FACULTY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AS A STRATEGY TO SUSTAIN GEOSCIENCE PROGRAMS IN TWO-YEAR COLLEGES

Supporting and Advancing Geoscience Education in Two-year Colleges (SAGE 2YC) is a national professional development program that engages geoscience faculty in two-year colleges through two workshop series: one on careers, workforce, and transfer and the other on supporting student success in the geosciences. Each workshop series begins with a multi-day topical workshop and is followed by national workshops at professional meetings, regional workshops, and local workshops, all of which are supported by and contribute to a web-based resource collection. The workshop series enables 2YC faculty to discuss issues, challenges, and opportunities; to share effective strategies, activities, and programs; to develop collegial relationships; to plan and implement curriculum, instructional and programmatic improvements; to develop sustainable professional communities; and to attend professional meetings. In addition, some 2YC faculty design and lead their own local workshop, developing leadership. Workshop participants become part of a network of colleagues who share similar challenges and concerns for the success of 2YC geoscience students. To date, 148 2YC geoscience faculty have participated in the workshops, with workshops including up to 25% adjunct faculty, a critical but often difficult to reach group of faculty. Self-reported results of the first workshop series include changes in how participants think about geoscience career and transfer issues for 2YC geoscience students, changes in their approaches to addressing career, workforce, and transfer issues in their courses and programs, helping students with internships and research opportunities, and increased networking. Participants report that they shared curriculum and course materials as well as information about internship opportunities, collaborated around fieldwork, discussed student issues, and talked about program-related issues and possibilities. Given the disciplinary isolation reported by many 2YC geoscience faculty, this professional development program provides an opportunity for faculty to learn from one another and from the research base, helping to disseminate strategies and activities that help support geoscience programs in 2YCs.