| NSF Org: |
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | April 6, 2021 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | October 15, 2021 |
| Award Number: | 2100136 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Nasser Alaraje
nalaraje@nsf.gov (703)292-8063 DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | September 1, 2021 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2024 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $365,000.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $365,000.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
11605 132ND AVE NE KIRKLAND WA US 98034-8505 (425)739-8156 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
11605 132nd Ave NE Kirkland WA US 98034-8505 |
| 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 is designed to modernize technical education in Electronics and Welding by developing and sharing openly licensed course materials. These materials, known as Open Educational Resources (OER), can be retained, reused, redistributed, revised, or remixed without permission from their creator. As a result, their content is dynamic and free of cost. Although OER are common for general education, the highly technical fields of manufacturing technology have not widely transitioned to use of OER. This project plans to create OER for education in Welding Technology and Electronics Technology. OER reduces barriers to education by reducing costs and ensuring course materials are available immediately. In addition, instructors can easily adapt materials to make meaningful connections to diverse student experiences and interests. It is expected that the project will broaden participation in manufacturing technology programs by including more women, veterans, people with disabilities, adult learners, and people from communities that are underrepresented in STEM technical fields. In doing so, the project will directly serve the national interest in developing and maintaining a diverse skilled technical workforce.
The project objectives are to: 1) create or adapt and incorporate digitally accessible OER, including student learning assessments, for six courses, allowing hybrid and online delivery; 2) train faculty in OER, accessibility, the online environment, and instructional design; and 3) engage industry partners to collaborate with faculty in reviewing and modifying course materials for content and accessibility and to provide industry experience for students through internships. External evaluators will provide ongoing review of activities and a summative evaluation. Project deliverables will be disseminated through OER repositories for use worldwide. The instructional changes, faculty professional development, and collaboration with industry partners are designed to prepare a more diverse, better trained technician workforce ready to meet critical regional needs. 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.
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.
The goal of this project was to redesign instruction at Lake Washington Institute of Technology to better train a diverse group of students to meet critical workforce demands in the areas of Electronics and Welding. The project modernized technical education in Electronics and Welding by developing and sharing openly licensed course materials. These materials, known as Open Educational Resources (OER), can be retained, reused, redistributed, revised, or remixed without having to ask for permission from their creator. As a result, their content is dynamic and free of cost. Use of OER reduces barriers to education by decreasing costs and ensuring course materials are available immediately. In addition, instructors can easily adapt materials to make meaningful connections to diverse student experiences and interests.
Although OER are common for general education, the highly technical fields of manufacturing technology have not widely transitioned to use of OER. This project was innovative in creating OER for education in Welding Technology and Electronics Technology. Project personnel created or adapted and incorporated digitally accessible Open Educational Resources (OER) into instruction for six courses. In order to do this, faculty were trained in OER, accessibility, and the online environment, including Teams, Canvas, and instructional design. Industry partners worked collaboratively with faculty in reviewing and modifying course materials for content and accessibility. The OER materials were also reviewed by faculty at other technical colleges in the state, making this project a true community effort. Project deliverables were disseminated through OER repositories for use worldwide. The instructional changes, faculty professional development, and collaboration with industry partners are helping to prepare a more diverse, better trained technician workforce to meet critical regional needs.
Last Modified: 12/19/2024
Modified by: Katherine L Kelley
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