Fiddlers Green College: Looking for Equitable Workforce Pathways in Silicon Valley

Often, research on the efficacy of postsecondary workforce programs does not convey their impact on true social mobility. The purpose of this study is to investigate project-based Career and Technical Education (CTE) workforce pathways in Silicon Valley. This study takes a step towards better understanding what constitutes the metrics that explain functioning pathways. In contributing to Project-Based Learning (PBL) theory, Amaral et al. (2015) found that seven PBL essentials form good learning outcomes; Creghan and Adair-Creghan (2015) then showed a measurable outcome of PBL is higher attendance, to which Plasman and Gottfried (2020), using a case of Applied STEM CTE (AS-CTE), framed attendance as a predictor of the efficacy of a workforce pathway. Recommendation: Through ethnography, the investigators observed that when social mobility was added as a metric of high quality PBL with AS-CTE in a predictive ontology framework of education success, an improved level of attendance was observed. The authors conclude that using the seven essentials and social mobility as a metric of PBL helps explain the observation of PBL’s improved efficacy. Hence, social mobility should be a metric of PBL AS-CTE program outcomes

Using technologies in teaching : an initiative in academic staff development

Academic staff development in the pedagogical applications of new technologies is fundamental to the transformation of teaching and learning in tertiary education settings. We present a case study of a staff development activity at Deakin University, a multi-campus university offering on and off-campus programs, which aimed to develop a collegial online experience for academics interested in using online technologies. It is contextualised within a broadly based centrally funded project initiated by the University to extend the use of technologies in significant curriculum areas. The initiative employed a text-based, asynchronous computer conferencing environment. We describe the structure of the online environment and explore the major issues raised by the participants based on their experience and evaluation of the conference. We conclude by raising key questions that draw on our experience of the successful outcome of this initiative to advance relevant and meaningful opportunities for academic staff development.<br /

Motivation of Community Partners and Advisors to Participate in Community Engagement Engineering Programs

Since 2000, research in service-learning has started to investigate partnerships and community voice, but this research trend has received little attention among engineering education scholars. This study aims to fill this gap by developing a richer understanding of community-university partnerships in engineering community engagement from the perspectives of academic programs and served communities. In part inspired by the existing service-learning literature, this study addresses the question: Why are individuals and local community organizations involved in engineering service-learning partnerships? This study utilizes a single case study design, with data collection including in-depth interviews with community partners, faculty and program administrators (n=11) at a well established service-learning program within the US. All interviews were transcribed and coded thematically. Deductive codes were identified based on a review of three empirical studies examining the motivation of community organizations involved in service-learning programs. An inductive analysis was also used to discern new themes. This paper also compares preliminary results that are similar to other non-engineering service-learning partnerships. The most recognized reason for involvement of the participants is to support engineering students with their education. Many of the community and advisors stated that they enjoyed the experience of service learning, and the organization benefited directly from the partnership. Overall, this work helps clarify and address misunderstandings that engineering programs and community organizations may have relative to partner motivations. Based on this research the authors suggest that engineering programs increase emphasis on learning about the community organization within their learning objectives, since it is deemed important by the community partners and critical for the final outcome of the project

Growing Entrepreneurial Mindset in Interdisciplinary Student Engineers: Experiences of a Project-Based Engineering Program

