ITR: Development and Evaluation of a Model Information Technology Training and Education Program for Rural Communities

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EIA - 0086076Ustad, Melvin G.Dakota State UniversityTitle: ITR: Development and Evaluation of a Model Information Technology Training and Education Program for Rural Communities The objective of the five-year project is to develop and implement a model IT-education/training/economic development program for rural areas utilizing distance education and telecommunications technologies for education and employment of IT-workers. The project will (1) train adult IT-workers, (2) facilitate expansion of IT-employment opportunities to rural areas, (3) encourage K-12 students to pursue IT-careers in their community, (4) and to evaluate the education, economic and social impact of the IT-education/training/ economic development program. The project will impact the entire state of South Dakota with the involvement of three State Universities, three Native American Community Colleges, a consortium of thirty-three rural schools and communities, and several information technology businesses and rural communities in Nebraska, North Dakota, New Mexico, and Idaho. A specific emphasis will be placed on Native Americans, with the involvement of K-12 schools with high Native American populations and Native American Community Colleges. The proposed research project involves the development and implementation of an IT-education program for K-12 students and adults in rural areas to help meet the current information technology worker shortage. The project will involve development of an IT-education program for K-12 schools to prepare students to move into IT-careers and an intensive IT-training program for adults in rural areas. The adult IT-worker training program will identify residents in rural areas who have an aptitude for IT-work and a desire for a career in information technology. The project team will work with IT-employers to design an intense training program for these adults. Upon successfully completing the IT-training program, IT-business partners would either locate a facility in the rural community or allow the workers to telecommute. Year 1 of the project will involve three primary efforts (1) development of the IT-worker training program for rural residents, (2) identification and testing adults for participation in the IT-training program, and (3) development of the K-12 IT-education program. Years 2 through 4 will involve implementation of the IT-education program into the thirty DIAL Consortium communities in South Dakota. In Year 5 the program will be disseminated to other South Dakota communities as well as Nebraska, North Dakota, and Idaho. Through out the project period the social, economic, and educational impact of the IT-education program will be evaluated. A special focus of the evaluation will be to study the impact of the program on the Native American community members involved in the project. Based on the results of the project, the IT-education and training programs will be extended to other rural communities throughout the United States. The proposed model will have a significant impact on the economies of rural communities and will reduce the IT-worker shortage in the United States.