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

该奖项的全部或部分资金来自《2021年美国救援计划法案》(公法117-2)。该项目旨在为学生在信息和通信技术(ICT)领域就业做好准备，从而服务于国家利益。新冠肺炎的流行增加了对计算基础设施的依赖，放大了对技术工人的需求，以支持这些基础设施，并对大学生，特别是来自历史上被边缘化群体的大学生产生了不成比例的负面影响。该项目通过开发(1)职业与领导力准备学院(CLRI)计划，(2)针对CLRI完成者的实习计划，以及(3)针对北弗吉尼亚社区学院(NOVA)信息与工程技术计划学生实习主管的专业学习(PL)计划，满足学生为ICT职业生涯做好准备的需求。该项目的目标是(1)增加实习机会并改善实习结果，(2)开发一个支持实习生监督的PL计划。在这个项目为期四年的时间里，150名学生将通过CLRI计划为职业和领导力做好准备，75名CLRI完成者将注册参加IT实习计划，50名主管将获得PL。使用准试验性混合方法研究设计，该项目将增进我们对这样的项目如何改善结果(即，职业社会化、对ICT学科的态度、学位完成情况、对ICT职业的坚持性)的理解；以及(B)改善主管对实习生的指导(即对监督的信心和有效的指导技能)。研究设计的纵向和横向部分允许比较结果，并记录CLRI、实习和PL对学生和导师的相对影响，这在现有的研究文献中是缺失的。由于督导质量和特点在决定学生在不同领域的学习经验和结果方面至关重要，该模式预计将在跨学科和所有工作场所学习机会中具有价值。NSF关于在两年制高等教育机构推进本科STEM教育的创新和影响的项目描述支持在两年制大学推进STEM教育倡议的项目。该项目描述促进了两年制大学本科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智力优势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.