SFAz+8: Building Capacity for STEM Pathways in Rural Arizona

在国家科学基金会高级技术教育计划的资助下，该项目满足了国家对现有和新兴先进技术领域技术人员的需求。根据该州对社区学院的战略愿景，亚利桑那州科学基金会(SFAz)和八所农村社区学院将建立一个农村社区学院STEM网络，以加强机构合作伙伴关系；促进STEM路径模式的适应、实施和测试，这是一套有效的课程和学生支持活动；并加快该模式的交付和实施。该项目的目标是证明扩大和复制STEM路径模式的可行性，该模式已在一所社区大学试行。由代表行业、中学和高等教育社区以及国家组织的成员组成的伙伴关系将指导这一努力，这将满足该州以技术和工程为导向的劳动力需求。该项目将(1)通过学生参与提高对STEM职业的认识；(2)确保农村学区的高中生进入大学水平的数学课程，并在高中毕业时获得大学学分(确保大学准备)；以及(3)增加进入并成功完成这些农村社区学院的STEM技术员和工程学位或资格认证课程的学生人数，转到四年制技术或工程课程，和/或进入STEM劳动力大军。项目成果将包括一个以技术为基础的资源指南和信息平台，帮助参与的大学确定和部署最佳和有前景的做法(例如，一套有效的课程和学生支持活动)，建立农村社区学院网络以支持这些做法的部署，发展从认识STEM职业到完成学位和/或证书的全面途径，并为学生进入STEM劳动力做好准备。实施从学生记录和调查的文件分析到访谈和焦点小组的一套通用方法，定量和定性混合方法评估将评估项目成果(例如，高中获得的大学学分、技术员课程和完成数据的入学人数、学生经历以及SFAz 8网络的成功)。参加的农村社区学院有：*亚利桑那州西部学院*中亚利桑那州学院*科奇斯学院*科科尼诺社区学院*东亚利桑那州学院*莫哈德社区学院*北国先锋学院*亚瓦派学院

With funding from the National Science Foundation's Advanced Technological Education Program, the project addresses the national need for technicians in established and emerging advanced technological fields. Aligned with the state's strategic vision for community colleges, Science Foundation of Arizona (SFAz) and eight rural community colleges will establish a Rural Community College STEM Network to enhance institutional partnerships; facilitate the adaptation, implementation, and testing of the STEM Pathway Model, a suite of effective curricular and student support activities; and accelerate the delivery and implementation of the model. The project's objective is to demonstrate the feasibility of expanding and replicating key success factors of the STEM Pathway Model that have been piloted at one of the community colleges. A partnership composed of members representing industry, the secondary and post-secondary education communities, and state organizations will direct the effort, which will meet the technical and engineering oriented workforce needs of the state. The project will (1) expand awareness of STEM careers through student engagement; (2) ensure that high school students in rural school districts place in college-level mathematics courses and graduate from high school with college credits (ensuring college readiness); and (3) increase the number of students who enter and successfully complete STEM technician and engineering degree or credentialing programs at these rural community colleges, transfer to four year technical or engineering programs, and/or enter the STEM workforce. Project deliverables will include a technology-based resource guide and information platform that will assist the participating colleges in identifying and deploying best and promising practices (e.g., suite of effective curricular and student support activities), build a network of rural community colleges to support deployment of these practices, develop comprehensive pathways from awareness of careers in STEM to completion of degrees and/or credentials, and prepare students to enter the STEM workforce. Implementing a common suite of methods from document analysis of student records and surveys to interviews and focus groups, the quantitative and qualitative mixed methods evaluation will assess project outcomes (e.g., college credits earned in high school, enrollment in technician progams and completion data, student experiences, and success of the SFAz+8 network). The participating rural community colleges are:* Arizona Western College* Central Arizona College* Cochise College* Coconino Community College* Eastern Arizona College* Mohave Community College* Northland Pioneer College* Yavapai College