Implementing a Statewide, Transformative Initiative to Expand Access to Credit Bearing STEM Credentials in Ohio

实施全州范围的变革性举措，以扩大俄亥俄州获得学分 STEM 证书的机会

• 批准号: 2141992
• 负责人: Lindsay Daugherty
• 金额: $ 99.91万
• 依托单位: Rand Corporation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-06-01 至 2026-05-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2141992&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Implementing; Statewide; Transformative; Initiative; Expand

This project aims to improve and broaden participation in undergraduate STEM education by implementing and investigating efforts to award college credit for industry certification and licensing, as well as for vocational coursework. States and community college systems across the country are exploring higher education policies and models that systematically award college credit for noncredit learning in applied STEM fields. Statewide articulation agreements that award credit for noncredit learning aim to expand access to high quality teaching and learning in credit-bearing STEM programs and to meet the changing education and workforce needs of a diverse set of learners and workers. In addition to opening up access to applied STEM programs, these statewide articulation agreements help students to save time and money on duplicative coursework, and deliver a message that colleges value and support students with different sources of STEM learning. Recognizing the growth in these new initiatives, scarce literature on these efforts, and limited research on nontraditional students, the project team intends to investigate (1) the characteristics, educational aspirations, and priorities of individuals with noncredit STEM learning; (2) the design and effectiveness of strategies for communicating about educational programs and initiatives with populations of nontraditional learners; (3) the experience of students with noncredit STEM learning as they transition into credit-bearing STEM programs. Working closely with the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE), Ohio Technical Centers (OTCs), Ohio community colleges, and industry representatives (e.g., associations), the RAND team intends to build evidence that will inform the implementation and scale-up of a statewide initiative focused on two types of noncredit learning, vocational coursework earned through a statewide network of technical centers and industry certification and licenses. The project intends to conduct a mixed methods investigation that includes both primary and secondary data collection and analyses. First, the team will conduct a literature review and collect data on individuals with noncredit learning and their education and training decisions to inform the design of outreach approaches to these individuals. Then, the team will rigorously test at least one of these outreach approaches by conducting an experimental or quasi-experimental study and analyzing administrative data. Finally, the team will collect and analyze primary and administrative data to better understand how these initiatives are being implemented within institutions, to explore whether individuals with noncredit learning are leveraging these statewide agreements to enroll in college, and to assess how these individuals are progressing with credit-bearing STEM coursework. This project is funded by the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education program that aims to promote and understand innovative and research-based teaching and learning initiatives and the Advanced Technological Education program that supports efforts to improve technician education and the technical workforce in established and emerging STEM fields.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.

该项目旨在通过实施和调查为行业认证和许可以及职业课程授予大学学分的努力，改善和扩大本科STEM教育的参与。各州和全国各地的社区学院系统正在探索高等教育政策和模式，系统地为应用STEM领域的非学分学习授予大学学分。在全州范围内，为非学分学习授予学分的衔接协议旨在扩大获得高质量教学的机会，并满足各种学习者和工人不断变化的教育和劳动力需求。除了开放应用STEM项目的准入外，这些全州范围的表达协议还帮助学生节省了重复课程的时间和金钱，并传达了一个信息，即大学重视和支持不同来源的STEM学习的学生。认识到这些新举措的增长，关于这些努力的文献匮乏，以及对非传统学生的研究有限，项目团队打算调查(1)非学分STEM学习个人的特征、教育愿望和优先事项；(2)与非传统学习者群体沟通教育计划和倡议的策略设计和有效性；(3)非学分STEM学习的学生在过渡到有学分的STEM课程时的经历。与俄亥俄州高等教育部（ODHE）、俄亥俄州技术中心（OTCs）、俄亥俄州社区学院和行业代表（如协会）密切合作，兰德团队打算建立证据，为全州范围内的两种非学分学习、通过全州技术中心网络获得的职业课程和行业认证和执照的实施和扩大提供信息。该项目打算进行混合方法调查，包括主要和次要数据收集和分析。首先，该团队将进行文献综述，收集非学分学习的个人及其教育和培训决定的数据，以便为这些个人的外展方法设计提供信息。然后，该团队将通过进行实验性或准实验性研究和分析管理数据，严格测试这些外展方法中的至少一种。最后，该团队将收集和分析主要和行政数据，以更好地了解这些举措是如何在机构内实施的，以探索非学分学习的个人是否正在利用这些全州范围的协议进入大学，并评估这些个人如何在有学分的STEM课程中取得进展。该项目由改善本科STEM教育计划和先进技术教育计划资助，该计划旨在促进和理解创新和基于研究的教学举措，并支持在现有和新兴STEM领域改善技术人员教育和技术劳动力的努力。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。