Michael Lesiecki
Maricopa County Community College District
Maricopa Advanced Technology Education Center
2323 W. 14th St.
Tempe, AZ  85281
lesiecki@maricopa.edu
(480) 517-8650

Neil R. Evans
Bellevue Community College
NorthWest Center for Emerging Technologies
3000 Landerholm Cir., SE, N258
Bellevue, WA  98007-6484
nevans@bcc.ctc.edu
(425) 373-4227

Lynn Barnett
American Assn. of Community Colleges
Dept. of Education and Training
One Dupont Cir., NW, Suite 410
Washington, DC  20036
lbarnett@aacc.nche.edu
(202) 728-0200

This project consists of five interrelated activities designed to enhance the ATE program, to encourage the development of ATE-related programs in more community colleges, and to make known to educators and the public the accomplishments of these programs. The activities support the emerging network of community colleges dedicated to improving undergraduate science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SMET) education.

Project activities include (1) three national ATE conferences in 1999, 2000, and 2001; (2) dissemination of information about ATE programs and goals through AACC publications, presentations, feature stories, conference proceedings, an e-mail distribution list, and a Web page; (3) a mentoring program to help community colleges strengthen SMET programs; (4) two AACC Research Briefs addressing areas of interest to all community colleges seeking to sustain strong SMET programs; and (5) project evaluation.

Robert B. Clark
Texas A&M University
Dept. of Physics
College Station, TX  77843-4242
rbc@tamu.edu
(409) 845-3332

This project combines the resources of a major international center for quantum optics and technology with a successful collaboration of two-year college faculty members who have developed and administered an effective national faculty development program for two-year college physics faculty over the past eight years. The project engages 40 two-year college faculty members in annual two-week institutes and semiannual follow-up workshops. Participants receive a combination of tutorials on recent discoveries in quantum optics, hands-on experience with the new tools of this recent technology in the laboratories of the research center, and pedagogical training in active learning techniques designed to maximize students’ understanding of the scientific principles that provide the foundation for these emerging technologies.

Arlyne M. Sarquis
Miami University Middletown
Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry
4200 E. University Blvd.
Middletown, OH  45042-3458
sarquiam@muohio.edu
(513) 727-3278

Miami University Middletown and the Partnership for the Advancement of Chemical Technology (PACT) are conducting a three-year project that expands national efforts to improve and increase access to chemical technology education. The project involves three major activities: (1) offering faculty development, including 10 workshops serving 200 educators; (2) developing curricular materials, including two monographs and one CD-ROM; and (3) implementing strategies to attract and retain chemical technology students, such as PACT forums, a career brochure, a technician-in-residence program, and an award program for student projects. To carry out these activities, PACT is marshaling the combined talents, experience, and expertise of recognized leaders in chemical technology education, the chemical industry, and professional societies.

Christopher Akelian
San Luis Obispo County Superintendent of Schools
Dept. of Engineering Technology
Highway One
P.O. Box 8106
San Luis Obispo, CA  93403-8105
cakelian@bass.cuesta.cc.ca.us
(805) 546-3264

The California Regional Consortium for Engineering Advances in Technological Excellence (CREATE) is a joint effort of seven community colleges and over 70 employers. Through this project, the consortium is developing two- and three-year programs that begin with a common core curriculum in engineering technology. Each campus will then offer two to five advanced technological specialties. Students from any participating college will be able to transfer to any other college in the consortium. This unique regional approach allows the consortium to (1) revise science, mathematics, engineering, and technology curricula; (2) serve the needs of all students, including low-income students and students from underrepresented groups; (3) grow with industry and meet future needs of the high-performance workplace; (4) provide advanced training and retraining to current industry employees; (5) enhance the status of engineering technology education; and (6) nurture new teaching methods in the classroom and laboratory.

This project to develop a pre-technology program is employing an interdisciplinary approach, using real-life illustrations from industry and appropriate technology, forming learning communities that emphasize collaborative learning, assessing students’ learning using work keys criteria, and recruiting underrepresented high school students into ATE programs. The project brings together three community colleges, three area high schools, and local industries led by United Radio.

The project’s key component is a one-semester integrated program. Its focus is a cluster of interdisciplinary, modular courses that develop electronic skills, mathematical skills, composition skills, and computing skills. Other components include internships in industry, teacher education, and career awareness sessions.

Collin County Community College, North Central Texas College, Grayson County College, the University of North Texas, and area Tech Prep consortia that serve over 40 high school districts and 80,000 students are collaborating in this project. Its primary goals are to initiate community-based campaigns promoting a new mind-set that recognizes the value of 21st-century high-tech technicians and to revitalize mathematics and science curricula by interlocking practical applications of technologies in secondary and postsecondary education. Processes, curricula, and program materials are being disseminated through state presentations, regional workshops, and interfaces with national partners.

