A collaboration between the Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications (COMAP), the Community College Research Center, and the Information Technology Association of America, the WorkMAP project will conduct research and design strategies to examine the level and nature of mathematics and problem-solving skills required in entry-level jobs and career advancement for technicians in the technical workplace. The results of the study will inform two- and four-year higher education institutions on the type of mathematics skills needed and used in the technological workforce. Three component phases comprise this two-year ATE project: 1) development and implementation of research strategies to assess mathematics skills employed in the IT workplace; 2) creation of tools to measure workforce skills; and 3) dissemination of research findings, materials and tools. Research briefs will be produced to include identification of the mathematical skills and problem-solving strategies used by IT workers, description of sample problems encountered in the IT workplace, discussion of case studies of IT workplace site visits, and presentation of instruments and protocols for future workplace examination. A one-day teleconference as well as project workshops will be offered to disseminate project results.
