A series of international workshops held in 2014, 2017, 2019, and 2022 focused on improving tephra studies from field collection through publication and encouraging FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) data practices for tephra data and metadata. Two consensus needs for tephra studies emerged from the 2014 and 2017 workshops: (a) standardization of tephra field data collection, geochemical analysis, correlation, and data reporting, and (b) development of next generation computer tools and databases to facilitate information access across multidisciplinary communities. To achieve (a), we developed a series of recommendations for best practices in tephra studies, from sample collection through analysis and data reporting (https://zenodo.org/record/3866266). A 4-part virtual workshop series (https://tephrochronology.org/cot/Tephra2022/) was held in February and March, 2022, to update the tephra community on these developments, to get community feedback, to learn of unmet needs, and to plan a future roadmap for open and FAIR tephra data. More than 230 people from 25 nations registered for the workshop series. The community strongly emphasized the need for better computer systems, including physical infrastructure (repositories and servers), digital infrastructure (software and tools) and human infrastructure (people, training, and professional assistance), to store, manage and serve global tephra datasets. Some desired attributes of improved computer systems include: 1) user friendliness 2) ability to easily ingest multiparameter tephra data (using best practice recommended data fields); 3) interoperability with existing data repositories; 4) development of tool add-ons (plotting and statistics); 5) improved searchability 6) development of a tephra portal with access to distributed data systems, and 7) commitments to long-term support from funding agencies, publishers and the cyberinfrastructure community.
more »
« less
This content will become publicly available on July 1, 2024
Surmounting Obstacles for Academic Resilience: A Dynamic Portal for Supporting an Alliance of Students with Disabilities
Description of the development and use of a dynamic portal
for supporting an alliance of colleges and universities focused on supporting
students with disabilities and transitioning to careers in science
and technology. Called SOAR, the portal is designed to support separate
institutes achieve collective impact through shared measures. Significant
aspects of SOAR are the user-driven design with three different
communication roles, dynamic generation of survey forms, the ability to
schedule surveys, collecting data through the surveys, and data presentation
through dynamic chart generation. SOAR utilizes and advances
the best practices of Universal Access and is central to the alliance’s
ability to empower individuals with disabilities to live their best lives.
One of the most interesting features is the ability for different institutes
to customize their forms and collect campus-relevant data that can be
changed and the application of machine learning to produce the dynamic
chart generation. SOAR allows the alliance to meet individual campus
needs and the reporting and evaluation needs of the National Science
Foundation.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 2119902
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10426888
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- HCI International 2023
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
The Texas A&M University System (TAMUS) Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) supported two forms of international research experiences for undergraduates in the summer of 2022. A total of 29 students, 82.3% of whom identified with underrepresented groups, participated in either a ten-day program in the Yucatan, Texas A&M University’s College of Engineering Introduction to Research Abroad (IRAP), or a two-week intensive course in Belize, Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi’s Ridges to Reefs program (R2R). The first offered an introduction to research in collaboration with universities in the Yucatan while the second considered ecology of river and coral reef systems in Belize with programming offered on land and at the Mesoamerican Coral Reef. Pre- and post-participation surveys regarding prior experience, research skills, a variety of potential impacts, graduate school, and learning were conducted with participants. Comparison of the pre- and post-participation submissions indicated participants found the offerings valuable for learning about concepts related to their major and specific topics in the sciences, learning about research, themselves, history and culture, refining education and career plans, developing confidence in personal ability, expanding conceptions of research, science and culture while increasing openness to employment outside the United States, and ability to relate to peers and professional scientists. These outcomes were present for both cohorts, IRAP and R2R, with some instances of statistically significant increases pre- to post-participation despite the small counts of participants (IRAP = 18, R2R = 11). Several of the outcomes parallel findings from prior support of international research experiences by TAMUS LSAMP (Preuss et al, 2020; Preuss, et al, 2021; Preuss et al, 2022). The survey findings from summer 2022 are presented as an initial data set that, while requiring verification through replication of programming in 2023 and beyond, point to the efficacy of short-term international research opportunities as learning, perspective altering, and motivating experiences for undergraduates who identify with underrepresented groups and for undergraduates in general.more » « less
-
Society’s increased reliance on technology has simultaneously increased the demand for people who can develop and design these new advancements. This has led to an influx of students looking to learn how to code and gain the technological skill set that is currently among the most marketable. Learning to code is challenging; without the right tools, resources, and assistance, it can be tough to build the foundation needed to understand key computer science fundamentals. The existing web platforms focused on assisting K-12 learners are competitive from an educational and technical perspective. There is a huge lack of virtual educational platforms that can deliver resources to students with disabilities through innovative accessible features and provide guidance to K-12 teachers that are trying to support this area. This lack of guidance is especially evident when examining resources available to teachers about increasing access and engagement of struggling learners including students with disabilities. The motivation of this paper is to introduce a prototype of a centralized portal, Accessible Virtual Learning, that implements user experience strategies and accessible usability principles aiming to be accessible to any student and also educators who need guidance on finding suitable materials. The success of this portal relies heavily on its ability to allow teachers and self-directed learners to facilitate curriculums effectively while maximizing student engagement, ease of learning, and digital assistance for students at various ages with different learning abilities, both physical and cognitive.more » « less
