Technology Opportunity Program

技术机会项目（TOP）为经济上处于不利地位、学业上有天赋的学生提供了一条创新的途径，让他们成功完成工程技术或计算机科学的副学士学位。该计划被整合到建立在学院技术预科学校到职业计划基础上的网络中，该计划是由20所高中和学院建立的良好伙伴关系。该计划的推广由一个由大学教师、辅导员和管理人员组成的项目团队完成，并由高中教师和辅导员、当地工业和社区团体组成的网络提供协助。在他们的大学学习计划中，顶尖学者由一名教师指导，以确保他们充分利用现有的支持服务，包括一系列研讨会，短期课程，以及由辅导和学术成功中心提供的同伴辅导。TOP奖学金的学生群体形成了一个清晰的学习社区，有特定项目的丰富机会，如小组会议、行业参观和演讲。毕业后，学生将得到职业安置办公室和全职转学顾问的协助，以确保在劳动力市场或四年制工程、物理或计算机科学项目中的安置。该项目的目标是：1。增加有学术才能的低收入家庭学生完成计算机科学与技术副学士学位课程的人数；2. 2 .增加女性和少数民族学生的数量；建立教育工作者与业界的伙伴关系，以加强奖学金学生的经验和参与；和4。建立一个系统来记录TOP学者项目对参与者的影响，以影响项目的持续改进。这个项目的智力价值在于，它创造了一条途径，使经济上处于不利地位的学生，主要是第一代大学生，能够成功地获得大学学位，并过渡到计算机科学或技术领域的就业，或者进入四年制大学。更广泛的影响是，一个由教师和社区成员指导的学者社区正在形成，这增强了技术部的活力。为顶尖学者创建的支持服务在所有大学项目中都是学生保留的典范。

The Technology Opportunity Project (TOP) provides an innovative pathway for economically disadvantaged, academically talented students to successfully complete an associate degree in engineering technology or computer science. The program isintegrated into the network built upon the Tech Prep School-to-Career program at the college, a well established partnership of 20 high schools and the college. The promotion of the program is accomplished by a project team of college faculty, counselors and administrators assisted by a network of high school teachers and counselors, local industry and community groups. Throughout their college program of study, TOP Scholars are mentored by a faculty member to ensure they make full use of available support services, including a range of workshops , short courses, and peer tutoring offered by the Tutoring and Academic Success Center. The cohort of TOP scholarship students forms a clearly identifiable learning community, with program specific enrichment opportunities such as group meetings and industry tours and speakers. Upon graduation, students are assisted by the Career Placement Office and full time Transfer Counselor to secure placement in the workforce or in a four -year engineering, physics or computer science program.The goals of the project are1. to increase the number of academically- talented and low-income students who complete associate degree programs in computer science and technology; 2. to increase the number of women and minority students in these programs;3. to create a partnership of educators and industry to enhance the experience and participation of scholarship students; and 4. to establish a system to document the impact of the TOP Scholars program on participants in order to affect continuous program improvements.The intellectual merit of this program is that a pathway is being created to enable economically disadvantaged, mostly first generation college students to successfully earna college degree and transition to employment in computer science or technology or to a four year institution. The broader impact is that a community of scholars is being formed, mentored by faculty and community members, which enhances the vitality of the Technology Department. Support services created for TOP scholars serve as a model for student retention in all college programs.