The project employs several unique practices. A vertical marketing initiative is promoting the new era of "gold collar" technicians. Designed by and for all the partners, the project is expanding student awareness and opportunities. Multi-level curriculum design teams, composed of faculty from high schools, community colleges, and universities and representatives from various industries, are reducing duplication of subject materials and developing Tech Prep programs with true multi-exit career paths. Nontraditional faculty exchanges provide the vital connection for the integration of Tech Prep programs and college courses. One-week mini-exchanges between secondary and postsecondary faculty and between faculty at different institutions promote understanding among participants. High school teachers see more clearly what their students must be prepared to do. Internships that allow faculty not only to work in industry but also to teach in corporate training environments expose these educators to current advances in industry and different methods of curriculum delivery and instruction.

David T. Harrison
Sinclair Community College
Dept. of Business Technologies
444 W. Third St.
Dayton, OH  45402-1421
dharriso@sinclair.edu
(937) 512-2917

Sinclair Community College is addressing the shortage of information technology (IT) technicians by working with local industry to develop curricula that educate students in rapidly changing competencies needed for the workplace. The project integrates IT curricula from high school through the associate degree, with an emphasis on using IT skill standards and implementing instructional materials developed elsewhere. Building on fundamental IT skills and employability skills, the project is providing specialties in networking and telecommunications, Web technologies, and programming and analysis. Through a "fast track" certificate program, students obtain work experience and an advanced skill set in programming and analysis. The project is also providing employable IT skills to the visually impaired and offering professional development opportunities—including industrial experience and short courses in pedagogy and content—to both full-time and part-time faculty.

This project aims to provide a "2+2+2" seamless transition for students from their junior year in high school, through an associate degree, to a B.S. degree in information engineering technology at the University of Cincinnati. The project has four main components: (1) articulation agreements between partner institutions, (2) course and curriculum development, (3) professional development for faculty (through a series of summer institutes and workshops), and (4) industrial co-op and internship experiences for students. Industrial partners play a crucial role in the project by informing the educational institutions about IT skills desired in workers and providing co-op and employment opportunities for students.

An IT competency profile, developed under the guidance of the Ohio Information Technology Task Force, underpins course and curriculum development at all levels. This IT competency profile follows the Tech Prep model and is the product of extensive collaboration between technical and academic educators and industrial partners.

Rita DeHart
Bismarck State College
Dept. of Energy Technologies
P.O. Box 5587
Bismarck, ND  58506-5587
rdehart@cetlink.net
(704) 543-1178

Bismarck State College and the Electrical Power Research Institute Simulator and Training Center are combining resources and expertise to provide a quality comprehensive curriculum that will meet national needs for the education of power plant operators. Simulation packages and hands-on learning experiences are being integrated into the program. Two specific goals of the project are (1) to strengthen science, mathematics, and technology curricula and instructional materials supporting energy technology education, and (2) to increase the number of students within the region—especially women, Native Americans, and other minorities—who acquire the technical skills needed for employment in the energy industry.

Students who attend two-year colleges often arrive on campus lacking the basic skills necessary to succeed in college-level work. This is a particularly serious problem for students in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SMET) programs, who may have significant deficits in their mathematics backgrounds but high aspirations for future success. These students need to build both their mathematical skills and confidence in their ability to solve challenging problems. To address these issues, this project is developing a two-semester program, "Developmental Mathematics and its Applications" (DevMap), which offers an alternative approach to the elementary and intermediate algebra courses currently taught at most two- and four-year colleges.

Industry representatives often emphasize the need for "systems thinking" that enables employees to recognize complexities inherent in situations subject to multiple inputs and diverse constraints. Science-based fields such as agricultural biotechnology require technicians who are able to formulate a problem in terms of relevant factors and design an experiment to determine the influence of those factors. Yet most developmental programs in mathematics, at both two- and four-year colleges, only offer students a replication of the high school mathematics curriculum. Both the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Standards (1989) and Crossroads in Mathematics: Standards for Introductory College Mathematics Before Calculus, published by the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (1995), advocate an integrated approach to mathematics content. To address these recommendations, the DevMap approach offers several benefits. The program is not divided into topics called algebra, geometry, intermediate algebra, and trigonometry, although all the major concepts in those courses are covered. The applications-based curriculum appeals to mature students who choose to pursue postsecondary education because the applications are drawn from areas in which students may find themselves working or from situations that they recognize from their daily lives. Solving the problems posed in DevMap calls for integrating technology in a natural way as compared to the "drill-and-practice" use of technology currently found in many developmental mathematics programs.