-
In this Work-in-Progress paper, we report on the challenges and successes of a large-scale First- Year Engineering and Computer Science Program at an urban comprehensive university, using quantitative and qualitative assessment results. Large-scale intervention programs are especially relevant to comprehensive minority serving institutions (MSIs) that serve a high percentage of first-generation college students who often face academic and socioeconomic barriers. Our program was piloted in 2015 with 30 engineering students, currently enrolls 60 engineering and computer science students, and is expected to grow to over 200 students by Fall 2020. The firstyear program interventions include: (i) block schedules for each cohort in the first year; (ii) redesigned project-based introduction to engineering and introduction to computer science courses; (iii) an introduction to mechanics course, which provides students with the foundation needed to succeed in the traditional physics sequence; and (iv) peer-led supplemental instruction (SI) workshops for Calculus, Physics and Chemistry. A faculty mentorship program was implemented to provide additional support to students, but was phased out after the first year. Challenges encountered in the process of expanding the program include administrative, such as scheduling and training faculty and SI leaders; barriers to improvement of math and science instruction; and more holistic concerns such as creating a sense of community and identity for the program. Quantitative data on academic performance includes metrics such as STEM GPA and persistence, along with the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) for physics. Qualitative assessments of the program have used student and instructor surveys, focus groups, and individual interviews to measure relationships among factors associated with college student support and to extract student perspectives on what works best for them. Four years of data tell a mixed story, in which the qualitative effect of the interventions on student confidence and identity is strong, while academic performance is not yet significantly different than that of comparison groups. One of the most significant results of the program is the development of a FYrE Professional Learning Community which includes faculty (both tenure-track and adjunct), department chairs, staff, and administrators from across the campus.more » « less
-
As we look to the future of natural history collections and a global integration of biodiversity data, we are reliant on a diverse workforce with the skills necessary to build, grow, and support the data, tools, and resources of the Digital Extended Specimen (DES; Webster 2019, Lendemer et al. 2020, Hardisty 2020). Future “DES Data Curators” – those who will be charged with maintaining resources created through the DES – will require skills and resources beyond what is currently available to most natural history collections staff. In training the workforce to support the DES we have an opportunity to broaden our community and ensure that, through the expansion of biodiversity data, the workforce landscape itself is diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible. A fully-implemented DES will provide training that encapsulates capacity building, skills development, unifying protocols and best practices guidance, and cutting-edge technology that also creates inclusive, equitable, and accessible systems, workflows, and communities. As members of the biodiversity community and the current workforce, we can leverage our knowledge and skills to develop innovative training models that: include a range of educational settings and modalities; address the needs of new communities not currently engaged with digital data; from their onset, provide attribution for past and future work and do not perpetuate the legacy of colonial practices and historic inequalities found in many physical natural history collections. Recent reports from the Biodiversity Collections Network (BCoN 2019) and the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2020) specifically address workforce needs in support of the DES. To address workforce training and inclusivity within the context of global data integration, the Alliance for Biodiversity Knowledge included a topic on Workforce capacity development and inclusivity in Phase 2 of the consultation on Converging Digital Specimens and Extended Specimens - Towards a global specification for data integration. Across these efforts, several common themes have emerged relative to workforce training and the DES. A call for a community needs assessment: As a community, we have several unknowns related to the current collections workforce and training needs. We would benefit from a baseline assessment of collections professionals to define current job responsibilities, demographics, education and training, incentives, compensation, and benefits. This includes an evaluation of current employment prospects and opportunities. Defined skills and training for the 21st century collections professional: We need to be proactive and define the 21st century workforce skills necessary to support the development and implementation of the DES. When we define the skills and content needs we can create appropriate training opportunities that include scalable materials for capacity building, educational materials that develop relevant skills, unifying protocols across the DES network, and best practices guidance for professionals. Training for data end-users: We need to train data end-users in biodiversity and data science at all levels of formal and informal education from primary and secondary education through the existing workforce. This includes developing training and educational materials, creating data portals, and building analyses that are inclusive, accessible, and engage the appropriate community of science educators, data scientists, and biodiversity researchers. Foster a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible and professional workforce: As the DES develops and new tools and resources emerge, we need to be intentional in our commitment to building tools that are accessible and in assuring that access is equitable. This includes establishing best practices to ensure the community providing and accessing data is inclusive and representative of the diverse global community of potential data providers and users. Upfront, we must acknowledge and address issues of historic inequalities and colonial practices and provide appropriate attribution for past and future work while ensuring legal and regulatory compliance. Efforts must include creating transparent linkages among data and the humans that create the data that drives the DES. In this presentation, we will highlight recommendations for building workforce capacity within the DES that are diverse, inclusive, equitable and accessible, take into account the requirements of the biodiversity science community, and that are flexible to meet the needs of an evolving field.more » « less
