Findings from a NASA SMD Survey of Two-Year College Faculty
Abstract
The Higher Education Working Group (HEWG) of the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Science Education and Public Outreach Forums conducted a survey of Earth and space science faculty in two-year/community (2YR) colleges. The purpose of the study was to inform the work of the NASA SMD Forums, tasked with making recommendations to best achieve NASA's strategic objectives with respect to STEM education support and STEM workforce development. The specific aim was to better understand the challenges and opportunities with regard to NASA SMD E/PO engagement with 2YR colleges - who teaches there, what students need, and most importantly, what the barriers are to bringing NASA-related STEM into the classroom. The HEWG developed and, starting in Aug 2012, disseminated a survey to community college faculty to better understand instructor needs, their students and institutional context, their professional development (PD), and how they bring new science into their classrooms. The survey was open for a few months, and we had responses nationwide from 183 faculty who teach in community colleges. We present results of the survey here, including demographics, teaching responsibilities, and what kinds of professional support 2YR faculty say they most need from the broader EPO community. We also include 2YR faculty feedback and results from face-to-face group sessions held in summer 2013.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #223
- Pub Date:
- January 2014
- Bibcode:
- 2014AAS...22322404S