Expanding Pathways for Educational Development and Information Technology Experiences (ExPEDITE)

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The Expanding Pathways for Educational Development and Information Technology Experiences (ExPEDITE) project is providing a smooth transition to an information technology (IT) career for students in North Central West Virginia by enhancing current IT related programs, developing and approving articulation agreements between secondary school, community college, and university, developing and implementing comprehensive IT internship/mentoring programs for students, secondary teachers and college professors, using IT awareness materials to attract and retain students to IT careers paths, and providing professional development for college professors and secondary school teachers. ExPEDITE is meeting the growing IT workforce demand for science and engineering professionals and improving the technology education of students and the educators who prepare them. The ExPEDITE team includes the Institute for Scientific Research, Inc. (ISR), the Marion County School System (MCSS), Fairmont State Community and Technical College (FSCTC), and Fairmont State University (FSU). The ExPEDITE project is reproducible and effectively provides pathways for secondary and post-secondary students to learn IT skills while exposing them to expanding IT career opportunities. Intellectual Merit: ExPEDITE is preparing the next generation of IT professionals to enter an ever-changing work environment by providing them with relevant programs and hands-on experience. ExPEDITE is resulting in a nationally replicable, statewide model of excellence in transitioning students from the secondary level through college and into the IT workforce. Broader Impacts: ExPEDITE is providing secondary students, secondary teachers, college students, and college professors with the opportunity to acquire new IT skills through industry internships. The ExPEDITE model is being introduced throughout secondary and higher education, including the newly formed West Virginia State Community College System, as a means to expand the impact throughout the state of West Virginia. ExPEDITE could serve as a working model for the nation.