Advanced Technological Education .

Welcome to the ATE Central Connection! Published the first Tuesday of each month, the ATE Central Connection is meant to disseminate information to and about ATE centers and projects, providing you with up-to-date ATE news, events, reminders, as well as highlighting new centers, projects, and resources. In addition, we will also highlight an educational topic with complementary resources found within ATE Central to help illustrate how ATE resources can be used in the classroom.

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In This Issue

General Advanced Technological Education - Teacher Preparation

From Contextualize to Learn:

Developmental Education: Lyme Disease By The Numbers

atecentral.net/downloads/12418/Barry-Lyme-Disease-Project_pdf.pdf

This resource, provided by the Contextualize to Learn project at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, is a lesson contextualized for students in the health sector. Students are provided data about Lyme Disease and asked to read graphs and tables for information, create a bar graph, use ratio and proportion for dosage calculations, provide estimation, and use order of operations in applied problems. Students perform multiplication and division on whole numbers, calculate unit rates, and reduce fractions.

From The Necessary Skills Now Network:

Webinar: Engaging Technician Faculty in Teaching Employability Skills

www.necessaryskillsnow.org/2019SRI/

This webinar, from the Necessary Skills Now Network, discusses STEM technology employability skills. The webinar shares the "findings of a multi-year research project promoting the development of STEM tech employability skills-a review of practices and needs in the ATE community, led by SRI Education and funded by the National Science Foundation." Louise Yarnall provides background information about SRI Education and then discusses the "why" and "what" of employability skills, how people learn these skills, and how to teach and learn these skills. The webinar recording runs 53:06 minutes in length. Supplemental materials are also provided and include webinar slides and a transcript.

From The Necessary Skills Now Network:

Employability Skills Resource Toolkit

www.necessaryskillsnow.org/employability-toolkit.php

This Employability Skills Resource Toolkit, provided by the Center for Occupational Research and Development, is part of the North Carolina Community College System's Code Green Super Curriculum Improvement Project (CIP). This project included more than 200 faculty members that engaged in curriculum review and revision. "As part of their work, the committee discussed the importance of teaching employability skills, identifying eight competencies as a priority for integration across the curriculum." The toolkit discusses why employability matters, provides an introduction to the teaching resources, and includes eight modules that address the identified competencies. Each module includes an overview of teamwork in the classroom, presentation materials, teaching resources, assessment tools and strategies, and videos and weblinks. Individual modules are also available to view separately.

Community Connection

Preparing for the HI-TEC 2021 Virtual Conference

Always a popular event in the ATE community calendar, the High Impact Technology Exchange Conference (HI-TEC) is a national conference on advanced technological education where secondary and postsecondary educators, counselors, industry professionals, trade organizations, and technicians can update their knowledge and skills. Charged with preparing America's skilled technical workforce, the event focuses on the preparation needed by the existing and future workforce for companies in the high-tech sectors that drive our nation's economy.

Due to public health concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, HI-TEC 2021 will be held virtually this year. The conference will take place on Wednesday and Thursday, July 21-22, starting at noon EDT. The virtual conference will feature live keynotes and panels, as well as a variety of "on-demand" pre-recorded sessions that will be available for six months after the conference. Participants will need to register (either individually or as an institution) to access the live virtual sessions and "on-demand" content.

Highlights of this year's event include keynote addresses by industry leaders, one on each day of the conference. The first keynote speaker is Mark Maybury, who as Chief Technology Officer from Stanley Black & Decker manages a team across the company's businesses and functions and advises on technological threats and opportunities. The second speaker is Jessica Gomez, Founder, President, and CEO of Rogue Valley Microdevices who has gone on an inspiring journey from homeless teen to CEO of a microelectronics firm.

For further details about the conference, including the featured panel presentations and registration information, check out the ATE Impacts Blog post and visit the HI-TEC website.

ATE Success Tips: Outreach

Creating a Brand that Effectively Conveys Your Mission

Outreach and dissemination are key aspects of increasing broader impacts for NSF grants, but when done without careful consideration of what you want to communicate about your center or project, they can lead to confusion for your audiences and stakeholders.

To do more effective outreach, it can be useful to develop a strong brand identity. Your brand is the impression that audiences get of your center or project through visual, auditory, or experiential interactions. Clear and effective branding can play a central role in solid engagement with key audiences, and building awareness of everything your center or project produces. To be effective, a brand needs to be strong, clear, and consistent over time.

Building an Effective Brand

As a first step toward building a brand, spend some time thinking about what you want your center or project to be known for and which target audience needs to hear about the work you do. Craft a mission statement to describe the activities that your center or project carries out to pursue your vision. When building your brand remember that it should be clearly associated with your center or project and contain key takeaway points -- the things you want someone to know about your work. Keep your mission in mind as you create your outreach activities to consistently build this association in the mind of your audience.

