g. Associate, BS, MA, PhD), expected enrollment, sequence of courses.
Extracurricular program, include the following: type of activity (e.g. outreach, bridging program,internship), target audience (e.g. K-12 students, teachers, majors, underrepresented students), expected enrollment or impact, and format (e.g. face-to-face, online, field-based).

Course/Curriculum/Extracurricular Program Goals
In order to help you develop program goals, consider the following questions: What are the key concepts and content that will be presented? What skills (e.g. scientific, professional) will be developed? What are the expected student or participant learning outcomes? How does the course/curricula/program fit with larger departmental, institutional, or programmatic goals (e.g., recruitment of students)?

Course/Curriculum/Extracurricular Program Outline
Create an outline of the main topics that will be presented in the course, curriculum, or activity. Include examples of learning or program activities that the students or participants will do.

What Strategies and Methods Will You Use?
Strategies and methods to consider include: Instructional strategies such as flipped or blended classrooms, students using and interpreting Earth data, or topical issues; curricular design such as learning progressions, course sequencing, and cognate requirements; extracurricular program design such as outreach modules; partnering with K-12 teachers or classrooms, public engagement, and internships.

What Additional Resources Will be Needed to Support this Course/Curriculum/Extracurricular Program?
(We will help identify these resources from credentialed sources such as On the Cutting Edge, InTeGrate, etc.) Possible resources to consider include: Sources for basic scientific information, instructional aids (e.g., powerpoints, animations), lab materials, Earth data, pedagogic advice (e.g., teaching in the field, affective domain), recruitment and retention advice, evaluation, and stakeholder buy-in and support.

What Barriers to Success Do you Anticipate; what strategies can you use to help ensure success?
Examples of barriers may be items such as student preparation for mathematics, attrition from program, Institutional and/or stakeholder buy-in and support, and resource limitations.

What Strategies and Methods Will You Use to Ensure Success for ALL Students?
Examples of strategies and methods include mentoring practices, cultural literacy/sensitivity, engaging in authentic undergraduate research, provide Co-Op or Internship opportunities, use topical issues that engage ALL students?

What Institutional Support Will You Need? How will you engage these resources in your setting?
Examples of possible support include working with the Teaching/Learning Center, working with admissions and registration offices, working with curriculum committees, and working with existing outreach and recruitment/retention programs.

What Continuing Professional Development Support Do You and Your Faculty/Staff Need to Successfully Plan and Deliver this Course/Curriculum/Extracurricular Program?
Examples of professional development include course/curriculum design, pedagogic practice, assessments of student learning, effective use of the affective domain and metacognition, examples of successful recruitment and retention strategies, and networking with similar programs elsewhere.

Recruitment and/or Dissemination; what plans do you have for outreach to recruit students to your Course/Curriculum/Extracurricular Program?
Examples of recruitment and dissemination include the critical role of 2YCs, forming regional networks with K-12 systems, on-campus mechanisms for advertising, advising, recruiting students, and near-peer recruitment (use former students to recruit new ones).

What Additional Budget and In-Kind Support Will You Need to Develop and Sustain Your Course/Curriculum/Extracurricular Program?
Questions to consider include: Will you need to identify sources of funding to help develop and sustain your new course, curriculum or program? Can you mobilize your alumni to contribute and participate? Can you draw on resources from local companies, NGO's or local/state/federal agencies that hire Earth Scientists? Can you leverage professional societies (e.g. GSA, NAGT)?

Timeline
When developing your timeline consider the following: tasks that need completed to develop course/curriculum/extracurricular program, timeline for tasks, responsibility for tasks, syllabus design and course development, legal requirements (e.g background checks), and advertising, marketing, and recruitment.

Evaluation and Assessment
When describing how you will evaluate and assess your work, consider the following questions: How will you know if you met your course/curriculum/extracurricular program goals? How will you know if you've met your diversity goals? How will you know if you've met institutional goals? How will you know if you've impacted students' a) learning, b) attitudes about Science, c) potential for choosing Earth Sciences as a viable career?

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