Biofab Explorer: Designing A Dual Enrollment Pathway to Careers in Biofabrication

该项目将开发生物制造业职业指导课程和材料，将其纳入提供双重入学的职业和技术教育（CTE）课堂（即，高中期间的大学学分），并就如何创建包容性和行业一致的职业指导向教育工作者提供专业发展。生物制品是指从有机和合成来源生产人体组织。该项目通过针对生物制造人才管道的早期阶段-高中CTE学生来满足STEM技术人员的区域行业需求，对他们来说，实习机会可能很少，并且缺乏对STEM技术人员在生物制造中的作用的认识。该项目将为生物制造行业的学生和教育工作者提供职业意识，并支持多元化学生群体的技能和知识发展，以便他们能够培养行业相关技能，并增加在新罕布什尔州、马萨诸塞州和北卡罗来纳州接受STEM技术人员教育的机会--所有这些都是生物制造中心。该项目为先进制造业的新兴领域与教育和职业指导相结合提供了一个模式，并通过为广泛的学生创造包容性的机会来建立自我效能信念，了解生物制造，并展示行业相关的技能和知识，解决职业指导中的关键差距。该项目汇集了CAST，曼彻斯特社区学院，大湾社区学院，约翰斯顿社区学院，二级CTE中心，包括指导顾问，管理员，教育工作者，和先进再生制造研究所（ARMI）/BioFab美国完成三个目标。首先，该项目将为生物制造业中的STEM技术人员角色确定和验证知识，技能和能力（KSA），并创建职业指导课程，包括职业指导网站，基于工作的学习模拟以及教师可以用来帮助学生探索职业并发展和展示行业技能的活动。ARMI专家、商业和工业领导团队以及中学和中学后教育工作者将共同努力，使用通用学习设计（UDL），这是一种设计学习环境和教育技术的方法，考虑到所有学生的需求，用于课程开发。第二，由CAST开发的Biofab Explorer和eportfolio技术将在两种双重招生模式中进行试点，一种是由社区学院教师监督的高中CTE教师（曼彻斯特社区学院和大湾社区学院，NH）教授的高中CTE设置，另一种是由社区学院教师和（约翰斯顿社区学院，NC）教授的CTE中学课程。第三，将为中学和中学后教育工作者举办专业发展研讨会，以1）介绍职业指导课程，Biofab Explorer和电子档案袋，2）确定这些数字环境可以增加STEM技术人员机会知识的方式，3）通过基于工作的学习（WBL）模拟提供实践技能建设，以及4）模拟UDL策略如何帮助招募和支持在STEM教育和职业中代表性不足的学生。将为来自新罕布什尔州和马萨诸塞州的教育工作者举办一个区域讲习班，并将为来自北卡罗来纳州的教育工作者举办第二个区域讲习班。该项目由先进技术教育计划资助，该计划侧重于推动国家经济的先进技术领域的技术人员的教育。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The project will develop biofabrication career guidance curriculum and materials, situate these within Career and Technical Education (CTE) classrooms that offer dual enrolment (i.e., college credit during high school), and provide professional development to educators on how to create inclusive and industry-aligned career guidance. Biofabrication refers to the production of human tissues from organic and synthetic sources. The project meets regional industry needs for STEM technicians by targeting the early stages of the biomanufacturing talent pipeline—high school CTE students, for whom internships can be scarce and who lack awareness of STEM technician roles in biomanufacturing. The project will provide career awareness for students and educators of the biofabrication industry, and support skill and knowledge development for a diverse group of students so they can build industry relevant skills, and increase access to STEM technician education in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and North Carolina — all hubs for biomanufacturing. The project provides a model for aligning emerging areas of advanced manufacturing with education and career guidance and addresses critical gaps in career guidance by creating inclusive opportunities for a broad range of students to build self-efficacy beliefs, understand biomanufacturing, and demonstrate industry relevant skills and knowledge.The project brings together CAST, Manchester Community College, Great Bay Community College, Johnston Community College, secondary CTE centers—including guidance counselors, administrators, educators, and the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI)/BioFab USA to accomplish three goals. First, the project will identify and validate Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) for STEM technician roles in biofabrication and create career guidance curriculum including a career guidance website, work-based learning simulations, and activities teachers can use to help students explore careers and develop and demonstrate industry skills. Working together, ARMI experts, the Business and Industry Leadership Team, and secondary and post-secondary educator will use Universal Design for Learning (UDL), an approach to designing learning environments and education technologies with all student needs in mind, for curriculum development. Second, Biofab Explorer and the eportfolio technologies developed by CAST will be piloted in two dual enrollment models, one in high school CTE settings taught by high school CTE teachers with community college faculty oversight (Manchester Community College and Great Bay Community College, NH) and one in a CTE secondary program taught by community college faculty and (Johnston Community College, NC). Third, professional development workshops for secondary and postsecondary educators will be delivered to 1) introduce the career guidance curriculum, Biofab Explorer, and the eportfolio, 2) identify ways these digital environments can increase knowledge of STEM technician opportunities, 3) provide hands-on skill building with Work Based Learning (WBL) simulations, and 4) model how UDL strategies can help recruit and support students underrepresented in STEM education and careers. A regional workshop will be offered to educators from across New Hampshire and Massachusetts and a second regional workshop will be offered to educators from across North Carolina. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the Nation's economy.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.