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The Pacific Alliance Communities of Practice aims to recruit, support, and empower students with disabilities in STEM fields. By sharing resources, identifying barriers, and cultivating partnerships, the COP enhances academic support and activities for inclusive STEM education.
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Pacific Alliance Communities of Practice January 12, 2010 University of Hawai`i Manoa College of Education Center on Disability Studies www.cds.hawaii.edu www.cds.hawaii.edu/pacificalliance
Content • Brief definition of COP • Goals of COP • Essential Toolkit • UH Manoa COP
What are Communities of Practice? • Groups of individuals who share a common concern or interest for a specific topic. • Pacific Alliance COP bring people in the disabilities related areas and STEM fields together. • Members are connected to a specific campus, making contributions to the success of students with disabilities in various ways.
The Goals of COP • Recruit students with disabilities • Share resources • Identify barriers to meet the goal • Set priorities • Monitor academic support and activities • Assess results • Cultivate partnership
as a Member of a COP… 1)Communicate across STEM programs and Student Services to support IWD with an interest in STEM fields. 2)Track individuals with disabilities with an interest in STEM fields, enroll in STEM courses, and what supports they receive to be success in STEM programs. 3)Collect data on the outcomes of the Pacific Alliance project.
4)Develop networks in the community of STEM employers and projects that may benefit students with an interest in STEM fields. 5)Find out more about the resources on campus and in the community related to STEM. 6)Connect students to STEM related projects, internships, career-fairs, or employment opportunities. 7)Coordinate transitions across critical junctures for IWD into STEM fields.
UH Manoa COP • Information sessions held on campus to recruit interested members. • Members include individuals from student services, STEM faculties, STEM projects, and feeder schools. • UH Manoa SWD will include both undergraduate and graduate students in various departments and colleges. • Initial COP meeting held in December 2009.
Findings & Next STeps • A lot of STEM projects exist on campus. • Some STEM projects focus on minorities and underrepresented groups, which may include IWD. • Instructors are aware of some IWD in STEM fields. • No data on IWD in specific department or college. Recruit students, identify needs, and connect students to academic supports and activities.