An NAGT Planning Workshop to Increase Participation and Leadership of Two-Year College Faculty in the Geoscience Education Community

College Of William And Mary, Williamsburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

The National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT) will hold a two-day planning workshop to discuss strategies and develop an action plan for increasing the participation and leadership of two-year institution faculty in the geoscience education community. It is critically important to increase the participation of two-year institution faculty in efforts to reform geoscience education. Nearly half of all undergraduate students currently studying sciences and mathematics are enrolled at two-year institutions. Furthermore, two-year institutions are critically important in the science and mathematics preparation of future K-12 teachers, in the professional development of in-service teachers, and in increasing the participation of underrepresented minorities in the geosciences. Beyond this, the development of the Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE) presents many opportunities for the entire geoscience community and the larger integrative science community, and the two-year institutions need to be full partners in these efforts. However, participation of two-year institution faculty in the geoscience education community has been limited. Given the important role of two-year institution faculty in geoscience education, they must be better integrated into the geoscience education community, both in terms of participation and in terms of leadership. The planning workshop will provide a forum for bridging two-year institution faculty and four-year institution faculty to discuss and develop strategies that will result in greater integration of two-year institution faculty in the geoscience education community. The workshop will provide an opportunity to share the challenges and opportunities of the professional life of two-year institution faculty members, identify specific strategies that would reduce the professional isolation felt by some two-year institution geoscience faculty members, develop plans to increase the professional development and leadership opportunities of two-year institution faculty members in geoscience education, discuss successes (and failures) of collaborations with four-year institutions and universities/faculties, consider strategies for fostering communications to two-year institution faculty, and plan a leadership conference for two-year institution faculty that would be held in the following year. The workshop will also include brief presentations by representatives from other professional societies regarding their approach to two-year faculty issues. Prior to the planning workshop, all participants will discuss electronically the major issues faced by two-year institution geoscience faculty, discuss strategies for increasing participation and leadership in the geoscience and geoscience education community, and respond to the workshop agenda. The participants in the planning workshop will leave the workshop with an action plan for increasing the involvement of two-year faculty in various activities of the larger geoscience education community.