| NSF Org: |
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | June 13, 2019 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | July 17, 2020 |
| Award Number: | 1902337 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Virginia Carter
vccarter@nsf.gov (703)292-4651 DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | June 15, 2019 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2022 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $295,161.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $295,161.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
1801 N Kansas Ave Liberal KS US 67901-2054 (316)624-1951 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
1801 N. Kansas Ave. Liberal KS US 67901-2054 |
| 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
Seward County Community College will expand its current Corrosion Technology (CT) program into an online instructional mode that increases access to CT courses for two-year college students and industry workers needing a certification or a degree. This will fill the need of industry for qualified CT workers and build a career-ready workforce in this important sector. The field of corrosion technology is vital for supporting U.S. infrastructure and combating corrosion and decay in the nation's energy storage tanks and plants, energy distribution pipelines, highway and bridge supports, ports and waterways, docks, and military equipment and facilities. Only three colleges in the nation offer CT programs and online instruction will increase the reach of this program by using cutting-edge learning systems to convey the latest methods in virtual instruction. This educationally innovative project will bring a successful brick-and-mortar program online with the intention of scaling it to serve a national industrial need in a field of critical importance.
Corrosion is a substantial expense in the U.S. economy and consumes more than 6% of Gross Domestic Product. Qualified corrosion technicians are in high demand, but supply is limited due to the small number of national programs in this field. This online corrosion technology program will use a hybrid BlendFlex delivery model that will allow students to attend courses in-person, in a remote synchronous manner, or asynchronously as their schedule demands. This hybrid model will provide new students the flexibility and allow incumbent technicians to learn as they work in the field. Students will follow a rigorous curriculum that integrates hands-on training with theoretical understanding and incorporates the latest advances in the field. This will allow the project to increase the number of qualified corrosion technicians and provide an innovative approach that meets the needs of industry nationwide.
This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy.
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.
Seward County Community College's (SCCC) Corrosion Expansion Project completed the conversion of the Corrosion Program Master classes from traditional face-to-face instruction into Blend Flex/Online classes. The classes have been through the SCCC Distance Learning Review Process and have been found compliant.
In support of Goal 2, "Build program enrollments to capacity in the Corrosion Technology program", SCCC had dedicated significant planning to redirect Goal 2 activities to a more manageable regional (rather than national) perspective and had specific plans for Goal 2 activities that were a) Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) goals b) more "cohort" focused, and c) be achievable in (an anticipated) Year 4 No-Cost Extension. However, SCCC Administration and the PI have decided to not seek a full year No-Cost Extension but opted for a 3-month extension to close the project out as of August 31, 2022. SCCC will be forming a "Grant Management Committee" to focus on which grants more strategically are most achievable to meet the most aligned strategic priorities of the school and will revisit ATE funding in no less than one year.
SCCC has spent ~$16,800 of grant money dedicated to lab/equipment purchases that the Co-PI created purchase orders for (which was supported by the Business and Industry Leadership Team Chair) to support lab needs moving forward.
In the past year, the grant was able to set aside $10,000 for students to be able to take Cathodic Protection 1 (CP1) certification exams. To date, 5 students have benefited from this. Additionally, $20,000 for 20 more students to receive $1000 off the $1800 cost of future CP1 exams has been encumbered for future students to receive.
Perhaps the most significant results are in regard to Goal 1: Increase the number of qualified Corrosion Technology workers in the region. The number of students who have received internships and/or jobs has improved greatly because of this grant! During the final year of the grant, of the 16 students declaring Corrosion as their major, two students completed both the Certificate and AAS, one student competed only the certificate, and one completed only the AAS (four unduplicated students); five students took the CP1 Exam this year, and four passed it to date (one has up to one year to complete); and of the 10 students that were in the program for the last semester of the year, 9 of them received internships and/or job offers. The one student not receiving a job or internship is the only first year student in the group, so it is appropriate to say that 9/9, or 100%, of second year students received internships or jobs.
Last Modified: 08/31/2022
Modified by: James L Hyder
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