Assessing Information Technology Educational Pathways that Promote

奇波拉学院、塔拉哈西社区学院和非大都市行业领导者与佛罗里达州立大学信息使用管理和政策研究所以及图书馆和信息研究学院联合起来，研究支持佛罗里达西北部社区宽带部署的信息技术（IT）技术人员的教育和职业道路。混合方法研究项目调查了该地区的宽带人员需求，以确定宽带技术人员的角色，发展这些角色所需的知识和技能所需的教育，以及维持教育和行业利益相关者之间长期合作关系的过程。宽带的普及表明，需要能够处理与该地区商业和社区需求相关的广泛问题的IT/宽带工作者。此外，该研究概念化并确立了“非大都市”一词的用法，以描述与大都市或城市地区相邻并由农村和城市居民组成的社区。研究成果包括1)支持课程开发的差距分析；2)建立非大都市利益相关者网络，包括雇主、行业、社区机构和技术教育工作者；3)迭代的课程/劳动需求评估，确保发现的深度和广度；4)多个教师/行业研讨会，提供建议并征求教师/行业对研究成果的评论；5)开展一系列活动，支持广泛传播调查结果，为当地教育工作者和行业提供信息，并让所有利益相关者参与正在进行的讨论。这项研究为IT技术人员、教育工作者和雇主在宽带技术方面的交叉需求提供了不断增长的、尽管有限的知识体系。

Chipola College, Tallahassee Community College, and nonmetropolitan industry leaders join with the Florida State University Information Use Management and Policy Institute and School of Library and Information Studies to examine the educational and career pathways of information technology (IT) technicians supporting broadband deployment in communities in Northwest Florida. The mixed methods research project investigates the region's broadband staffing needs to identify the roles of broadband technicians, education needed to develop the knowledge and skills to be successful in these roles, and the process to sustain long-lasting partnerships between educational and industry stakeholders. The pervasive nature of broadband indicates a need for IT/broadband workers who can handle a broad range of issues associated with the needs of commerce and communities in the region. In addition, the study conceptualizes and establishes the use of the term, nonmetropolitan, to describe communities that are adjacent to metro or urban areas and comprise a population of both rural and urban residents. The study deliverables include 1) a gap analysis that supports curriculum development; 2) creation of a network of nonmetropolitan stakeholders that includes employers, industries, community institutions, and technician educators; 3) an iterative curriculum/labor needs assessment that ensures depth and breadth of findings; 4) multiple faculty/industry workshops that deliver recommendations and solicit faculty/industry review of research findings; and 5) an array of activities that supports broad dissemination of the findings to inform local educators and industry, and engage all stakeholders in ongoing discussion. The research study contributes to a growing, though limited body of knowledge on the intersecting needs of IT technicians, educators, and employers in broadband technologies.