The project is developing a comprehensive career pathway for rural technicians and women, the cornerstone of which is a new mechanical engineering technician associate's degree program. The program includes field-based experiences, hands-on practice with modern instrumentation, integration of technical and 21st century skills, and establishment of clear pathways from secondary schools to Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) to four-year programs. The project is developing a curriculum that includes problem-based learning scenarios in partnership with business and industry and providing professional development for educators to increase the availability of rural instructors for advanced Project Lead the Way (PLTW) classes to assist in career pathway development for area high schools. The project demonstrates intellectual merit by improving student learning through a program based on evidence-based best practices and business and industry input; building on a body of evidence documenting the need for students to develop both technical and 21st century skills; utilizing an evaluation plan clearly tied to project outcomes and developed in collaboration with a well-experienced evaluator; and planning for ABET-accreditation of the program. Broader impacts include replicable models of collaboration with local employers, recruitment of women and rural technicians, and an engineering talent pipeline from secondary school to associate's degree to bachelor's degree.