This project addresses industry’s need for technicians with a specialized degree in applied Internet technologies and answers the need for an integrated information technology (IT) curriculum articulated from high school through the community college to the university level. By including an option for dual enrollment, students least-served by higher education have an opportunity to train in this high-demand occupation while still attending high school. The project provides in-depth training for high school teachers in this new field so that they, in turn, can provide high school students with appropriate training. In addition, the project provides activities designed to increase high school students’ knowledge of information technology careers and the education required for them.

The project’s outcomes include (1) a series of nine courses for a new A.A.S. degree in applied Internet technology; (2) a dual enrollment course with an accompanying instructor’s guide and student lab manual, both with interactive CD-ROMs; (3) workshops on curriculum development and curriculum delivery using technology; and (4) articulation of the A.A.S. degree to Illinois public universities.

Explosive growth in the wireless areas of cellular and digital personal communications services over the past few years has been shadowed by a decrease in the availability of educated workers. At the heart of a wireless technician’s and engineer’s education is basic radio frequency (RF) knowledge. With educational budget constraints, these were exactly the lower-enrollment courses that were cut during the escalation of computer science courses. The mission of the Global Wireless Education Consortium (GWEC) is to develop a two-year educational platform that produces technicians for the wireless industry. This project is developing and disseminating curricula, online education, and industry resource guides.

GWEC was founded by Motorola, Lucent Technologies, Ericsson, AT&T Wireless, Northern Telecom, and AirTouch Communications, in partnership with the University of Texas at Dallas, Minnesota State University, and South Central Technical College (North Mankato, MN). Current members include the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, the University of Oklahoma, Seattle Central Community College, California Polytechnic University, Ridgewater Community College (Willmar, MN), Michigan Technological University, Connecticut Community Colleges, and Washington State University.

John V. Kenkel
Southeast Community College
Dept. of Environmental Laboratory Technology
8800 O St.
Lincoln, NE  68520
jvkenkel@sccm.cc.ne.us
(402) 437-2485

Southeast Community College, in partnership with the University of Nebraska, Montana State University, Texas State Technical College, and the DuPont Company, is enhancing chemical technology education programs in two-year colleges by building on two previous ATE projects, called "ACT-I" and "ACT-II." The new project completes the development of analytical chemistry coursework begun in "ACT-II" and also addresses organic and biochemistry courses. The analytical and organic chemistry courses embody the heart of chemical technology education in the United States and are the primary vehicle by which the American Chemical Society’s Voluntary Industry Standards (VIS) are being implemented. This project utilizes the VIS heavily and is generating a variety of useful products—including a number of modules and monographs covering topics appropriate to these courses; a series of innovative laboratory activities for students; two interactive multimedia programs on CD-ROM modeled after the popular "I.O.N.S." concept utilized in the previous projects; distance education models for these courses; and model "2+2+2" articulation agreements. The project also involves faculty enhancement workshops, as well as research to create and practice various distance education models.

William K. Hodgkinson
Milwaukee Area Technical College
Dept. of Technical and Industrial Arts
700 W. State St.
Milwaukee, WI  53233-1443
hodgkinb@milwaukee.tec.wi.us
(414) 297-6280

This is a three-year project to prepare technical high school students for career opportunities through a "2+2+2" program. Focusing initially on the construction trades, the project is developing an integrated technical education model, which includes teacher preparation, faculty development, attention to diversity, and the integration of technology into interdisciplinary curriculum modules. The project also provides internships and other experiential learning opportunities. It draws upon other projects funded by the ATE program and the Teacher Enhancement program.

Paul R. Dickinson
Partnership for Environmental Technology Education
Dept. of Environmental Science
1824 Holmes St.
Livermore, CA  94550
natlpete@worldnet.att.net
(925) 243-0502

This project constitutes a revised version of a previously successful professional development program for faculty from two-year colleges. The new project will serve a new cohort of 70 to 100 faculty for each of three years. Activities occur in three phases: (1) Curriculum 101, a workshop providing an introduction to "macro" and "micro" issues in science and technology education; (2) a four- to eight-week summer internship in industry, a national laboratory, or a federal or state regulatory agency; and (3) an experience in course and curriculum design, developing a new course or revising an existing course.
The new project rests on a sound foundation of program components developed and evaluated in its precursor. Data from the first project support the conclusion that the approach is a viable model for faculty development and will have nationwide impact on environmental technology education.

This project supports the development and dissemination of a curriculum that integrates manufacturing and simulation skills to prepare technicians for the 21st-century workforce. This curriculum provides model solutions to technical problems in real-life settings and incorporates advanced mathematics and science components throughout a newly developed manufacturing simulation technology (MST) associate degree program. The project is creating workplace experiences for manufacturers to hire MST graduates from diverse backgrounds. The new program’s architecture has been developed at Sinclair Community College’s National Center of Excellence for Advanced Manufacturing Education and features a competency-based, modularized format. The focus for this project is robotic simulation.

