Host: NSF-sponsored EFI-Research Coordination Network

Date: June 7, 2021

Location: Virtual Workshop

Agenda with links to videos and resources from the workshop

A related, but separate, 2-day meeting focused on developing ecological forecasting educational resources will be held on June 28-29, 2021.
Education meeting details are here.

This workshop was a 1-day meeting intended to explicitly address the incorporation of diversity, equity, and inclusion principles into educational materials during the larger Meeting on Empowering Development of the Next Generation of Educational Materials for Forecasting on June 28-29, 2021, and to identify specific challenges for the EFI RCN to address in the next four years.  Due to the short nature of this meeting and to promote meaningful conversation, there was a limit of 30 participants.  We encouraged anyone from academic and non-academic institutions, at any career stage, and all demographic backgrounds interested in inclusive pedagogy to apply and we specifically encourage participants from historically underrepresented groups and from minority-serving institutions.  There were no registration fees.

Specific objectives for the workshop are:

1. Learn inclusive pedagogy best practices and discuss their application to ecological forecasting education
2. Identify pervasive challenges to inclusive and equitable education in ecological forecasting, focusing on upper undergraduate- and lower graduate-level students
3. Develop priority areas for EFI to focus on improving access to forecasting education according to the challenges identified under (2)

We envision the key products from the meeting will include a summary of best practices for developing ecological forecasting educational resources and a list of priorities to focus EFI’s education efforts moving forward.

• Playlist of all the videos from this meeting

Agenda

[11:00 – 11:35 am EDT]
Welcome

• Welcome, Charge, and Logistics 
  • Jason McLachlan, Alyssa Willson, University of Notre Dame
• Overview of the Ecological Forecasting Initiative Research Coordination Network and Ecological Forecasting
  • Quinn Thomas, Virginia Tech
• Introductions using Jamboard and Small Groups 

[11:35 – 12:25 pm EDT]
Session 1: Overview of Inclusive Pedagogy

• Introduction to Inclusive Pedagogy Theory
  • Alex Oxner, University of Notre Dame, Alex’s Presentation Slides, Presentation: https://youtu.be/BPTV0kZmRk8
    • Inclusive Pedagogy Resources – this link provides a list of Toolkits, Papers, Discussion Techniques, Course Design,  and Strategies and Principles
• Lessons Learned from EFI’s Conversations on Diversity and Data Seminar Series
  • Diana Dalbotten, University of Minnesota. https://youtu.be/kn2Ndnfaf44
• Q&A  and Group Discussion 

[12:25-12:45 pm]
Break 

[12:45-1:30 pm]
What Works Well or What to Be Aware Of: Diversity & Inclusion in STEM Undergraduate Education Panel & Discussion

• Lightning Round Presentations – pre-recorded talks. 
  • Sydne Record, Bryn Mawr and Harvard Forest Summer Research Program. https://youtu.be/6OzwhtU2yKw
  • Olivia Tabares Mendoza, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. https://youtu.be/i5p6n5Ic4u0 
  • Laura Super, Bob Woollard, Isabel Wilson, University of British Columbia; Kindness Project and Phytobiome Research Group. https://youtu.be/2J6GRa_Zarc
• Q&A and Open Discussion: What have others in the group found

 [1:30-1:50 pm]
Break 

[1:50 – 2:50 pm EDT]
Session 2: Brainstorming Best Practices

• Identify best practices you have used in your classroom or you have seen used in the classroom & why they are effective. The following are the best practices that the group brainstormed

[2:50 – 3:05 pm EDT]
Break

[3:05 – 4:05 pm EDT]
Session 3: Major Challenges Breakouts 

• Overview of the Forecasting and Adaptive Management Cycle and thought for incorporating DEIJ into each step
• Major questions:
  1. Why do you think this barrier represents a major challenge for equity in ecological forecasting education?
  2. What best practices identified in the previous session could be used to begin addressing this barrier?
  3. What longer term goals should the ecological forecasting (/quantitative ecology) community take for overcoming this barrier?  In other words, what are the most important things to do with unlimited time and money?
  4. How can EFI specifically support the ideas generated in (3)?
• Topics the Breakout Groups Discussed in more detail:
  1. Coding and Data Science
  2. Lack of Access to Appropriate Resources
  3. Incorporating Non-Western Ecological Knowledge (Includes Indigenous People’s Knowledge and Global South)

[4:05 – 4:35 pm EDT]
Report Back from Breakouts

• Presentations from breakout groups
• Group discussion identifying priorities and what people learned

 [4:35 – 4:50 pm EDT]
Wrap-Up and Next Steps

EFI-RCN is a part of the grassroots Ecological Forecasting Initiative (ecoforecast.org). If you have questions, please contact eco4cast.initiative@gmail.com.