A Professional Learning Community for Advancing Community College Education and Student Success (ACCESS)

The University of California Berkeley Museum of Paleontology (UCMP) will lead a one-year virtual conference to establish a Professional Learning Community (PLC) of community college instructors and graduate students to support the development of teaching resources for diverse audiences. The PLC builds upon existing partnerships with community colleges and resources developed as part of the ACCESS (Advancing Community College Education and Student Success) program to make the geosciences and practices of scientific inquiry more accessible to all learners.

While Earth science literacy and perspectives from diverse stakeholders are essential for addressing 21st century societal and environmental challenges, the geosciences remain one of the least diverse STEM disciplines. By partnering with community colleges, the program will serve students who identify as low-income, first-generation, or underrepresented minorities.

The ACCESS program is uniquely positioned to help enhance online and in-person geoscience learning experiences for students while simultaneously helping community college instructors and UC Berkeley graduate students develop inclusive pedagogical practices to enhance their teaching skills.

The ACCESS PLC will support the revision and implementation of inquiry-based lessons for diverse audiences using active, equitable, and inclusive learning practices known as Model-Based Inquiry. Through a year-long series of workshops and meetings, the PLC will develop lessons that deepen students’ understanding of the Earth history and processes, which is necessary to contextualize the complexity and urgency of global climate and local environmental challenges.

Efforts to enhance STEM education that focus on issues related to diversity and inclusive practices are typically one-time efforts and not a continual means of providing professional development and support for instructors. Year-long support for instructors and iterative development of resources in the UCMP ACCESS PLC will help transform and sustain shifts in teaching practices as we face the ongoing challenges of providing online and blended learning experiences for students.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.