The need for engineering technicians in the United States is expected to continue to grow for the next decade. Skilled engineering technicians are a critical part of the nation's high-tech workforce. Engineering technician positions frequently require Associates Degrees in areas such as mechanical, electrical, electronics, or civil engineering. In this project, the Community College of Baltimore County will conduct a pilot in cooperation with Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) that will improve the ability of high school students to enter careers as engineering technicians. Supplemental materials will be added to a series of existing high school technology education courses that, when taken in combination, will allow a high school student to receive articulated credit for the college-level "Introduction to Engineering Technology" course offered at the Community College of Baltimore County. In this way, by pursuing a series of high school advanced technology education courses, high school students will start earning credit towards an Associates Degree in an engineering technology field. This program will also offer training for high school teachers, training for elementary, middle and high school counselors, and outreach to high school students. The project will help to broaden participation in engineering technology careers by creating a more seamless and efficient pathway from high school into technician jobs requiring an Associates Degree.
The project will utilize the existing Engineering by Design (EbD) curriculum developed by the International Technology and Engineering Education Association (ITEEA). This curriculum is used by many secondary schools throughout the United States and meets relevant STEM standards in many states. In Maryland, the EbD Foundations of Technology course is required for all ninth grade students. After taking Foundations of Technology, high school students may elect to continue the EdD curriculum and enroll in the advanced technology education courses called Advanced Design Applications (ADA) and Engineering Design (ED). The ADA and ED courses are already taught in many schools. This project will enable other community colleges and school districts to develop a set of supplemental materials for the existing ADA and ED courses that will enable high school student taking the required Foundations of Technology course and the two elective advanced technology education courses to receive credit for the first college course in the Associates Degree in Engineering Technology at the community college. Since the ITEEA Engineering by Design curriculum is widely used throughout the state of Maryland and across the country, the potential exists to expand this approach statewide and across the nation. The project team will begin to develop collaborations outside of Maryland to propagate this model to other states.
The project also includes other activities integral to achieving the goal of broadening participation in engineering technology careers. A training program for school counselors is being developed to better able them to encourage students, especially those from underrepresented groups, to enroll in this series of technology courses with the goal of continuing education beyond high school. A professional development program will be developed for high school teachers concerning effective use of the supplementary materials. An outreach program, involving engineering technology students from the community colleges called Student Ambassadors, will be implemented.
The evaluation of this project will yield data concerning the potential of using a high school technology curriculum aligned with a college-level engineering technology program to increase the number and diversity of high school students pursuing two or four-year degrees in engineering technology. Evaluation will provide a baseline assessment of skills and content needs for high school teachers who will teach the new articulated technology classes. Measurements will be made of teacher learning, satisfaction, and confidence related to teacher professional development activities. The annual number of teachers participating in professional development activities will be monitored along with demographic data. Annual benchmarks will track implementation of the new curriculum in participating schools: number of courses offered, number of students enrolled, as well as teacher self-reported developments. Evaluation will consider assessments of high school student knowledge, interest, and attitudes toward engineering technology studies and careers in participating schools. Measurements will be taken at baseline, during, and after the project. Measurement of impacts will include the number of two-year/four-year articulations and transfer pathways at baseline, during, and after the project. The goal of increasing the number of students in engineering technology programs will be assessed through measurements of the number of college students enrolled in the engineering technology programs at the participating 2-year institutions who utilized the articulated credit at baseline, during, and after the project.