The project is supplying skilled workers to support the emerging manufacturing simulation technology industry and is providing new career opportunities for women, Hispanics, African Americans, and disabled persons. Faculty are being trained in the use of simulation technology, integrating technology into the curriculum, and pedagogy. A virtual electronic library supports and distributes MST curricula, including a repository of simulation applications.

The emerging technology of the biochip—a microchip that contains DNA—including both its production and its use as a diagnostic tool, presents a unique opportunity for advanced technological education programs. The similarities in the production process between the biochip and the microchip place the proposed biochip curriculum directly in parallel with programs that already exist for microelectronics and electronics. Currently, there are no comprehensive programs at the community college level to address workforce development needs, competencies, and skills for the biochip industry, although these gene chips are already in production at several companies and in limited use in the medical profession.

This pilot project brings together national academic and industrial experts in biotechnology, biochip technology, and microchip technology to build the foundation for a biochip science and technology curriculum that interfaces with existing microelectronics, electronics, and engineering programs offered at many colleges. Activities that support the development and dissemination of this unique biochip specialization are (1) travel to biochip and microchip industries and biotechnology firms in Arizona, California, and Texas to meet experts involved in these industries and to invite them to join this project as part of a curriculum development team; (2) sponsorship of a workshop, "Bioelectronics, Biosensors, and Biochips," for community college faculty from the three community college systems involved in the project; and (3) sponsorship of other workshops to delineate competencies, skills, and workforce development needs in the biochip industry and to produce biochip specialization courses.

Sylvia Sorkin
Community College of Baltimore County
Essex Campus
Dept. of Mathematics and Computer Science
7201 Rossville Blvd.
Baltimore, MD  21237
ssorkin@ccbc.cc.md.us
(410) 780-6768

In this project, the Community College of Baltimore County is implementing a new certificate and associate degree program with tracks in Internet and multimedia technology. This program prepares students for entry-level employment, provides opportunities for workers to upgrade or acquire technical skills, and prepares students for further education in articulated four-year programs. Students in the new program are immersed in a rich information technology environment for general education courses as well as for their major field. To this end, a multimedia laboratory is being created and laboratory manuals are being developed for courses in the new program. The college is working with Baltimore area high schools to develop an articulated curriculum so that students entering the Internet and multimedia tracks will have the necessary foundation in mathematics, science, and written and oral communications. Local four-year institutions, including some with predominantly female or minority populations, are participating in cooperative arrangements to facilitate the transfer of students from this innovative program. The project also supports professional development for faculty and collaborates with business partners to provide internships and co-op experiences for faculty and students.

Laney College, Berkeley Biotechnology Education, Inc., and 35 San Francisco Bay area health and bioscience companies have formed a dynamic partnership with two local high schools and California State University, Hayward, to educate urban youth for entry-level positions in the biotechnology field. This program has received major contributions of time, money, and equipment from industry partners to ensure the success of students in school and in the workplace.

The ATE project builds on the existing model to increase student enrollment and modifies the curriculum to make it more responsive to industry’s needs. This three-year project (1) establishes a working bioscience process laboratory that integrates industry personnel in training underrepresented students in relevant laboratory skills; (2) expands student enrollment in the biotechnology program to all interested students, in addition to students in the current high school programs; (3) increases industry involvement by creating additional co-op jobs and new industry co-teaching roles; (4) provides additional support in recruitment and retention to increase the number of qualified program graduates by 50%; (5) evaluates obstacles that students encounter during recruitment and education and after graduation; and (6) disseminates this model by means of manuals that detail the establishment of school–industry partnerships supporting technical education.

Bob Baker
Gadsden State Community College
Dept. of Industrial Technology
P.O. Box 227
Gadsden, AL  35902
RGBaker@airnet.net
(256) 549-8662

Project DAWN ("Developing Alabama’s Workforce Now") is a partnership between Gadsden State Community College, Central Alabama Community College, Alabama Southern Community College, and three manufacturing centers of the Alabama Technology Network. The project’s goal is to produce a new A.A.S. curriculum in manufacturing technology with four specialty options: electronics; industrial machine and tools; textile and apparel; and forestry, paper, and chemical. Four curriculum manuals—one for each specialty—will be produced. The project involves (1) the assessment of manufacturing technology needs in Alabama; (2) the investigation of exemplary manufacturing technology programs; (3) the development of a model curriculum in cooperation with local industries; and (4) evaluation and dissemination of the results.

