Building a Supervisor Professional Learning Model to Improve Internships in Information and Communication Technology

该奖项全部或部分根据2021年美国救援计划法案（公法117-2）资助。该项目旨在为国家利益服务，为学生从事信息和通信技术（ICT）职业做好准备。COVID-19大流行增加了对计算基础设施的依赖，扩大了对技术工人的需求，以支持这一基础设施，并对大学生产生了不成比例的负面影响，特别是那些来自历史上被边缘化群体的大学生。该项目通过开发（1）职业和领导力准备研究所（CLRI）计划，（2）CLRI完成者的实习计划，以及（3）针对北方弗吉尼亚社区学院（NOVA）信息和工程技术课程学生实习主管的专业学习（PL）计划，解决了学生为ICT职业做好准备的需要。该项目的目标是（1）增加获得和改善实习成果和（2）制定PL计划，以支持实习生监督。在这个项目的四年期间，将通过CLRI计划为150名学生提供职业和领导力准备，CLRI完成者中的75人将参加IT实习计划，并将为50名主管提供PL。使用准实验混合方法研究设计，这个项目将促进我们对项目的理解，例如：（a）改善结果（即，职业社会化、对ICT学科的态度、学位完成、ICT职业的持续性）;以及（B）改善主管对实习生的指导（即，对监督的信心，有效的教练技能）。研究设计的纵向和横截面组件允许比较的结果和文件的CLRI，实习，PL的学生和主管，这是在现有的研究文献中没有的相对影响。由于监督质量和特点是至关重要的，在确定学生的学习经验和成果在不同领域，该模型预计将是跨学科和所有工作场所的学习机会有价值。NSF关于在两年制高等教育机构中推进本科STEM教育的创新和影响的项目描述支持在两年制大学中推进STEM教育计划的项目。该项目旨在促进两年制大学本科STEM教育的创新和循证实践。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). This project aims to serve the national interest by preparing students for careers in information and communication technology (ICT). The COVID-19 pandemic has increased reliance on computing infrastructure, amplified the need for skilled workers to support this infrastructure, and has disproportionately negatively impacted college students, especially those from historically marginalized groups. This project addresses the need to prepare students for ICT careers by developing (1) a Career and Leadership Readiness Institute (CLRI) program, (2) an internship program for CLRI completers, and (3) a professional learning (PL) program targeted at internship supervisors for students in Northern Virginia Community College’s (NOVA) Information and Engineering Technologies programs. The goals of the project are to (1) increase access and improve internship outcomes and (2) develop a PL program to support intern supervision. Over the four-year duration of this project, 150 students will be provided with career and leadership preparation through the CLRI program, 75 of the CLRI completers will enroll in an IT internship program, and PL will be provided for 50 supervisors.Using a quasi-experimental mixed methods research design, this project will advance our understanding of how projects such as this one (a) improve outcomes (i.e., professional socialization, attitudes toward ICT disciplines, degree completion, persistence in ICT careers) for CLRI completers placed in internships compared to CLRI completers who are not placed in internships; and (b) improve supervisors' coaching of interns (i.e., confidence for supervising, effective coaching skills). The longitudinal and cross-sectional components of the research design allow for comparison of outcomes and documentation of the relative impacts of the CLRI, internship, and PL for students and supervisors, which is absent in the existing research literature. Since supervision quality and characteristics are critically important in determining student learning experiences and outcomes in diverse fields, the model is expected to be valuable across disciplines and for all workplace learning opportunities. The NSF program description on Advancing Innovation and Impact in Undergraduate STEM Education at Two-year Institutions of Higher Education supports projects that advance STEM education initiatives at two-year colleges. The program description promotes innovative and evidence-based practices in undergraduate STEM education at two-year colleges.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.