The South Carolina Advanced Technological Education (SC ATE) Exemplary Faculty project addresses the issue of restructuring the learning environment to prepare two-year technical college students to compete in today's high performance global marketplace. The specific goal is to create a cadre of exemplary faculty teams for the express purpose of implementing innovative research-based advanced technological education practices across the SC Technical College System. The major objectives are to: (1) Develop and implement a comprehensive Faculty Development Program for ATE that addresses faculty development needs in advanced technological education content, effective pedagogy, and assessment of student learning outcomes; (2) Develop, pilot test, and implement research-based curricular reform in advanced engineering technology programs; and (3) Evaluate implementation processes and materials and disseminate successful processes and products at the local, state, and national levels. Methods include involving interdisciplinary faculty teams from across the sixteen colleges in intensive professional development activities; implementing a system-wide electronic communications system based on the concept of a physical conference room; and instituting project-based peer teams to design and implement new curriculum materials and instructional strategies. The primary target audience is mathematics, physical science, engineering technology and communications faculty members. Collaborative partners include Clemson University and the National Dropout Prevention Center at Clemson, the SC State Department of Education (SSI and Tech Prep Programs), SC ETV, the Academy for Educational Development, and the Virginia Community College System. This project represents an innovative approach to systemic reform in professional development and seeks to coalesce the strengths of individual faculty members into a unified effort to move the entire system forward in advanced technolo gical education practices.
