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

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，改善和扩大本科生STEM教育的参与度。各州和全国各地的社区大学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。全州范围内的衔接协议为非学分学习授予学分，旨在扩大在有学分的STEM项目中获得高质量教学和学习的机会，并满足不同学习者和工人不断变化的教育和劳动力需求。除了开放应用的STEM课程，这些全州范围的衔接协议还帮助学生节省重复课程的时间和金钱，并传递一个信息，即大学重视和支持拥有不同STEM学习来源的学生。认识到这些新计划的增长、关于这些努力的稀缺文献以及对非传统学生的有限研究，项目组打算调查(1)非学分STEM学习的个人的特征、教育抱负和优先事项；(2)与非传统学习者群体就教育计划和计划进行沟通的策略的设计和有效性；(3)非学分STEM学习的学生在过渡到学分STEM计划时的经历。兰德团队与俄亥俄州高等教育部(ODHE)、俄亥俄州技术中心(OTC)、俄亥俄州社区学院和行业代表(如协会)密切合作，旨在建立证据，为全州范围内计划的实施和扩大提供信息，该计划侧重于两种类型的非学分学习、通过全州技术中心网络获得的职业课程以及行业认证和许可证。该项目打算进行一项混合方法调查，其中包括主要和次要数据的收集和分析。首先，该团队将进行文献回顾，并收集关于非学分学习的个人及其教育和培训决定的数据，以指导针对这些个人的外展方法的设计。然后，该团队将通过进行试验性或准试验性研究和分析管理数据，严格测试至少其中一种外展方法。最后，该团队将收集和分析主要和行政数据，以更好地了解这些倡议是如何在机构内实施的，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来注册大学，并评估这些个人在STEM学分课程方面的进展情况。该项目由旨在促进和理解创新和基于研究的教学和学习计划的改善本科生STEM教育计划和支持改善现有和新兴STEM领域的技术人员教育和技术劳动力的努力的高级技术教育计划资助。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 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.