iCREAT: A pathway to middle-skill positions through the Introduction to Coding, Robotics, Electronics, And Technology

这个项目在马萨诸塞州湾社区学院（MBCC）建立了一个STEM途径，在电子和相关技术的中等技能职业。 该计划首先针对大三的高中生，并提供一个导致认证和/或副学士学位的课程。 该项目旨在满足马萨诸塞州和全国对训练有素的技术人员的劳动力需求。 因此，该计划通过跨学科的项目为基础的方法，作为沿着技术职业道路的起点，如信息技术技术硬件支持，计算机数控（CNC）操作，计算机辅助设计和制造（CAD/CAM）等，让高中年龄的青年和社区大学生学习电子，编码和工程设计和制造。 该项目旨在通过招募，保留和培养STEM中代表性不足的学生来扩大参与。 为了吸引和吸引学生，该项目正在创建一个为期一年的课程序列，由来自多个部门的MBCC STEM教师共同授课。 这些课程旨在通过让学生应用批判性思维技能并利用来自许多内容领域的技术知识和技能来反映工作场所的学习和工作。 这些课程可为初中到高中的高中生提供大学学分，使学生能够在中学后教育中取得领先地位，并在STEM领域留住被录取的MBCC学生。 与当地组织和行业的伙伴关系将有助于为学生提供职业指导和寻找实习机会。 一个基于网络的指导计划将通过将参与者与STEM专业人员联系起来来帮助留住学生。该项目的研究目标是为社区提供一个基于证据的模型，围绕计划组件如何支持或不支持学生追求STEM职业途径。 这项研究的重点是意向性和适应性作为从事STEM教育的最佳结果的作用。 利用Navarro（et阿利亚，2007）的数学/科学意图和目标量表和Savickas（2012）的职业适应能力量表的扩展版本，该项目正在研究1）意图，指的是“行动取向”，通过检查追求STEM职业途径的意图并积极考虑STEM职业，以及2）职业适应性，这是一种心理社会结构，表示个人的自我调节资源或应对任务的能力，过渡和职业角色中的创伤。 一个关键的假设是，干预措施将提高个人的自我调节技能，并将发展他们内化这些技能的能力。

This project at Massachusetts Bay Community College (MBCC) establishes a STEM pathway towards middle-skill careers in electronics and associated technology. The plan starts by targeting high school students during the junior year and provides a program leading to certification and/or associates degrees. This project aims to address state of Massachusetts and national workforce needs for trained technicians. The program therefore engages high school-aged youth and community college students in learning electronics, coding, and engineering design and manufacturing through an interdisciplinary project-based approach that serves as a launching point along technical career pathways such as information technology technical hardware support, computer numerical control (CNC) operation, computer aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM), and others. The project is designed to broaden participation by recruiting, retaining, and preparing students from underrepresented populations in STEM. To attract and engage students, the project is creating a year-long course sequence co-taught by MBCC STEM faculty from multiple departments. The courses are designed to mirror learning and work in the workplace by engaging students in applying critical thinking skills and leveraging technical knowledge and skills from many content areas. The courses, available for college credit for high school students in the junior to senior years, allow the students to get a head start on post-secondary education and retain admitted MBCC students in STEM fields. Partnerships with local organizations and industry will help provide career guidance and find internship opportunities for students. A web-based mentoring program will aid retention by connecting participants with STEM professionals.The project has a research goal to provide the community with an evidence-based model around how program components support or do not support students to pursue a STEM career pathway. The study focuses on the role of intentionality and adaptability as optimal outcomes of engaging in STEM education. Using an expanded version of Navarro's (et alia, 2007) Math/Science Intentions and Goals Scale and Savickas' & Porfeli's (2012) Career Adapt-Abilities Scale, the project is studying 1) intention, referring to "orientation toward action," by examining intentions to pursue a STEM career pathway and to actively consider STEM careers and 2) career adaptability which is a psychosocial construct denoting an individual's resources of self-regulation or capacity for coping with tasks, transitions, and traumas in occupational roles. A key hypothesis is that the interventions will enhance individuals' skills for self-regulation and will develop their capacity to internalize these skills.