Engineering education models have recently embraced the entrepreneurial mindset as a desired outcome of undergraduate engineering education. Interdisciplinary active learning strategies have been suggested as an effective pedagogy for engaging student engineers in undergraduate engineering education. Recent research suggests that active, social learning in context can lead to improvements in learner innovation, problem-solving, curiosity, retention and accessibility of knowledge, value-creation, and other desired learning outcomes. Much of the recent adoption of active and collaborative learning, self-directed learning, problem-based and project-based learning (PBL), peer to peer learning, and other similar learning strategies are aimed at developing innovative and entrepreneurial mindset skills, but they have been limited to Capstone Design courses. Our aim is to develop the entrepreneurial mindset much earlier in the student engineers’ undergraduate education. The Iron Range Engineering program is entrepreneurial in nature, based on continuous improvement, self-directed learning, and reflective practice. Our student engineers learn in context, by applying technical engineering knowledge in project teams working on industry-sourced projects, each of the four semesters of their junior and senior years. In addition, freshman and sophomores enrolled in pre-engineering studies in a closely aligned community college are included in the culture, many activities, and teaching staff of the upper division program. Drawing from the Kern Family Foundation’s Engineering Unleashed program and Innovating Curriculum with Entrepreneurial Mindset (ICE) workshops, faculty in the program were introduced to the entrepreneurial mindset in the summer of 2017. In the Fall, 2017 semester, they developed and piloted several entrepreneurial-minded learning (EML) modules across the curriculum of our program (approx. 100 students in lower and upper divisions), ranging from Statics in Sophomore year, to Entrepreneurship and Statistics in the Junior year, and Three-Phase and Signals and Systems for the Seniors, among others. Entrepreneurial Mindset was also reinforced in Design class and applied in project work. This paper describes the experiences of faculty and students in the implementation of entrepreneurial mindset modules adopted in our program, as well as preliminary results of this rapid deployment in an interdisciplinary engineering program. We use a case study format to report auto-ethnographic stories from both faculty and student perspectives. Early results are promising. After two semesters of simultaneous deployment of entrepreneurial mindset across the curriculum, faculty are engaged and working collaboratively to improve and extend this type of entrepreneurial learning even further into the program. The impact on ABET and KEEN outcomes are addressed. Student feedback is also positive. The pervasiveness of the application of entrepreneurial mindset is present in student reflections, project technical documents, design reviews, oral exams, and other student work. The entrepreneurial mindset has become part of the culture of our program in a short time, which we view as a positive outcome. The experiences of the participating faculty members are presented in the paper, as well as student reflections on the application of entrepreneurial mindset in their courses and design projects. Planned next steps are also addressed in the paper

PBL Student Projects and Sustainable Development Goals: A Case Study

Working with the Sustainable Development Goals can be a highly motivating factor in Problem Based Learning, especially if the solutions produced can be used afterwards and have an actual impact on people and communities. This paper describes how three engineering students from Aalborg University, Denmark, collaborated with the South African Organisation Green Shoots on bringing IT-supported Math education out to some of the most disadvantaged learners from townships and rural areas of the Western Cape. The project provided the Danish students with a unique learning experience and have a lasting impact on the communities involved. While the content of the project focused on bringing IT-supported Math education to learners in previously disadvantaged areas around the Western Cape, the project also provided valuable insight into how such students’ projects, where the outcomes benefit people and communities suffering from socio-economic challenges e.g. poverty, can be carried out. In addition to demonstrate that such projects are actually possible, we studied three critical aspects: How to ensure a good fit between learning objectives and project outcome, how to ensure that the project creates value for the partner organisation and communities, and how to ensure that the projects can be conducted without overloading the university supervisors. We believe that student projects focusing on SDGs have a big potential in terms of providing highly motivating student projects yet at the same time contribute to a better world through solutions that are being used even afterwards. However, our study was just a single case with one group of three students. We hope it will serve as inspiration for larger studies, where more quantitative data could be gathered in terms of how to establish a good framework around such projects, and in order to demonstrate the value for students and societies

The Effect of Digital Documentary Production through Field Work on Geography Students’ Problem-Solving Skills

In this study, views of students about the applicability of the digital documentary production through fieldwork model and the effect of it on their problem-solving skills were examined. The study was conducted in Turkey, in 2016-2017 spring term with 15 geography teacher candidates who chosen by convenience sampling method. In this study, within producing student digital documentary via fieldwork (FwDD) which is the outcome of the project-based learning (PBL) process, students were asked to carry out field works and to reflect their observations through a digital documentary, on Cultural Geography subjects. The data was collected through Problem-Solving Inventory and focus group interviews, in this case study. Paired Samples Test and content analysis were used for analysis of the data. The findings showed that FwDD-PBL lead to a significant difference regarding the students’ problem-solving skills since the effect size is 0.61. Students stated that they learned to use the technology for educational and reflective purposes, that the project increased their motivations and enterprisingness besides their creative thinking and decision-making skills. The study is important to provide the students effective instruction and teaching skills. It is expected that the results will be useful to encourage the use of FwDD-PBL model in geography education