Maintaining Your Brand Identity

A brand is not a "set it and forget it" machine but something that must be strongly centered in internal and external communication. In outreach materials (whether email, social media, web, or print), consider the following questions: Does the brand seem consistent across media? Would it be understandable to someone unfamiliar with the center or project? Is there a clear action that a viewer should take, whether that is to click, share, or subscribe?

Target your branding toward the media that you think will be most effective and engaging for your audience, including social media or blogging. Set outreach priorities using SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals to develop a public persona that centers your brand and create strategic engagements with key audiences, including at networking opportunities such as High Impact Technology Exchange Conference (HI-TEC) or other conferences that you can find on the ATE Central events calendar.

Did You Know?

According to a recent paper from researchers at Columbia University and the University of California, Irvine, approximately 15% of U.S. community college students attend through high school dual enrollment (DE) programs. However, these students may negatively impact the academic success of their non-DE peers. Specifically, a 10% increase in DE enrollment in a course may drive the pass rate of non-DE students down by 2%.

The study's authors used student transcript records from a large state community college system covering the years 2012-2017 and estimated the impact with a two-way fixed effects regression model.

To learn more, read the full paper: "Happy Together? The Peer Effects of Dual Enrollment Students on Community College Student Outcomes."

Select STEM Education Resources

A few online STEM resources from outside of ATE, that you may find of interest:

Open Pedagogy Notebook

openpedagogy.org

Educators engaged in open pedagogy, or interested in becoming more engaged in the process of bringing open educational resources (OER) to their classrooms, may want to explore the Open Pedagogy Notebook. Here, visitors will find a great introduction to open pedagogy principles and examples of open pedagogy in practice. Participation is one of the pillars of OER, and the Open Pedagogy Notebook puts that into practice by welcoming user annotations throughout. For example, the What is Open Pedagogy? tab poses the questions "what are your hopes for education, particularly for higher education?" and "what challenges do your students face in their learning environments, and how does your pedagogy address them?" Readers can browse different perspectives and responses. Additionally, users are welcome to submit their own open pedagogy templates and resources. Speaking of resources, after browsing the entirety of this section, readers may want to explore the various materials currently available under the Examples tab. These materials include assignment prompts and syllabus structure ideas. Open Pedagogy Notebook is co-operated by Rajiv Jhangiani (Kwantlen Polytechnic University in British Columbia) and Robin DeRosa (Plymouth State University in New Hampshire).

Bootstrap: Data Science

www.bootstrapworld.org/index.shtml

Math, science, and technology teachers may want to bookmark this website as they begin to plan their fall curriculum. Bootstrap curates free lessons on various STEM subjects: algebra, data science, physics, and programming. Since its launch, Bootstrap's curriculum has reached more than 25,000 students per year. On the Courses page, readers will find a summary of the five available courses (including the recommended age level). After clicking on a course, readers will find links to individual lesson plans within that course (including content standards, materials, and supplemental resources). This design allows educators to use the entire curricula or mix and match lesson plans as a classroom supplement. For even more insights on the project, readers may want to explore the Blog or Workshops pages. These workshops take place across the country; though recent workshops have been cancelled due to COVID-19, Bootstrap also began offering online workshops in June 2020. A project of Brown University, Bootstrap is directed by a group of researchers and professors and receives support from the National Science Foundation, CSforALL Consortium, and CS4RI.

BioInteractive: EarthViewer

www.biointeractive.org/classroom-resources/earthviewer

From the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's extraordinary BioInteractive series comes EarthViewer: an interactive resource that allows science students to explore how the earth has changed from the Hadean Eon (approximately 4 - 4.6 billion years ago) through the present. EarthViewer may be best described as an interactive map and timeline. As users scroll across eons and eras, they can view geological and biological events emerge on a model of Earth. A toolbar along the bottom of EarthViewer allows users to view certain data points, such as oxygen levels, as a chart. Visitors can also select "In depth" in the toolbar, which offers helpful explanations about a variety of phenomena, including plate tectonics and the origin of eukaryotes. Science educators will also want to check out the teacher's tab, which offers some ideas for incorporating EarthViewer into the classroom. Visitors may access EarthViewer online via Google Chrome (version 8 or newer) or Firefox (version 4 or newer). Alternatively, visitors may also download a version of EarthViewer available for Mac or Windows computers.

Do you have some great STEM resources you'd like to share with ATE Central? Email us with your ideas at info@atecentral.net.

