| NSF Org: |
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education |
| Recipient: |
|
| Initial Amendment Date: | August 21, 2018 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | March 17, 2020 |
| Award Number: | 1800988 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Paul Tymann
ptymann@nsf.gov (703)292-2832 DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | October 1, 2018 |
| End Date: | September 30, 2022 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $588,678.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $588,678.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
|
| History of Investigator: |
|
| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
550 E SPRING ST COLUMBUS OH US 43215-1722 (614)287-2639 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
|
| Primary Place of Performance: |
550 E. Spring Street Columbus OH US 43215-1722 |
| Primary Place of Performance Congressional District: |
|
| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
|
| Parent UEI: |
|
| NSF Program(s): | Advanced Tech Education Prog |
| Primary Program Source: |
|
| Program Reference Code(s): |
|
| Program Element Code(s): |
|
| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
This project represents a partnership with community colleges, industry, regional high schools, and universities to establish an industry-aligned pathway in cloud computing. Technology sectors have shown significant demand for cloud-certified information technology professionals. Collaboratively-developed and industry-led curriculum in cloud computing will lead to a Cloud Fundamentals Certification, stackable toward an Associate of Applied Science with Cloud Specialization. This project leverages existing collaborations among the institutions to create labs and share curriculum development best practices. The target audience for the project will be two-year college students, including veterans and incumbent workers. This project addresses the national call to increase the supply of qualified technicians proficient in cloud technology.
In a survey of Tech Chief Financial Officers, cloud computing was selected by 74% of those surveyed as the technology that had the most impact on their business in 2017. The goal of the project is to establish an industry-aligned pathway in cloud computing to increase the supply of qualified technicians with proficiency in cloud technology. Project goals will be achieved by working with industry partners who will provide expertise and guidance in curriculum design. The project will develop products that will be disseminated to other institutions including: a new industry-led curriculum in cloud computing, a cloud literacy initiative, a professional development community of practice, and an outreach plan for military veterans.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
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.
Project Summary
Reach for the Cloud: Building an Industry-Aligned Pathway to Careers in Cloud Computing Project (CLOUD) (DUE 1800988) was a collaboration between Columbus State Community College (CSCC) and Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS), industry partners, regional high schools, and partner universities. The primary goal of the project was to establish an industry-aligned pathway in cloud computing that aligned to the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification. With industry input, each institution developed an expanded curriculum in cloud computing that includes a foundational certificate for incumbent workers. The expanded curriculum was aligned to provide students the opportunity to obtain AWS certifications that are highly recognizable and valued in the workforce. Along with the new curriculum, the project developed a Cloud Literacy Initiative and a Professional Development Community of Practice to increase awareness, share best practices in cloud education, and career development. Finally, the project sought to serve underrepresented populations, specifically veterans, by developing an outreach plan that attracted active and former military into cloud technology career pathways.
Key Accomplishments
-
Curricular Updates - Curriculum development in the CLOUD grant resulted in the cloudification in many courses within Columbus State?s computer science degree programs and the creation of Northern Virginia Community College's Cloud Computing Specialization AAS and Career Studies Certificate. Students interested in cloud computing can enroll in cloud course work and become AWS Cloud Practitioner certified. Columbus State additionally created ITST 1130 - Cloud Foundations and successfully piloted the curriculum before full implementation. NOVA created three new courses, including Information Storage and Management, Virtual Infrastructure: Installation and Configuration, and Cloud Computing: Infrastructure and Services.
-
Cloud Literacy Initiative - Both Columbus State and Northern Virginia offered specialized dual enrollment courses that increased the number of students interested in cloud computing, students who complete the AWS certification, and students who continue to enroll in each institution after high school. Additionally, CSCC's Alexa Skill Builder Camp and NOVA's summer Jump Start and STEMinar series created extracurricular environments for students to engage with computer science, career navigation, and post-secondary education opportunities.
-
Professional Development Community of Practice - Professional Development was instrumental to the sustainable growth of the degree programs offered by CSCC and NOVA. Columbus State offered professional development, including several AWS bootcamps, for faculty teaching the redesigned courses to become AWS certified. NOVA focused on providing professional development to secondary education instructors to instruct on basic cloud concepts and the AWS cloud infrastructure.
-
Veteran Outreach Plan - NOVA's pilot with veteran outreach for the Cloud Computing Specialization AAS and the certificate increased enrollment and graduation within the targeted population. Additionally, the college developed mapping to integrate prior learning from veteran military experience into course credit. Following the success of NOVA's outreach, CSCC replicated efforts in the latter end of the program and has set itself for success by the grant close.
Impact
Becoming an emerging field in information technology and computer science, cloud computing has barriers due to the high cost of education and access to the necessary hardware and software. The CLOUD grant, implemented and managed by two community colleges and platformed with Amazon Web Services, has reduced the barrier of entry to this field through tailored curriculum, initiatives that drive cloud literacy and skills in both K12 education and professional development, and outreach to the local veteran population. While the work within these two programs is not complete, the grant has provided a strong foundation for successfully increasing cloud technicians within both the Central Ohio and Northern Virginia communities.
Last Modified: 12/16/2022
Modified by: John Crider
Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.
