NSF Org: |
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education |
Recipient: |
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Initial Amendment Date: | September 12, 2011 |
Latest Amendment Date: | June 9, 2014 |
Award Number: | 1104253 |
Award Instrument: | Continuing Grant |
Program Manager: |
David B. Campbell
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
Start Date: | September 15, 2011 |
End Date: | August 31, 2016 (Estimated) |
Total Intended Award Amount: | $1,999,130.00 |
Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $1,999,130.00 |
Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2012 = $499,955.00 FY 2013 = $499,744.00 FY 2014 = $499,928.00 |
History of Investigator: |
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Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
128 HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY HEMPSTEAD NY US 11549-1280 (516)463-6810 |
Sponsor Congressional District: |
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Primary Place of Performance: |
128 HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY HEMPSTEAD NY US 11549-1280 |
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: |
04001314DB NSF Education & Human Resource 04001415DB NSF Education & Human Resource 04001213DB NSF Education & Human Resource |
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
The Articulated Technological Education Pathways (ATEP) project develops three, year-long courses for high school students that provide a bridge from high school technical programs to community college programs in technician education. The three courses address standards-driven technology concepts and skills and STEM career choices in biochemical technology, information and communications technology, and materials and manufacturing technology. Curriculum development is guided by contemporary pedagogical practice and matched to industry competencies and STEM academic learning standards. The materials are mainly digital - emphasizing web-based learning and hands-on, design-based, physical modeling activities that can be delivered as hybrid courses. Each course consists of four nine-week modules that can serve as replacement or supplementary curricula for high school Career and Technical Education engineering and technology programs. Each course is developed by a team consisting of content experts, faculty from high schools and community colleges and a senior level industrialist. The first module in each course is introductory and builds on previous work at the Center for Technological Literacy. The content of the remaining modules is determined by the assessment-driven design process of Wiggins and McTighe to emphasize key concepts and builds on previous work at ATE Centers and projects. The materials are pilot tested in classrooms, evaluated and revised before field testing. Guides are prepared for teachers, administrators and parents. The materials include a commercially published hybrid text and web-based cyber-learning instruction. Research is conducted to determine how effectively the ATEP hybrid program engages students, supports their learning of important STEM concepts and workplace skills and serves to interest them pursue further STEM education leading to STEM careers.
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.
Intellectual Merit
The Articulated Technological Education Pathways (ATEP) project developed three semester-long courses for high school students that provide a bridge from high school technical programs to community college programs in technician education. The three courses address standards-driven technology concepts and skills and STEM career choices in biotechnology, information and communications technology, and materials and manufacturing technology. Guidance for teachers accompanies the student materials.
Curriculum development was guided by contemporary pedagogical practice and matched to industry competencies and STEM academic learning standards. The materials emphasize hands-on, design-based activities that can be delivered as media-rich blended learning courses supported by a Moodle-based learning management system (LMS). Embedded assessments provide feedback about student progress and data about student learning.
ATEP materials include classroom hands-on activities and web-based instruction. Each course consists of two eight-week modules that can serve as replacement or supplementary curricula for high school Career and Technical Education, Science, and/or Engineering and Technology Education programs. The courses were developed by teams consisting of ATE center directors and faculty from high schools and community colleges, supported by an advisory board comprising senior level industrialists and educators.
The materials were pilot tested by members of the development team, then tested for feasibility of implementation in 12 high school classrooms, evaluated, and subsequently revised based on feasibility test feedback and feedback from the external evaluator.
The Project management and development teams included representatives of all stakeholder groups including high school and community college educators, industrialists, and professional association leaders. The external evaluation concluded that the ATEP hybrid program engages students, supports their learning of important STEM concepts and workplace skills and serves to interest them in pursuing further STEM education leading to STEM careers.
Broader Impacts
High school programs that stimulate the interest of male and female students in ATE programs and concomitantly provide articulated HS/CC pathways can become exceedingly valuable life-enhancing assets for many students.
ATEP materials were developed by diverse teams including ATE center directors, two- and four-year higher education faculty, expert HS teachers, and industrialists. Written content, 3D simulations, videos, and other media-rich resources are delivered in a blended learning environment using Moodle, the most popular LMS in the United States.
The courses were tested for feasibility of implementation in 12 geographically and ethnically diverse high schools (four in each domain, nt = 240 students).
ATEP produced a generalizable blended learning methodology and infrastructure that can engender the development of a transformative genre of hybrid ATE and STEM curricula. The program integrates lab activities, written content, 3D simulations, and real-world design activities and is delivered using a fully functional learning management system. Hence the model is transferable, and the Project, therefore, is cost-effective. Final materials have been published on Moodle.net and are available gratis to all interested users.
External evaluation was conducted by the Center for Advanced Study in Education (CASE) at the City University of New York, a research group with decades of experience in evaluating NSF projects. The evaluator concluded that ATEP hybrid program engages students, supports their learning of important STEM concepts and workplace skills, and served to interest them to pursue further STEM education leading to STEM careers.
Last Modified: 10/02/2016
Modified by: Michael Hacker
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