ATE Events

Upcoming Events
– Eng Global EV Advanced Materials & Thermal Management Online
– Ag/Env STEM Educator Virtual Solar Institute Workshop Online
– Mfg Virtual Teacher Summer Workshop Online
Info Abstract and Paper Development Workshop (PDW) Online
Info Abstract and Paper Development Workshop (PDW) Online
– Nano MNTeSIG Live! 2021 Online
– Gen HI-TEC 2021 Online
– Eng Automated and Connected Vehicles Summer Conference Dayton, OH
– Eng Drone Build Educator Workshop Schriever, LA
– Ag/Env 16th Annual VESTA Curriculum Retreat Springfield, Missouri
Gen Research on ATE Proposals Online
– Eng Drone Build STEM Camp Schriever, LA
– Bio/Chem Professional Development Courses for Biotech Educators Online
– Eng Drone "The Build" Educator Workshop Thief River Falls, MN
– Ag/Env Train-the-Trainer Workshops Detroit Lakes, Minnesota
– Eng Electric Vehicles Battery Tech USA Long Beach, CA
Gen Logic Models Online
– Info WiCyS 2021 Aurora, CO
Info National Cybersecurity Virtual Career Fair Online
– Info National Cyber Summit Huntsville, AL
Gen Evaluation Tasks Online
– Ag/Env 7th Life Discovery – Doing Science Biology Education Conference Estes Park, CO

For more events, please visit the ATE Central Events page or, if you have any upcoming events that you would like posted on ATE Central or in the ATE Central Connection, please submit them online.

To add a continuously-updated list of ATE and STEM education events to your website, use the ATE Event Widget.

News & Reminders

ATE Program Overview Brief

Did you know that in 2019 ATE grantees educated 65,000 students? ATE covers a wide range of fields, from agriculture to advanced manufacturing to cybersecurity and beyond. During its twenty-eight-year history there have been ATE projects in every state of the US.

Learn more about the ATE Program with the ATE Program Overview Brief.

AccessATE Tip Sheet: Educating the Employer

As an advocate for your students with disabilities, it can be challenging to get into discussions with potential employers about providing workplace accommodations. Check out this tip sheet from DeafTEC and AccessATE on Educating the Employer for helpful hints and resources to give employers the information they need about the benefits and requirements that come with hiring persons with disabilities.

This tip sheet covers workplace accommodations, safety, and confidentiality, and links to additional useful resources. To learn more, be sure to read the AccessATE Blog post on Common Workplace Accommodations.

AccessATE supports the work of the NSF-funded Advanced Technological Education (ATE) projects and centers in making the materials and activities they develop more accessible for all students and faculty, including those with disabilities. The project aims to increase awareness and understanding of accessibility requirements and provide guidance, tools, and support that offers solutions and helps achieve compliance with accessibility standards.

AccessATE Tip Sheet: Advocating for Student Skills

Being a good advocate for your students with disabilities when working with industry partners and employers just got a little bit easier! Check out this helpful tip sheet from DeafTEC and AccessATE on Advocating for Student Skills to find helpful hints and resources.

This tip sheet covers conversations with employers, affirming student identity, and more. To find additional resources that will help you support your disabled students, read the AccessATE blog post on Advocating for Student Skills.

AccessATE supports the work of the NSF-funded Advanced Technological Education (ATE) projects and centers in making the materials and activities they develop more accessible for all students and faculty, including those with disabilities. The project aims to increase awareness and understanding of accessibility requirements and provide guidance, tools, and support that offers solutions and helps achieve compliance with accessibility standards.

Request for Proposals: MentorLinks Colleges

The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is pleased to announce a deadline extension for its national grant competition, MentorLinks: Advancing Technological Education program, developed with the support of the National Science Foundation. MentorLinks is designed for community colleges seeking to develop or strengthen STEM technician education programs. Colleges should be interested in working with an experienced community college mentor who has successfully planned and implemented a major change in a high-technology program. MentorLinks colleges will receive $20,000 for the 2-year grant period and travel support for the project director to attend project meetings and national conferences (as permissible). The grant's primary emphasis is on valuable networking, and opportunities for technical assistance and professional development. The grant period runs October 1, 2021-November 30, 2023. For complete information and to apply by the extended deadline of July 16, please go to www.aacc.nche.edu/MentorLinks.

New ATE Impacts Book: Project Nominations Wanted

Work is beginning on the next ATE Impacts book, which will be published next February. The book features both ATE centers and select ATE projects, and we would appreciate your help in finding projects that have been doing particularly interesting and innovative work, to feature in the new book. (You can nominate your own project.)

You can see some of the projects that were included in the 2020-2021 edition here: ateimpacts.net/flipbook/20/

To nominate a project to be featured, please use the following form: www.research.net/r/projectnominations

For those of you involved with an ATE center, please note that you will be hearing from our project coordinator Ray Perry soon, as we start collecting your information for the next edition. Input from the community is key to making the book successful, and we look forward to your project nominations and participation as we put together the new publication.

Please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions. Thank you in advance for your help with this!