Curtis J. Hieggelke
Joliet Junior College
Dept. of Natural Science
1215 Houbolt Rd.
Joliet, IL  60436-8938
curth@jjc.cc.il.us
(815) 280-2371

The task of updating physics programs at two-year colleges is difficult because of the many rapid changes, the distribution of physics teachers, the heavy and complex workload of the faculty, and their lack of knowledge about the needs and applications of physics in the workplace. This two-year national pilot program is providing a series of six faculty development workshops (three each year) for two-year college faculty who teach the diverse, talented groups of students found in the core physics courses for technology programs and other programs. These workshops acquaint participants with the integration of technology and active learning strategies into such areas as microcomputer-based laboratories, digital video, modeling, computer simulations, qualitative and conceptual exercises, Internet-connected courses, cooperative and collaborative group work, and research and assessment in student learning. In addition, the workshops help faculty to better address the educational and workforce needs of technicians as they relate to physics. The workshops are led by two-year college physics professors along with four-year college or university physics professors who are experts in developing or implementing these approaches. The impact of the workshops is being reinforced by a newsletter and other incentives to encourage the implementation of the workshop ideas.

John T. Simpson
Gadsden State Community College
Dept. of Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Aquaculture
1001 George Wallace Dr.
P.O. Box 227
Gadsden, AL  35902
jsimpson@gadsdenst.cc.al.us
(205) 549-8281

Aquaculture is the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. agriculture industry. Although aquaculture curricula exist, few secondary or two-year educational programs introduce students to the field and its career opportunities. Of the existing programs, few provide students with the hands-on laboratory experiences necessary to meet industry standards for skilled technicians. One goal of this project is to develop an educational partnership between Gadsden State Community College and three Alabama secondary schools in order to provide experiences in aquaculture for high-potential students. Faculty from Gadsden State and Auburn University are providing technical expertise to the secondary schools so that they can set up and maintain demonstration aquaculture systems (mini-fish farms). Gadsden State is also developing a partnership with Auburn University and local industry to offer educational experiences in aquaculture for secondary school and two-year college students and secondary school teachers. This partnership is (1) introducing technical curricula at secondary schools and two-year colleges, (2) providing information to students about potential careers in aquaculture, and (3) giving students an opportunity to participate in the "Intern and Learn" program, which places students on working fish farms. The project’s methods and materials are being disseminated to other secondary schools and two-year colleges in Alabama that have recently been encouraged by the aquaculture industry to begin aquaculture programs.

William Mulholland
Berkshire Community College
Dept. of Business, Mathematics, Science, and Technology
1350 West St.
Pittsfield, MA  01201
wmulholland@cc.berkshire.org
(413) 499-4660

Composed of postsecondary institutions (Berkshire and Greenfield Community Colleges), secondary schools, government agencies, and several manufacturing and technology networks, the Western Massachusetts Advanced Technology Training Consortium is developing, field-testing, and implementing learning modules to enhance understanding of environmental and agricultural technology, plastics and paper manufacturing, and computer animation, and to improve mathematics, science, computer, and problem solving skills. The modules are designed to accommodate the needs of diverse audiences by providing learning tracks suited to the specific learning styles, developmental levels, competencies, and skill proficiencies of the various target groups. To disseminate the modules, the consortium is collaborating with the Northeast Center for Telecommunications Technologies at Springfield Technical Community College.

Using a mobile computer lab and other distance delivery strategies, this project links residents of remote villages on Alaska’s Arctic Slope with a two-year A.A.S. program in information technology (IT). Assisted by five partner institutions with established IT curricula, Ilisagvik College (located in the northernmost city on the continent) is tailoring IT courses worth 30 credits to meet the needs of local employers, to address pedagogical issues specific to Alaska Natives, and to provide the best mix of distance delivery strategies. Courses are being pilot-tested on campus before being implemented in the region’s seven remote villages. Project personnel expect that at least one resident from each of the villages and 10 Barrow residents will complete the A.A.S. degree and be hired into IT positions in the region.

Local public agencies and private businesses are partnering with the college to provide classrooms in the villages and hands-on training opportunities. Five academic partners are sharing their IT curricula and expertise: Diné College, Maui Community College, Santa Fe Community College, the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, and Nunavut Arctic College.

Joanna L. Kile
College of the Mainland
Dept. of Technical Education
1200 Amburn Rd.
Texas City, TX  77591
jkile@earthlink.net
(409) 938-1211

The College of the Mainland, in partnership with major petrochemical and refining companies, two-year colleges, and four-year universities of the Gulf Coast region of Texas and Louisiana (the Gulf Coast Process Technology Alliance), is developing an industry-driven, standardized curriculum in process technology. This project builds upon significant accomplishments of the Gulf Coast Process Technology Alliance, including the finalization of competencies for eight common core courses in process technology. These common core courses are required for all newly approved programs in Texas that implement the A.A.S. degree in process technology, and the courses have recently been adopted by Louisiana. Other states, such as Kentucky, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and West Virginia, also support the Alliance’s effort to develop an industry-sanctioned curriculum in process technology and are actively pursuing the adaptation and adoption of this curriculum. This project is a logical extension of the Alliance’s vision and builds upon established relationships between industry, business, government, and education.

