Latin American perspectives to internationalize undergraduate information technology education

The computing education community expects modern curricular guidelines for information technology (IT) undergraduate degree programs by 2017. The authors of this work focus on eliciting and analyzing Latin American academic and industry perspectives on IT undergraduate education. The objective is to ensure that the IT curricular framework in the IT2017 report articulates the relationship between academic preparation and the work environment of IT graduates in light of current technological and educational trends in Latin America and elsewhere. Activities focus on soliciting and analyzing survey data collected from institutions and consortia in IT education and IT professional and educational societies in Latin America; these activities also include garnering the expertise of the authors. Findings show that IT degree programs are making progress in bridging the academic-industry gap, but more work remains

Vocational ladders or crazy paving? Making your way to higher levels

The report is part of a suite of research projects on apprenticeships under the overall theme of 'making work-based learning work'. The aim of this particular study was to explore the role of level 3 vocational qualifications and work-based learning, including Modern Apprenticeships, as progression routes to higher education and to higher-level knowledge and skills more generally. The study comprised secondary analysis of national datasets, and an exploration of supply, demand and progression patterns in four contrasting employment sectors, focusing on enablers and inhibitors of work-based education and training

Arizona’s Rising STEM Occupational Demands and Declining Participation in the Scientific Workforce: An Examination of Attitudes among African Americans toward STEM College Majors and Careers

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2008), science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) occupations constitute a growing sector of Arizona’s economy. However, the number of African Americans earning degrees related to these occupations has not kept pace with this growth. Increasing the participation of African Americans in STEM education fields and subsequent related occupations in Arizona is vital to growing and maintaining the state’s economic stature. This objective is made even more compelling given that each year, from 2008– 2018, there are 3,671 projected job openings in STEM fields in Arizona. This study explores the extent to which the attitudes held by African Americans in Arizona toward STEM related majors and careers influence their likelihood of joining the state’s scientific workforce. Our analyses reveal the importance of career consideration, confidence in one’s ability to be successful in a STEM related field, and family support of the pursuit of STEM education and careers.Educatio

Engineering at San Jose State University, Winter 2014

https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/engr_news/1012/thumbnail.jp

STEM: country comparisons: international comparisons of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. Final report.

From 22 studies of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) policies and practices around the world the STEM: country comparisons report makes 24 key findings which highlight a number of challenges for Australia with STEM participation and provides a basis of ideas to tackle these

OECD reviews of higher education in regional and city development, State of Victoria, Australia

With more than 5.3 million inhabitants Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Once a manufacturing economy, Victoria is now transforming itself into a service and innovation-based economy. Currently, the largest sectors are education services and tourism. In terms of social structure, Victoria is characterised by a large migrant population, 24% of population were born overseas and 44% were either born overseas or have a parent who was born overseas. About 70% of the population resides in Melbourne. Victoria faces a number of challenges, ranging from an ageing population and skills shortages to drought and climate change and increased risk of natural disasters. Rapid population growth, 2% annually, has implications for service delivery and uneven development as well as regional disparities. There are barriers to connectivity in terms of transport and infrastructure, and a high degree of inter-institutional competition in tertiary education sector. The business structure in Victoria includes some highly innovative activities such as in biotechnology, but other sectors, especially those with high number of small and medium-sized enterprises, are lagging behind. Most of the larger manufacturing enterprises are externally controlled and there is uncertainty over the long term investments they will make in the state, as well as the place of Victoria in the global production networks

Education Research Using Data Mining and Machine Learning with Computer Science Undergraduates

In recent decades, we are witness to an explosion of technology use and integration of everyday life. The engine of technology application in every aspect of life is Computer Science (CS). Appropriate CS education to fulfill the demand from the workforce for graduates is a broad and challenging problem facing many universities. Research into this ‘supply–chain’ problem is a central focus of CS education research. As of late, Educational Data Mining (EDM) emerges as an area connecting CS education research with the goal to help students stay in their program, improve performance in their program, and graduate with a degree. We contribute to this work with several research studies and future work focusing on CS undergraduate students relating to their program success and course performance analyzed through the lens of data mining. We perform research into student success predictors beyond diversity and gender. We examine student behaviors in course load and completion. We study workforce readiness with creation of a new teaching strategy, its deployment in the classroom, and the analysis shows us relevant Software Engineering (SE) topics for computing jobs. We look at cognitive learning in the beginning CS course its relations to course performance. We use decision trees in machine learning algorithms to predict student success or failure of CS core courses using performance and semester span of core curriculum. These research areas refine pathways for CS course sequencing to improve retention, reduce time-to–graduation, and increase success in the work field

The ACT Report: Action to Catalyze Tech, A Paradigm Shift for DEI

Despite widespread awareness of the lack of DEI in tech and public commitments from tech companies to do better, great uncertainty exists among leaders about how to make real progress.While there are deep pockets of DEI excellence within tech companies themselves, there has never been an attempt to connect this knowledge in a one-stop shop for people and leaders working across tech, nor has there been an effort to catalyze DEI outcomes through collaborative industry-wide action. DEI can't be solved by one company or leader; it requires long-term collective effort.The ACT Report calls for a new paradigm in DEI that is holistic, collective, and long-term. Tech's current approach is often dispersed, individual, and short-term. Despite important progress in DEI, tech companies are too often reduced to poaching each other's talent from underrepresented groups. The paradigm shift described in the ACT Report fundamentally requires a shift in thought and behavior. It is based on values, and provides a blueprint to indivisibly link DEI strategy and business strategy. Companies must bring a business approach to inclusion, and an inclusive approach to business. In other words, DEI and business strategies can no longer be separate. The ACT Report explains what this means in practice.Making the tech industry more inclusive requires a systemic response to a systemic problem. The foundational system that impacts employment opportunity is education. The tech industry, like other industries, must deliver early intervention measures at scale to drive equity from cradle to career. That means tackling educational inequity generally, and increasing access to computer science education specifically.