AccessATE Tip Sheet: Creating Accessible Presentations

During the pandemic, those of us in the ATE community find ourselves needing to give a lot of these presentations online, which adds its own set of technical challenges on top of those we already face when we present. Regardless of the content or platform, it's important that our efforts be made accessible, in order to reach as many people as possible. This helpful tip sheet from the National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) and AccessATE offers guidance on creating accessible presentations.

This tip sheet covers accessibility in the process of crafting presentations, as well as delivering talks and best practices for accessibility following the event. To find additional resources that will help your team ensure accessibility, read the AccessATE blog post on Creating Accessible Presentations.

AccessATE supports the work of the NSF-funded Advanced Technological Education (ATE) projects and centers in making the materials and activities they develop more accessible for all students and faculty, including those with disabilities. The project aims to increase awareness and understanding of accessibility requirements and provide guidance, tools, and support that offers solutions and helps achieve compliance with accessibility standards.

AccessATE Tip Sheet: Creating Accessible Websites

The quantity and quality of online content is ever-increasing in most areas, including education. Taking extra steps to ensure your website and webpages are accessible, as this tip sheet on Creating Accessible Websites from AccessATE and NCAM describes, can make your content stand out and get it used more often by more people.

This tip sheet covers how to use headings to keep your website organized, tips for writing descriptive link text and button labels, testing websites for accessibility, and more! The sheet also links to additional resources that will help your team ensure accessibility. To learn more, read the AccessATE blog post about the Creating Accessible Websites tip sheet.

AccessATE supports the work of the NSF-funded Advanced Technological Education (ATE) projects and centers in making the materials and activities they develop more accessible for all students and faculty, including those with disabilities. The project aims to increase awareness and understanding of accessibility requirements and provide guidance, tools, and support that offers solutions and helps achieve compliance with accessibility standards.

AccessATE Tip Sheet: Creating Accessible Videos

We use videos in so many ways in the ATE community; as part of classroom and lab instruction, for recruiting students, and as part of our outreach efforts to various stakeholders. And as we all use Zoom and other online platforms for meetings and conferences, we often record those events, creating more recorded video content. So how do we ensure that everyone can utilize this great content? By considering accessibility from the beginning, which is what this helpful tip sheet from the National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) and AccessATE is all about!

This tip sheet covers best practices for creating accessible videos, from captioning to creating descriptive narration to selecting accessible video players. The tip sheet also includes links to related resources. To learn more, read the AccessATE blog post about the Creating Accessible Videos tip sheet.

AccessATE supports the work of the NSF-funded Advanced Technological Education (ATE) projects and centers in making the materials and activities they develop more accessible for all students and faculty, including those with disabilities. The project aims to increase awareness and understanding of accessibility requirements and provide guidance, tools, and support that offers solutions and helps achieve compliance with accessibility standards.

ATE Impacts 2020-2021 Book Now Available

Free print copies of the ATE Impacts book, to distribute on your campus, to your industry partners, or elsewhere can be obtained via the book request form. Interactive flipbook and electronic (PDF) versions of the ATE Impacts book are also available for viewing and download on the ATE Impacts website. Feel free to distribute copies of the virtual ATE Impacts book to campus colleagues, to your industry partners, or to other stakeholders.

ATE Central Social Media Directory

Looking to jump-start your project's or center's outreach efforts? Take some inspiration from others in the ATE community!

The ATE Central Social Media Directory offers an online compilation of all the ATE projects and centers who have social media profiles, as well as some ATE partners and collaborators. This resource provides an easy way to learn best social media practices, forge professional connections, and stay in touch with the ATE community.

For additional guidance on outreach and building a social media presence, check out the ATE Outreach Kit.

New Student Success Story Videos in the Works

As part of ATE Central's most recent funding we are looking to create a second round of our Student Success Story videos. There will be fifteen new videos in this series and we are actively looking for a diverse set of ATE students with engaging stories and successes to feature.

Do you have a student who you think might fit the bill? Fill out this short survey to tell us about them! Vox Television will be producing these new videos for the community; production will begin in late fall and continue over the next two years.

We look forward to working with you on this exciting project and featuring these and other videos from the whole community on the ATE Central portal. Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions about the video series or our other tools and services.

Would you like copies of the ATE Impacts book?

Book orders and general inquiries about ATE Impacts 2018-2019: Twenty-Five Years of Advancing Technician Education can be emailed to info@ateimpacts.net.

Archiving your deliverables with ATE Central is now easier than ever!

Upload your curriculum, professional development materials, or other deliverables created with ATE funding directly to the ATE Central resource portal via the new archive submission form.

Can CWIS software help support your project goals?

CWIS is open source software, created with NSF funding, that can help your project or center showcase resources online. It's free and very easy to use. The latest version (CWIS 4.1.1) was released on and is available for download on the Scout site. Please email cwis@scout.wisc.edu if you have any questions or would like a quick tour of its features!

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