NSF Org:	DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education
Recipient:	HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY
Initial Amendment Date:	March 30, 2021
Latest Amendment Date:	May 21, 2021
Award Number:	2100062
Award Instrument:	Standard Grant
Program Manager:	Olga Pierrakos olpierra@nsf.gov  (703)292-7253 DUE  Division Of Undergraduate Education EDU  Directorate for STEM Education
Start Date:	September 1, 2021
End Date:	August 31, 2025 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount:	$799,315.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date:	$799,315.00
Funds Obligated to Date:	FY 2021 = $799,315.00
History of Investigator:	Michael Hacker (Principal Investigator) Michael.Hacker@Hofstra.Edu Paul Horwitz (Co-Principal Investigator) Rodney Null (Co-Principal Investigator) Bernard Gorman (Co-Principal Investigator) Gerhard Salinger (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office:	Hofstra University 128 HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY HEMPSTEAD NY  US  11549-1280 (516)463-6810
Sponsor Congressional District:	04
Primary Place of Performance:	Hofstra University 133 Hofstra University Hempstead NY  US  11549-1330
Primary Place of Performance Congressional District:	04
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI):	SR22RUJJ11H2
Parent UEI:	SR22RUJJ11H2
NSF Program(s):	Advanced Tech Education Prog
Primary Program Source:	04002122DB NSF Education & Human Resource
Program Reference Code(s):	1032, 9178, SMET
Program Element Code(s):	741200
Award Agency Code:	4900
Fund Agency Code:	4900
Assistance Listing Number(s):	47.076

ABSTRACT

This project aims to serve the national interest by aligning the mathematics taught in technical programs with the needs of advanced manufacturing technicians in the workplace. To do so, the research team will conduct a three-year research and development project that builds upon recommendations of the NSF-supported Needed Math Conference held in 2018. The project will establish connections between the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges and manufacturing educators and industrialists. The project intends to use this collaboration to: (1) develop and validate situations encountered by technicians in several manufacturing sectors; (2) identify the mathematics competencies technicians need in those situations; and (3) enhance communication between industry leaders and community college technical faculty to identify and align the mathematics needed by skilled technicians in manufacturing. It is expected that the project will improve mathematics education in technical programs. In addition, the project may provide a model for how partnerships involving academia, industry, and other stakeholders can enable curriculum reform to meet present and future industry needs.

To accomplish its goals, the project will hold a series of Collaborative Working Group meetings across the country to establish and sustain changes in mathematics instruction for students pursuing certificates and degrees for careers in advanced manufacturing. Institutions and organizations involved in this project are Hofstra University, City University of New York, Holyoke Community College, Rhodes State College, American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges, Consortium for Mathematics and its Applications, Florida Advanced Technological Education Center, Central Virginia Community College, Support Center for Microsystems Education, Gadsden State College, Ohlone College, and the Center for Supply Chain Automation. The project is designed to develop resources that inform the teaching of mathematics, coupled with a mixed methods research investigation. Drawing on work by Simon and Goes, a validation panel will review workplace scenarios using the Validation Rubric for Expert Panels. The qualitative (grounded theory) and quantitative (descriptive, linear regression, ANOVA, cluster analysis) research design will integrate data collection and analyses that are guided by a set of four research questions that focus on: (1) the alignment between mathematics competencies for the technical workplace and the mathematics taught in technical programs; and (2) the effectiveness of collaborative working groups as mechanisms for change in the post-secondary mathematics education of skilled manufacturing technicians. 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.

Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.