Timothy E. Weston
Pennsylvania College of Technology
Dept. of Industrial and Engineering Technology
One College Ave.
Williamsport, PA  17701
tweston@pct.edu
(717) 327-4520

The Plastics Resources for Educators Program (PREP) is establishing the educational infrastructure necessary to ensure that the nation’s plastics industry remains internationally competitive. Today, plastics manufacturing represents the nation’s fourth largest and fastest-growing industry, with a projected need for an additional 250,000 technicians and engineers by the year 2005. PREP is a collaboration between two primary institutions: the Pennsylvania College of Technology and Pennsylvania State University. Three other institutions also provide input. The project has three main objectives: (1) the development and maintenance of the "PREP Bookshelf," a warehouse of instructional materials for use in plastics technology education; (2) the development of a National Plastics Forum and a community of faculty; and (3) better pre-college outreach through collaboration with project partners.

This project establishes the North Carolina Consortium for Logistics Education (NCCLE) for the purpose of developing a curriculum in global logistics to be administered through the North Carolina Logistics Education Training Center at the North Carolina Global TransPark. The North Carolina Global TransPark is an innovative new complex that enables "just in time" global operations by integrating multiple modes of transportation, information systems, and the knowledge and commercial support necessary to manage the increasingly complex flow of goods and information on a global basis.

The project’s objectives focus on curriculum development, faculty development, recruitment and retention of traditionally underrepresented groups, and the integration of technology in education. The NCCLE curriculum will be modular, will be deliverable via a wide range of media, and will lead seamlessly to both two-year and four-year degrees in global logistics. This curriculum will broaden technical education in logistics across the state in response to the emerging demands of competitive business strategies based on speed in product manufacture and delivery.

This project seeks to transform a successful, ongoing regional Manufacturing Technology Academy into a flexible and adaptable technological academy model. The idea is to lift students from the traditional high school or technical center setting into a more meaningful educational environment that delivers high-level academic content while emulating a corporate culture of quality. Although the academy currently focuses on manufacturing, almost any industry can serve as the skeleton for this model.

The technological academy model differs from the mainstream of both technology centers and traditional high schools in four key aspects: (1) a rigorous academic curriculum that integrates high-level secondary content like calculus, chemistry, economics, and physics into a workplace focus; (2) a uniquely successful manufacturing council partnership, which ensures constant communication and in-depth collaboration between teachers, manufacturing personnel, and students; (3) an innovative blend of the classroom and the workplace, which extends the classroom beyond its walls and brings an entrepreneurial spirit and corporate culture to its students and curriculum; and (4) marketing, recruitment, evaluation, and replication strategies aimed at continuously improving effectiveness and opening the technological academy’s door to a larger and more diverse pool of students.

Karen Wosczyna-Birch
Capital Community-Technical College
College of Technology
61 Woodland St.
Hartford, CT  06105
kwbirch@commnet.edu
(860) 725-6608

The College of Technology, a consortium of engineering technology and technology studies curricula of the community and technical colleges in Connecticut, is planning to develop and implement an Introduction to Engineering course for the system colleges, as well as a high school engineering course. The consortium is building upon best practices in ATE projects and other programs in technological education. Consortium teams meet with representatives from industry, four-year colleges, and high schools to determine industry’s needs and to develop an evaluation of competencies. Faculty are participating in industrial experiences and learning new pedagogical strategies valued by industry and academic institutions.

Job-based problems similar to those technology students are likely to encounter when they begin work in industrial settings are not widely available for technical physics courses. Consequently, students frequently fail to see the relevance of physics to their studies and may not recognize physics-based applications when they encounter them on the job.

The objective of this project is to develop 40 job-based problem sets for technical physics. Physics and technology instructors, representatives from the Metropolitan Manufacturing Technology Center, and employees from small industries in the Birmingham area are collaborating to develop these problem sets. Instructors are visiting a variety of light and heavy manufacturing settings to research the foundations for problems covering the areas of motion, force, torque, and electricity. Instructors from Jefferson State Community College and at least three other colleges will field-test the problems before they are distributed to other technical physics teachers at national and regional meetings and via the Web and CD-ROM.

