Engaging Rural Students in Advancement Opportunities through the Field of Data Analytics

该项目所服务的地理区域支持大量学生，这些学生来自在STEM职业道路上历来代表性不足的群体。该项目将侧重于STEM学科中代表性不足的群体的学生的招聘、留住和毕业，从而为北瓦克服务领域的女性和拉美裔提供更多在数据分析领域从事高薪职业的机会。该项目将通过开发数据分析方面的应用科学(AAS)副学士学位来服务于地区和国家利益。拟议的学位计划将为毕业生快速有效地进入职场做好准备。学生们将使用真实世界的数据进行案例研究。拟议的项目计划将沟通、协作、职业道德、批判性思维和就业能力技能纳入课程内容。项目的数据来源将包括来自数据海洋、DataCamp和匿名的北阿肯色州学院的数据，这些数据来自本科生研究项目。项目团队将与一个积极参与的商业和工业领导团队(BILT)合作。这项建议的主要活动有可能被其他两年制学院推广和调整，并适用于其他STEM学科。项目团队计划(1)让学生沉浸在案例研究和真实世界数据中，(2)将沟通、协作、批判性思维和就业能力技能整合到数据分析内容中，(3)使用BILT与当地行业合作，以及(4)专注于发展更多样化的STEM社区。再加上针对高中生的并行学分路径，这个项目团队将导致高度准备的数据分析技术人员的数量和多样性的增加。将对国家妇女技术中心的最佳做法进行调整，以招募和留住来自代表性不足群体的妇女和其他学生进入数据分析领域。该项目由高级技术教育计划资助，该计划专注于为推动国家经济的先进技术领域培养技术人员。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。

The geographical region served by this project supports a large number of students from groups which have been historically underrepresented in STEM career pathways. This project will emphasize recruitment, retention, and graduation of students from groups underrepresented in STEM disciplines, thus providing women and Hispanics in Northark’s service area with increased access to well-paying careers in data analytics. The project will serve regional and national interests by developing an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in Data Analytics. The proposed degree program will prepare graduates to quickly and effectively enter the workplace. The students will work on case studies using real-world data. The proposed project plans to integrate communication, collaboration, professional ethics, critical thinking, and employability skills into course content. Data sources for projects will include data from Oceans of Data, DataCamp and anonymized North Arkansas College data generated from undergraduate research projects. The project team will collaborate with an active and engaged Business and Industry Leadership Team (BILT). The key activities of this proposal has the potential to be scaled and adapted by other two-year colleges and applied to other STEM disciplines. The project team intends to (1) immerse students in case studies and real-world data, (2) integrate communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and employability skills into data analytics content, (3) collaborate with local industry using a BILT, and (4) focus on development of a more diverse STEM community. Coupled with a concurrent credit pathway for high school students, this project team will lead to an increase in the number and diversity of highly prepared data analytics technicians. Best practices from the National Center for Women in Technology will be adapted to recruit and retain women and other students from underrepresented groups into the data analytics fields. 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.