Targeted Research to Identify Mathematics Competencies and Align Mathematics Education for Skilled Technicians in Advanced Manufacturing

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This project aims to serve the national interest by aligning the mathematics taught in technical programs with the needs of advanced manufacturing technicians in the workplace. To do so, the research team will conduct a three-year research and development project that builds upon recommendations of the NSF-supported Needed Math Conference held in 2018. The project will establish connections between the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges and manufacturing educators and industrialists. The project intends to use this collaboration to: (1) develop and validate situations encountered by technicians in several manufacturing sectors; (2) identify the mathematics competencies technicians need in those situations; and (3) enhance communication between industry leaders and community college technical faculty to identify and align the mathematics needed by skilled technicians in manufacturing. It is expected that the project will improve mathematics education in technical programs. In addition, the project may provide a model for how partnerships involving academia, industry, and other stakeholders can enable curriculum reform to meet present and future industry needs.To accomplish its goals, the project will hold a series of Collaborative Working Group meetings across the country to establish and sustain changes in mathematics instruction for students pursuing certificates and degrees for careers in advanced manufacturing. Institutions and organizations involved in this project are Hofstra University, City University of New York, Holyoke Community College, Rhodes State College, American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges, Consortium for Mathematics and its Applications, Florida Advanced Technological Education Center, Central Virginia Community College, Support Center for Microsystems Education, Gadsden State College, Ohlone College, and the Center for Supply Chain Automation. The project is designed to develop resources that inform the teaching of mathematics, coupled with a mixed methods research investigation. Drawing on work by Simon and Goes, a validation panel will review workplace scenarios using the Validation Rubric for Expert Panels. The qualitative (grounded theory) and quantitative (descriptive, linear regression, ANOVA, cluster analysis) research design will integrate data collection and analyses that are guided by a set of four research questions that focus on: (1) the alignment between mathematics competencies for the technical workplace and the mathematics taught in technical programs; and (2) the effectiveness of collaborative working groups as mechanisms for change in the post-secondary mathematics education of skilled manufacturing technicians. 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.