Paper No. 17-12
Presentation Time: 11:05 AM
ADVANCING ICON AND FAIR IN GER: A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
RYKER, Katherine1, LUKES, Laura2, KLYCE, Annie1, ST. JOHN, Kristen3, MCNEAL, Peggy4, LADUE, Nicole5 and CHEEK, Kim6, (1)School of the Earth, Ocean & Environment, University of South Carolina, 701 Sumter Street, EWS 617, Columbia, SC 29208, (2)Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Colombia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada, (3)Geology and Environmental Science, James Madison University, MSC 6903; 7125 Memorial Hall, 395 S. High St, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, (4)Department of Physics, Astronomy and Geosciences, Towson University, 8000 York Road, Towson, MD 21252, (5)Earth, Atmosphere and Environment, Northern Illinois University, 1425 W Lincoln Hwy, DeKalb, IL 60115-2828, (6)Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum, University of North Florida, 1 UNF Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32224
In late 2021, the geoscience education community engaged in an effort to identify ways in which we would benefit from greater use of ICON (integrated, coordinated, open and networked) processes and FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable) principles (Fortner et al., 2022; St. John et al., 2022). During these conversations, we recognized multiple ways the GER community of practice (CoP) has grown productively, as well as places for us to expand in ICON and FAIR directions. However, the state of GER CoP member needs in relation to these directions was less clear. This led us to develop and disseminate a 33-item GER CoP member needs assessment survey. Respondents (n > 120) mostly self-identified as female, White, and being affiliated with a post-secondary institution (Klyce et al., 2022). In this case study, we present additional results of the survey through the lens of a developing community of practice (Wenger et al., 2002).
The most frequently reported community-level needs were conversations about the interaction of research and practice, development of an alliance to support GER community-wide efforts across organizations, and community-organized methodology workshops. The least reported needs included project registries (where researchers pre-register research plans) and community conversations on the internationalization of the GER community. Frequently reported individual-level needs included professional development opportunities for learning, expanding productivity, improving research skills, and dissemination. Collaborative production events were also seen as highly desirable opportunities to fuel productivity. Strongly desired topics for professional development included theoretical frameworks from adjacent disciplines (e.g. educational psychology, sociology), mixed-method research methods, qualitative research methods and research project design
Survey results naturally reflect those who currently identify with the GER CoP, and so needs identified may miss important opportunities to expand to include new members. Nevertheless, they point to high level needs for the community that allow for greater use of ICON processes and FAIR principles. Results from this survey can inform GER CoP decision-making as well as funding agency priorities.
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