| NSF Org: |
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | August 14, 2010 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | August 14, 2010 |
| Award Number: | 1003297 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Connie Della-Piana
cdellapi@nsf.gov (703)292-5309 DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | August 15, 2010 |
| End Date: | July 31, 2015 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $1,200,000.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $1,200,000.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
506 S WRIGHT ST URBANA IL US 61801-3620 (217)333-2187 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
506 S WRIGHT ST URBANA IL US 61801-3620 |
| Primary Place of Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Advanced Tech Education Prog |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
The multi-method multi-site targeted research project examines the Applied Baccalaureate (AB) degree within the context of technician education as supported by the Advanced Technological Education Program. The AB degree is a new phenomenon in post-secondary education that allows courses from a terminal applied associate-level degree to transfer directly into a baccalaureate-level degree in STEM. The AB degree provides another avenue to strengthen the accessibility and availability of post secondary education in advanced technology and to meet the growing need for a robust advanced technological workforce in STEM. Intellectual Merit: The targeted research study is designed to bridge the gap between theory and practice in technician education by the inclusion of the Advanced Technological Education program community in fine turning the research design (to include questions, analyses, and focus on utilization) and in conducting the research. To increase the utilization of findings from this targeted research project, selected principal investigators of ATE centers and projects are members of the research team. The set of research questions is sufficiently broad to provide a national picture of AB degree programs and targeted to provide a nuanced picture of AB degree programs and efforts in the context of ATE funded centers and projects. The three-phase study design provides a wide bandwidth complemented by in-depth rich descriptions of individual sites. The project draws on previous work on the AB degree by the principal investigator and a broad network of interested parties that include community colleges and ATE centers and project. Broader Impact: Of particular relevance to technician education is the extent to which AB degree programs enroll populations historically underserved by STEM. The resulting findings have the potential to contribute to the research literature on technician education, the viability of AB degree programs in post-secondary education in STEM, the contributions of community colleges in the development of a robust technician workforce in STEM associated with these types of degree programs, and the opportunities and challenges facing the development of AB degree programs that interface with technician education.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Applied baccalaureate (AB) degrees are a growing phenomenon in postsecondary education that deserve greater attention. These degrees are designed to articulate with applied associate’s degrees, historically considered terminal, and provide a mechanism for technicians to progress to the bachelor's level and receive training to help meet workforce demands. Successful AB degree programs are highly aligned with workforce needs, making them a potentially critical factor to help grow the economy. Federal and state policymakers are paying close attention to the community college as an economic driver, with emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. This National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education (NSF-ATE) research documented AB degree programs offered at the community college and university levels in the United States, showing how the programs have been implemented, how various stakeholder groups percieve of them, and how little evaluation has been done to evaluate impact. Publications produced by this research project detail the adoption and implementation of AB policies and programs in 7 regions of the United States, including states that have changed state statute to allow community colleges to award baccalaureate degrees. AB degree programs are documented in Information Technology, Computer Science, Cyber Security, Biotechnology Sciences, Energy, and other fields that are increasingly important to the U.S economy. A 250-page case study report provides rich description of how these programs operate in diverse geographic regions of the country. Lessons learned about evaluation designs that can be used to evaluate mpact are articulated in a 50-page report on outcomes evaluation of applied baccalaureate degree programs. Numerous other papers, publications and presentations produced over the life of the grant are available on the project website at: http://occrl.illinois.edu/projects/nsf_applied_baccalaureate/
Last Modified: 10/28/2015
Modified by: Debra D Bragg
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