Pascal J. Ricatto
Bergen Community College
Dept. of Chemistry
400 Paramus Rd.
Paramus, NJ  07652-1508
pjricatto@mailhost.bergen.cc.nj.us
(201) 447-7906

Bergen Community College and Passaic County Community College are collaborating with four-year colleges and industry representatives to meet the growing demand for interdisciplinary science technologists who can use a variety of analytical instruments and deal with the new employment realities of rapidly changing assignments, variable functions, and multicultural teams. Through a new, broad-based, interdisciplinary A.A.S. curriculum, the project is (1) preparing students to effectively use a variety of modern laboratory equipment and analytical methods required by business and industry employers; (2) helping students gain interactive, classroom-based, experiential learning about work; (3) creating interactive, interdisciplinary learning modules that simulate workplace problems, activities, and assignments; (4) integrating laboratory internships, work-based learning experiences, and mentoring relationships; and (5) arranging peer support groups and an array of academic supportive services to ensure the retention, completion, and employment or further education of students, especially underrepresented populations.

This project focuses on existing and emerging network technologies beneficial to secondary schools, two-year colleges, and four-year colleges and universities. The particular technologies that the project targets are client/server, Internet/intranet, and multimedia utilizing computer networks.

The project has the following goals and objectives: (1) to identify and evaluate emerging network technology trends, applications, innovations, and curricula; (2) to disseminate these trends, applications, innovations, and curricula to educators and their students; (3) to compile career education information and develop strategies to promote interest by secondary and postsecondary students in careers in computer network technology and in the mathematics and science necessary for success in those careers; (4) to increase the enrollment of women and minorities in degree programs that lead to careers in network technology; (5) to support the continued educational competence of secondary and postsecondary faculty and administrators who teach, implement, or administer curricula in emerging network technologies; (6) to establish an infrastructure for providing internships and work-based learning opportunities in emerging network technologies for faculty and students; and (7) to build a network of education, government, and business entities that will support the development of quality programs to educate the future information technology workforce and to re-educate the present one.

A coalition composed of a two-year college, a four-year university, a high school, professional associations, and the software and aviation maintenance industries is carrying out this project to develop, field-test, and disseminate a multimedia simulation system via the Internet for training aviation maintenance technicians. The project is enhancing the comprehension of the interdisciplinary nature of aviation maintenance technology (AMT) by students, including women and minorities; reducing training costs by maximizing the adaptability of the curriculum; and improving laboratory safety with minimized environmental hazards.

In particular, the project is (1) developing five simulation modules, each targeting a particular aspect of AMT in two-year associate degree programs; (2) field-testing the AMT simulation system in two-year college aviation maintenance classes; (3) introducing the simulation system and the technology behind it to AMT faculty at two-year colleges nationwide through workshops; and (4) disseminating the simulation system via both the Internet and CD-ROM to two-year college AMT faculty and high school counselors.

Peter Saflund
Bellevue Community College
NorthWest Center for Emerging Technologies
3000 Landerholm Cir., SE, N258
Bellevue, WA  98007-6484
psaflund@bcc.ctc.edu
(425) 373-4216

The NorthWest Center for Emerging Technologies at Bellevue Community College and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers are collaborating to develop a video on information technology (IT) careers. This Cyber Careers video will target middle and high school students and non-IT majors in college, and will include a special focus on women and minorities who have traditionally been underrepresented in IT. To attract students to the IT profession, the video will emphasize the profession’s appeal in the view of younger students and will project a positive image of the IT worker.

Maureen T. Harrigan
Moorpark College
Dept. of Biology
7075 Campus Rd.
Moorpark, CA  93021-1600
harrigan@moorpark.cc.ca.us
(805) 378-1400

A community college and universities have partnered with industry to develop a model curriculum in biomanufacturing, focusing on eight modules designed after the departments of a manufacturing facility. Using this recently developed curriculum, the project is undertaking five main activities: (1) Students are being trained in biomanufacturing technologies with an option to obtain a Certificate of Achievement or an A.S. degree in biotechnology. (2) An instructional manufacturing laboratory that mimics the industrial environment is being set up, and scientists from industry are teaching the modules, guaranteeing that the technical training of students directly matches industry’s needs. (3) A training manual based on the biomanufacturing modules is being developed for dissemination nationwide. (4) Workshops and other resources are being offered to assist faculty at other educational institutions who wish to adapt the prototype biomanufacturing curriculum. (5) Articulation arrangements are being established with secondary schools and universities to delineate a career path in biotechnology and ensure the academic preparedness of students.

This project aims (1) to construct a set of integrated activities to supplement mathematics and physics courses in engineering technology programs in two-year colleges, as well as high school courses; (2) to help students develop a positive attitude toward mathematics and physics; and (3) to better prepare students for a highly technical workplace.

Using the national skill standards, the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges’ Crossroads in Mathematics document, and research from the American Association of Physics Teachers, mathematics and physics faculty are developing a resource package of integrated mathematics and physics activities. These activities cover the content found in algebra, trigonometry, calculus, and algebra-based physics courses and are designed to produce a student-centered learning environment in which students use technology routinely, participate in hands-on experiences regularly, and acquire the skills necessary to immediately apply mathematics in a variety of contexts. Participating students are being surveyed and tracked to evaluate the effect of the curriculum.

