Internet Scout, a research center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, worked with the ATE community to create ATE Central (atecentral.net). The resulting web portal and set of tools, services, and publications are designed to support the community and showcase the depth and breadth of the ATE program. ATE Central includes a large searchable collection of ATE-created curricula, learning objects, web sites, and media, a comprehensive database of project and center information, and services and tools that leverage this data to serve and promote the ATE community. To further the overall goals and objectives of ATE Central, this proposal aims to develop additional innovative tools, services, and solutions in response to needs articulated by the community.
Innovative mobile apps and widgets are helping organize and disseminate information about valuable ATE deliverables and the projects and centers. The Community College Listing Service is helping build a comprehensive list of community college programs in ATE programmatic areas allowing projects and centers more complete data for their web sites and ATE users an easy path to finding programs and collaborators. Sustainability support is helping projects and centers define, plan, and manage which deliverables and components should be carried forward after NSF funding. The Audience Technology Survey is creating a unique service, aggregating mailing lists from projects and centers to survey end users from across the community to build a deeper understanding of their use of technology and social media. ATE Central's portal, services, and tools form an integrated, creative approach to supporting the ATE community and amplifying the impacts of the ATE program.
ATE Central 2.0 is continuing to use digital library standards and procedures to compile, normalize, and disseminate metadata about the ATE projects and centers and the resources they collect and develop, broadening the impact of their work and disseminating metadata to organizations like the STEM Exchange, OAIster, the DPLA, and others in the digital library and education communities. The collective work of the ATE program, and ATE Central 2.0, is impacting a diverse set of users - from students and faculty to industry partners. Utilizing a variety of pathways (from conferences to social media to webinars) for outreach combined with a commitment to Universal Design, ATE 2.0 is broadening access to valuable ATE data and deliverables for all users, including those with disabilities.
