Strong general education core is considered vital to both liberal arts and technical programs. The Infusing GeN-ed Into Technical Education (IGNITE) Project assumes that, with thoughtful and collaborative practices, skill based and conceptual competencies identified within the general education core courses can be successfully infused into a variety of technical programs. This infusion allows students to learn and apply the competencies of the general education core in a hands-on, technical environment, while meeting degree requirements in a manner that is timely and relevant to their needs, ultimately increasing retention rates.
Intellectual Merit: The long-term goal of this project is to increase the conceptual knowledge, retention and persistence of Applied Technology students with the infusion of general education competencies into the technical programs at the college and programs at community college partners. The immediate objective of this project is to advance efforts at the college to infuse mathematics competencies into the welding curriculum by refining the model at the college, testing it at a partnering institution, and fully evaluating it for possible expansion into other general education and technology programs. By effectively infusing general education mathematics competencies into the curriculum of the welding curriculum, students are persisting longer and have a more anchored knowledge base because of interest and relevance.
Broader Impacts: Project IGNITE is the first effort at general education infusion within the West Virginia Community and Technical College System. It meets the needs of students, the community, and industry and is being supported and monitored by the system for future implementation across the state. Literature to support the infusion of general education in technical programs has begun to appear, but there is still a great need to develop and evaluate processes that effectively accomplish it. IGNITE has the potential to outline a model on how to incorporate required general education competencies into technical programs of study in a manner that encourages learning best suited to the needs of students enrolled in hands-on, skill based technical programming.
(POR) A Project administered by West Virginia University at Parkersburg National Science Foundation ATE grant award # 1003709 The IGNITE Project was implemented at two sites: WVU Parkersburg and Sierra College, CA. Outcomes for both sites are reported below: Outcomes: WVU Parkersburg, WV The goal of the project was to infuse mathematics competencies into welding courses. Students enroll in two welding courses that include the math skills that are equivalent to the math outcomes needed for the required college-level Shop Math course. If the students are successful on the posttest, they are given credit for the required math course. Results from WVU Parkersburg include a small sample size due to the changes in the welding program during the project and changes in personnel. However, initial results indicate that the students in the IGNITE groups scored higher on the final exam than welding students enrolled in the traditional required Shop Math course. Summary Comparison scores are indicated in the chart below: WVU Parkersburg IGNITE Project Results A total of 11 students out of 63 scored 80% or above 11/63 = 17% compared with 2/5 = 40% for IGNITE Combined average for all regular students(63.58 + 59.6 + 64.95)/3 = 62.71% Combined average for IGNITE students 72.40% Outcomes: Sierra College, CA Both the infused mathematics and control group were given a pre?test on the first day of class, and a posttest at the end of the semester. The attached graphs include a comparison, question?by?question, of student performance on both tests. It is clear from the results that the infused math group performed significantly better than the control group. Sixty?seven percent of students in the infused mathematics WT?10 class completed the math worksheets on a regular basis. From the results of the post?test, these worksheets clearly improved the math skills of the infused mathematics group. The following results were determined from a student survey given at the end of the semester: Fifty?two percent of students in the infused mathematics WT?10 class had not enrolled in a math class at Sierra College, but 82 percent said that, as a result of taking this WT?10 class, they would feel more comfortable taking a math class in the future. Forty?eight percent of students said that, after taking the infused mathematics WT?10 class, that they would be more likely to assess (or reassess) their math skills for placement in a math class at Sierra College. Seventy?one percent of students in the infused mathematics WT?10 class felt that there were more group focused learning opportunities as compared with other courses taken on campus. We view this first project as a very successful collaboration between a math professor, a welding instructor and a workforce training director. This infused math welding course certainly better prepares student to move through the curriculum and be better prepared for employment. Many of the infused math welding students also feel more math confident.
