RESULTS OF A WORKSHOP ON THE ROLE OF TWO-YEAR COLLEGES IN GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION AND BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN THE GEOSCIENCES

A workshop on The Role of Two-Year Colleges in Geoscience Education and Broadening Participation in the Geosciences was held at Northern Virginia Community College in June 2010 to identify issues, challenges, and opportunities for geoscience faculty and students in two-year colleges (2yc) and to make recommendations for strengthening this component of the geoscience community. The workshop included sessions on strategies for supporting all students to be successful; the role of 2yc in broadening participation in the geosciences, preparing geoscience students for the future (recruiting and retaining students in the geosciences, career preparation and workforce development, and transfer and 2yc and 4yc partnerships). Conversations between participants and professional organizations and societies focused on how increased communication with 2yc faculty could support faculty and students from two-year colleges. Participants considered strategies for addressing isolation and building community including interdisciplinary collaborations, scholarly practices, using Web 2.0, and working with adjunct faculty. Working groups addressed the following topics: establishment of a geoscience 2yc community, best practices for geoscience 2yc programs, faculty professional development, recruitment and retention of students, diversity in the geosciences, the role of 2yc in K-12 teacher preparation, and 2yc and ocean science education. Recommendations included the need to collect and disseminate information about 2yc including demographic information and best practices of 2yc geoscience programs, the desire to establish a organization for 2yc geoscience faculty, more opportunities to communicate (workshops and electronic communications), and other approaches for supporting 2yc students, faculty, and programs. The workshop website includes the workshop program, presentations, and essays and other materials submitted by participants <http://serc.carleton.edu/geo2yc/workshop2010/>. Participants valued the opportunity to meet together, to discuss issues of common interest, to meet representatives from professional societies and organizations, and to plan next steps for building this community.