Language tools: communicating in today’s world of business

In a society increasingly mediated by technology, the medium has created unparalleled opportunities. As a result, it has refocused educators’ attention on how technological literacy is both an essential learning outcome in all higher education programs, and the intermediary, the means to achieve the digital competences expected from employees. In the field of English for Specific Purposes, and at a time when technology is perceived to enable quick and effective access to a vast number of sources of information and knowledge, teaching a language confronts teachers and students with divergent views that converge into what we perceive to be interconnected paths. We critically reflect upon these interconnected paths in order to obtain further insights on how technology, namely Machine Translation and Computer-Aided Translation, is perceived by business communicators who are learning English in an ESP environment. Within the premises that translation is an act of intercultural communication, our case study addresses mirrored perceptions of the English language, the act of translation, and the use of technological tools. Our study draws on both perspectives and discusses how mirrored images of students and teachers converge through project-based approaches, rooted in practical, short visual tasks with a clear and immediately visible purpose.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Creating Culturally Relevant Techonological Operas in an Urban School

The project described in this study developed due to the gap in achievement between African-American and white students. As music teacher I noticed my urban students could rap all the words of popular songs. Therefore I incorporated the use of technology with an authentic need to learn reading, writing, and lyric development for science and history content within a hip-hop opera . This study details the instructional sequence, in which students watched musical performances, learned songs with a karaoke machine, and wrote new lyrics for the songs based on history and science material. I combined the students\u27 lyrics into new versions of the songs, which they then learned and performed within a dramatic opera. The mixed method research study, conducted in grade 2 through 6 music classes, addressed three questions: How does the learning process differ between culturally relevant hip-hop operas and culturally non-relevant operas? What do children who create culturally relevant hip-hop operas learn about history and science content compared to an opera utilizing music from outside the students\u27 culture? How does creating a culturally relevant hip-hop opera impact students? desire to learn science and history? A case study revealed that both culturally relevant and non-relevant operas could sustain students\u27 involvement in history and science, but students were more eager to participate in instruction utilizing culturally relevant melodies. The quantitative analysis was limited by small numbers of participants with complete data, but some results were obtained. Learning outcome measures revealed gains on basic understanding of some history and science topics embedded in opera-based instruction, but the cultural relevance of the music did not impact the learning outcomes. A follow-up analysis revealed that involving the students in composition of lyrics based on any musical text, culturally relevant or non-relevant, led to greater learning gains than having students learn and perform texts written by the teacher. Analysis of interview results showed that some students increased their desire to learn history and science in school because of the opera instruction. The importance of research such as this aimed at improving urban education is stressed, and suggestions for further research are made

A Plumber Who Teaches or Teacher of Plumbing? A study to inform a strategy for teacher learning and development, designed to provide opportunity for personalised learning and growth of dual professionalism, whilst also enabling achievement of the strategic plan and vision for a college of general further education in Suffolk.

This research project explored the approach and engagement with learning and development by teachers in the Education and Training Sector (ETS). The aim was to investigate and propose a strategy for teacher learning and development which might provide opportunity to meet both the aims of the organisation and individual needs of teachers to grow as dual professionals through teacher/employer negotiation. Underpinning this research was the concept that teacher learning and development should be based upon a model of Continuous Professional Learning (CPL) built upon a framework of constructivism (Wilson, 2014) encouraging andragogical learning (Knowles, 1984), through the use of social learning activities (Steward, 2009). The project was based at one college in Suffolk using action research as the methodology, within the boundaries of case study. The research methods were questionnaires and group discussions with teachers at the Research College, a group interview with senior managers at the Research College, managers of teacher learning and development at another English college and a college of vocational education in Australia. Secondary evidence included documents from meetings at the Research College, notes from conferences and Ofsted reports. Through the data analysis it became evident that teachers’ reflections on their experiences were negative and they saw teacher learning and development as a ‘done to’ process addressing college need rather than enabling professional growth. Research activity identified the need for organisational learning and development to be on-going but that there should be opportunity to provide learning and development for vocational upskilling and contextual understanding to support growth of dual professionalism. The outcome was a strategy for continuous professional learning which could offer opportunity for personalised and negotiated activity supporting dual professionalism whilst meeting the strategic aims of the college and improving the quality of teaching and learning