| NSF Org: |
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | May 27, 2010 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | May 27, 2010 |
| Award Number: | 1003709 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Elizabeth Teles
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education EHR Direct For Education and Human Resources |
| Start Date: | August 1, 2010 |
| End Date: | July 31, 2012 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $149,940.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $149,940.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
Route 5 Box 167a Parkersburg WV US 26101-9577 (304)424-8000 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
Route 5 Box 167a Parkersburg WV US 26101-9577 |
| 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
Strong general education core is considered vital to both liberal arts and technical programs. The Infusing GeN-ed Into Technical Education (IGNITE) Project assumes that, with thoughtful and collaborative practices, skill based and conceptual competencies identified within the general education core courses can be successfully infused into a variety of technical programs. This infusion allows students to learn and apply the competencies of the general education core in a hands-on, technical environment, while meeting degree requirements in a manner that is timely and relevant to their needs, ultimately increasing retention rates.
Intellectual Merit: The long-term goal of this project is to increase the conceptual knowledge, retention and persistence of Applied Technology students with the infusion of general education competencies into the technical programs at the college and programs at community college partners. The immediate objective of this project is to advance efforts at the college to infuse mathematics competencies into the welding curriculum by refining the model at the college, testing it at a partnering institution, and fully evaluating it for possible expansion into other general education and technology programs. By effectively infusing general education mathematics competencies into the curriculum of the welding curriculum, students are persisting longer and have a more anchored knowledge base because of interest and relevance.
Broader Impacts: Project IGNITE is the first effort at general education infusion within the West Virginia Community and Technical College System. It meets the needs of students, the community, and industry and is being supported and monitored by the system for future implementation across the state. Literature to support the infusion of general education in technical programs has begun to appear, but there is still a great need to develop and evaluate processes that effectively accomplish it. IGNITE has the potential to outline a model on how to incorporate required general education competencies into technical programs of study in a manner that encourages learning best suited to the needs of students enrolled in hands-on, skill based technical programming.
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.
| WVU Parkersburg IGNITE “Infusing General Education into Technical Education” Project Outcomes Report (POR) A Project administered by West Virginia University at Parkersburg National Science Foundation ATE grant award # 1003709
The IGNITE Project was implemented at two sites: WVU Parkersburg and Sierra College, CA. Outcomes for both sites are reported below:
Outcomes: WVU Parkersburg, WV The goal of the project was to infuse mathematics competencies into welding courses. Students enroll in two welding courses that include the math skills that are equivalent to the math outcomes needed for the required college-level Shop Math course. If the students are successful on the posttest, they are given credit for the required math course. Results from WVU Parkersburg include a small sample size due to the changes in the welding program during the project and changes in personnel. However, initial results indicate that the students in the IGNITE groups scored higher on the final exam than welding students enrolled in the traditional required Shop Math course. Summary Comparison scores are indicated in the chart below: |
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Outcomes: Sierra College, CA
Both the infused mathematics and control group were given a pre?test on the first day of class, and a posttest at the end of the semester. The attached graphs include a comparison, question?by?question, of student performance on both tests. It is clear from the results that the infused math group performed significantly better than the control group.
Sixty?seven percent of students in the infused mathematics WT?10 class completed the math worksheets on a regular basis. From the results of the post?test, these worksheets clearly improved the math skills of the infused mathematics group.
The following results were determined from a student survey given a...
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