This project is increasing access for a diverse, rural population to two- and four-year postsecondary programs in information technology (IT). It is building upon existing relationships between educational institutions to create a persistent academic stream from high school to community college to baccalaureate institutions or IT employment. Curricula are being coordinated and courses are being shared via the Internet and distance video platforms. Formal articulation agreements are being drafted and implemented.

The project focuses on developing educational practices and processes suited to areas without large employers. The project models how small colleges, many with a strong liberal arts tradition, can develop ongoing processes to engage small businesses throughout their service area to strengthen the regional IT infrastructure. Rural businesses and industry are full partners in this process, informing curriculum development and providing co-op work experiences for students and internships for high school and college faculty.

Cap Jadonath
Valencia Community College
Division of Business, Computer Technology, Engineering, and Public Service
P.O. Box 3028
Orlando, FL  32802
cjadonath@gwmail.valencia.cc.fl.us
(407) 299-5000

Community colleges and universities along the "I-4 Corridor" (Tampa–Orlando–Daytona) in Central Florida are working with industry to offer programs in the engineering technology and electronics fields. As part of the Tech-4 High-Technology Industrial Education Consortium, this project is enhancing individualized institutional efforts to design an "electronics workforce development system" that maximizes learning for secondary school students and lower-division undergraduates through the sharing of industrial and educational resources. Eight modules focusing on different aspects of the electronics industry are located at facilities spread across the region. These serve as collaborative resource centers. Using the Maricopa Advanced Technology Education Center (MATEC) as a model, project partners are developing and modifying courses and activities. This collaboration between educators and industry representatives is building students’ awareness of careers in electronics and engineering technology and is leading to increased enrollment, retention, completion, and placement rates. Instructors in secondary schools and community colleges are, through professional development, improving their understanding of industry’s current needs.

Because HOP represents a radically different way to teach physics, educators are demanding more evidence that it is effective and can achieve its goals. The limited studies undertaken so far have been formative, intended to help guide the materials development process. This project carries out a definitive summative study involving 10 sites.

HOP is adapted to delivery over the Web. This project is creating a complete implementation package of seven HOP units and supporting materials that can be widely disseminated and take full advantage of the Web. By creating a Web-based HOP interest group, the project is providing assistance in meeting teaching standards, selecting companion materials, performing student evaluation, and solving technical problems.

In 1999 the ATE program contributed funds to several proposals that were submitted to and funded through other programs. Below, the ATE contribution is listed in parentheses after the estimated total award.

This award is managed by the Evaluation Program in the Division of Research, Evaluation, and Communication.

NSF-funded projects are increasingly recognizing that performance accountability is a critical practice. However, few Principal Investigators (PIs) or their staff have the requisite expertise to develop and implement an accountability system. This project supports the development of tools for ATE projects to carry out accountability assessments using a common outcomes framework. In concert with ATE PIs, project personnel are preparing a set of indicators that represent quality technical education, preparing and pilot-testing instruments and guidebooks for data collection, and collecting data from ATE projects that will provide information on the impact and effectiveness of the ATE program.

This project aims to develop and validate a national model for the adaptation and implementation of an advanced technology curriculum by using satellite teleconferencing and Internet resources. The model begins with a national teleconference featuring a panel discussion and multimedia presentation of a new associate degree curriculum in computer networking. A series of follow-up activities then provide the necessary resources for two-year college faculty and administrators to adapt and implement the curriculum. The curriculum is a component of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Guidelines for Degree and Certificate Programs to Support Computing in a Networked Environment, produced by ACM’s Two-Year College Education Committee.

Project activities include (1) identifying a variety of resources to support adaptation and implementation of associate degree and certificate programs in networking; (2) identifying 20 institutions across the United States as primary sites to implement the new curriculum; (3) disseminating information and strategies for adapting and implementing the new curriculum; (4) establishing a uniform protocol to evaluate the model at the 20 primary sites; (5) establishing a discussion forum for the participants; and (6) providing ongoing assistance, mentoring, and peer support to facilitate the adaptation and implementation process.

This award is managed by the Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) program in the Division of Undergraduate Education.

This project is developing and evaluating two mathematics modules, from a projected suite of seven, based on using current, meaningful industry-based problems or case studies. When complete, the seven modules will be usable either individually or as a full college-level mathematics course, "Industry-Based College Mathematics," which will cover most of college algebra and will develop an effective set of problem-solving heuristics. This project includes testing and evaluating the two prototype modules at Linn State Technical College, Southeast Missouri State University, and Oklahoma State University at Okmulgee. If the evaluation confirms the value of this approach, this project is expected to lead to the development of the complete suite of seven modules.