SUPPORTING TRANSFER STUDENTS THROUGH THE LEARNING COMMUNITY APPROACH: THE LBOS-GEOBRIDGE PROGRAM IN OREGON

After decades of calls to broaden participation, the geosciences are still struggling to meet this goal. Two-year colleges (2YCs) are one of the main entry points into the geosciences, and the greater diversity at 2YCs offers an important opportunity to broaden participation. However, 2YC students face a unique set of social, academic, and institutional challenges when they transfer to a four-year college or university. Innovative programs designed to support 2YC students in the transfer process and in retention for graduation are then key in increasing diversity in the geosciences.

LBOS-Geobridge is an extracurricular “bridge” program designed to support geoscience students from Linn-Benton Community College (LBCC) as they transfer to nearby Oregon State University (OSU). The program is based on the well-known cohort- or learning community model (e.g. Lave and Wenger, 1998). Each year, up to six students are selected primarily based on transfer readiness and interest in geoscience. During the summer between transfer from LBCC to OSU, programming is designed to build a community of geoscience practice in which a cohort of students work collaboratively through related field and laboratory experiences, such as geologic mapping and sample preparation, analysis, and data interpretation. Students participate as geoscience apprentices to learn traits necessary for success in a four-year college or university program. This framework allows students to build relationships that enable them to learn from and support one another, and develop a common practice through problem solving, requesting information, and mapping knowledge/gaps, which are all essential for success as a geoscience student and professional. Our initial findings, through student interviews of two cohorts, suggest that this framework builds transfer students’ metacognition, self-efficacy, science-identity, and community.