| NSF Org: |
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | May 20, 2021 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | October 27, 2023 |
| Award Number: | 2055362 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Connie Della-Piana
cdellapi@nsf.gov (703)292-5309 DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | July 1, 2021 |
| End Date: | December 31, 2024 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $361,307.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $361,307.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
660 S MILL AVENUE STE 204 TEMPE AZ US 85281-3670 (480)965-5479 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
P.O Box 876011 Tempe, AZ AZ US 85287-6011 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Advanced Tech Education Prog |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
This project aims to better serve and support a diverse population of students who are pursuing credentials in skilled technical fields. To do so, the project will guide faculty to adapt and implement Culturally Responsive Instruction in technician education courses. The project is designed to increase the retention of Hispanic students in STEM career pathways, particularly in advanced-technology fields. The project builds on the Hispanic Serving Community College KickStarter project, the Hispanic Serving Institutions HSI/ATE Hub project, and the Westchester Community College Photonics and Laser Project. The project team will develop, pilot test, and disseminate a faculty professional development model that can help to shift faculty understanding, practice, and mindset from emphasis on perceived student deficits to asset-based thinking and mutual respect. The professional development will be organized into three tiers. Tier 1 is designed to establish awareness and support first steps. Tier 2 will focus on the development, implementation, and testing of Culturally Responsive Instruction practices in technician education. Tier 3 will focus on creating a community of instructors and emerging leaders that engages in practice, theory building, and applied research into effective educational practices. The overall project goal is to develop faculty knowledge, skills, values, attitudes, and mindset so that more Hispanic students will complete advanced technology programs. In doing so, the project can increase the diversity of the technician workforce and help to mitigate disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on Hispanic communities.
This collaboration includes faculty and administrators in technician education programs, higher education researchers, experts in Culturally Responsive Instruction, and industry partners to further conceptualize, operationalize, and test the validity of Culturally Responsive Instruction in the skilled technical fields of applied engineering and applied computing and cyber-security. Additionally, the project will test the hypothesis that micro-credentials are valuable for incentivizing faculty participation in project activities and that micro-credentials will be recognized by educational and industry stakeholders as valuable evidence of expertise and experience. The mixed method evaluation is process -oriented to facilitate development of a model and outcomes-oriented to assess faculty and student outcomes that includes assessment of changes in knowledge/awareness, skills/behavior, and attitudes/mindset. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation?s economy.
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.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
This project was a collaboration between Westchester Community College (WCC), a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in Valhalla, New York and the Center for Broadening Participation in STEM at Arizona State University (CPB-STEM), with assistance from the ATE-funded Mentor-Connect project based at Florence Darlington Technical College in South Carolina. Its purpose was to develop, pilot test, and disseminate faculty development in culturally responsive instruction (CRI) to support a diverse pipeline for the advanced technology workforce. CRI is an instructional approach that helps faculty focus on the assets diverse students bring to STEM technical careers evidenced by their motivation, prior STEM learning, and interests. It represents a shift in the way faculty welcome, encourage and engage students in STEM technical programs that is evidence-based and student-centered.
A professional development model created helped faculty translate CRI theory and research into effective, easily adaptable practices designed to address the loss of underrepresented, and specifically Latinx students, from the STEM pipeline. The intellectual merit was that the model could be easily applied by others. The broader impact addressed the changing demographics across the country, as educational institutions are increasing their focus on equity, particularly in terms of how to serve their Latinx students.
The outcomes: (1) developed a professional development model that generated new knowledge about the use of CRI specifically tailored for technician education, and included introductory, continuing, and advanced applications for faculty new to CRI in STEM technical fields; (2) delivered professional development to pilot groups of faculty at WCC to test and further develop the curricula; and (3) disseminated CRI concepts to a larger audience of community college STEM technical faculty through annual national webinars.
Modules were developed that scaffolded the CRI strategy/concept, included self-reflection about how experiences shape the ways one perceives and interacts with others; included conversation about CRI concepts and change; implemented group activities that demonstrated ways to practice CRI concepts; and included discussion on how and when to use example exercises. Each module had its own focus including to:
1. Develop an asset-based mindset to help faculty recognize the wide range of skills, knowledge and experiences students of color bring to the classroom.
2. Help faculty learn about how student engagement, motivation and learning differences shape the learning process, with strategies that support diverse learners.
3. Enlist Industry Role Models and Partners to help faculty understand how career opportunities in STEM technical fields benefit from long-term relationships and a corporate culture that emphasizes employee growth and equity.
4. Capture Student Feedback and Data to inform one’s own teaching and learning in the classroom.
5. Offer Work-based Learning practices, case studies, and opportunities.
6. Decolonize Curriculum and Create Inclusive Classroom Strategies.
Quantitative survey findings demonstrated the majority participants were satisfied with their professional development experiences and increased knowledge surrounding culturally responsive instructions. Open-ended survey findings revealed that participating faculty found the workshop activities, examples, and testimonials to be the most valuable aspects of the training. Many of the faculty reported being motivated to utilize CRI to increase student engagement within their courses.
Dissemination to a broader audience included:
Websites:
- Project Website: HSI ATE Hub Projects (NSF DUE#1800615, 1800678, 2055506, 2055362).
- STEM for ALL MULTIPLEX: Culturally Responsive Technician Education. Culturally Responsive Technician Education (videohall.com)
Recognition
- Innovative Program Award, High Impact Technology Exchange Conference (HI-TEC 2022).
- ATE Impacts 2024-2025, ATE Annual Publication Featured Project (Page 110)
National Webinars
- National Webinar, “Culturally Responsive Technician Education: Asset or Deficit Models,” April 13, 2022. (84 registrants, 53 attendees)
- National Webinar, “Culturally Relevant Technician Education featuring Faculty and Students for a broad, national audience.” April 26, 2023. (61 registrants, 35 attendees)
- National Webinar: “Strategies to Engage Students of All Backgrounds in the Classroom.” Belknap, Sarah and Rodriguez, Juan. March 20, 2024. (114 registrants, 54 attendees).
Conference Presentations and Proceedings
- ATE PI Conference Presentations, Workshops and Exhibits (2021; 2022; 2023). Belknap, Sarah and Rodriguez, Juan.
- ASEE 2022 and 2023 Annual Conference Paper and Conference Presentations. Pickering, Cynthia.; Lopez, Mara.
- HI-TEC Conference Presentations (2022, 2023, and 2024). Morest, Vanessa; Belknap, Sarah, and Rodriguez, Juan.
Last Modified: 01/22/2025
Modified by: Caroline Vaningen-Dunn
Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.
