Improving Access and Success in Information Technology Programs Through Education-Industry Connections

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This project aims to improve the quality of the information technology (IT) workforce by improving access, equity, and success in community college IT programs of study. It focuses on the needs of students from groups that are currently underrepresented in the IT sector. Effective education models have been developed to close the gender and minority achievement gap in STEM fields. However, most of these models have focused on STEM degree completion at four-year institutions. This project will adapt these baccalaureate pipeline models to a two-year IT technician education program. Project activities will include improving gateway courses through strong industry connections and experiential learning. The improvements will be designed to lessen culturally grounded barriers and self-limiting behaviors. The project expects to develop an effective and replicable model for improving the success of students, particularly underrepresented students, and thus contribute to the quality and diversity of the nation's IT workforce.This project includes a partnership between the University of Florida Institute of Higher Education and Indian River Community College. The overall goal is to increase the enrollment and persistence of students, especially women and underrepresented minority students, in IT programs of study. Specific aims include reconceptualizing three high-stakes gateway courses, embedding industry certifications in program coursework, providing students with internships and mentoring, and increasing the successful transfer of students from the community college into IT bachelors degree programs. The project includes a mixed-methods research protocol to investigate perceived obstacles, self-limiting behaviors, and the effectiveness of project interventions. Through a focus on access, graduation, and post-graduation success, the project intends to improve diversity throughout the IT industry pipeline. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.