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.

We want the ATE Central Connection to be a valuable tool; please e-mail info@atecentral.net with any suggestions about how to make the ATE Central Connection more useful for you or to suggest any information you would like to see in an upcoming issue.

In This Issue

Information and Communications Technologies

From NCAT:

DRONETECH Geospatial Applications Session 1.1

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiK_8xsxfpM

This is the first video session in the DroneTech Educator Workshop: Drones and Geospatial Applications series provided by the National Center for Autonomous Technologies. In this presentation, Ben Richason introduces the workshop series, and its objective to develop practical application of drone and geospatial application in enhancing STEM education. Some of the goals of this workshop include illustrating concepts of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and the different kinds of sensors used, and showing how to create lesson plans that use UAS technologies. This presentation runs for 12:57 minutes in length. Additional videos in the series are available to view separately.

From National Cybersecurity Training and Education (NCyTE) Center:

Flying, Floating, Rolling Computers and Networks

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqo6D48pTYA

This video, from the National Cybersecurity Training and Education (NCyTE) Center, defines two key terms - Information Communication Technologies and Cyber-Physical Systems and their relationship to "flying, floating, rolling computers". The video "provide[s] an overview as to how the skills and knowledge students learn in their cybersecurity, information technology, or associated programs, can serve as the basis for jobs outside of ... normal computer administrator or technician position[s]." In particular, an introduction is provided "to modern aircraft, ships, and automobiles, all of which consist of "physical systems' relying on information communication technologies (ICT)." The video runs 12:15 minutes in length.

From National Convergence Technology Center (CTC):

Understanding the Impact of Edge Computing in the United States

atecentral.net/downloads/12079/Webinar+Understanding+the+Impact.mp4

This presentation, provided by the National Convergence Technology Center (CTC) as part of a special webinar presentation to the Convergence College Network (CCN) community of practice, gives an overview of technical trends and practices related to teaching and understanding edge computing. During the presentation, Gregory Newman from Collin College, covers market drivers, business value, mobile edge computing service scenarios, deployment scenarios, data center deployment, and more. This recorded presentation runs 24:26 minutes in length. PDF presentation slides are also included.

Community Connection

Select Open Educational Resources

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically demonstrated the barriers that many students and teachers still face in accessing quality educational materials. It has also spurred many in education to call for making more resources openly available. Open Educational Resources (OER) are digital or non-digital learning resources placed in the public domain or released under open licenses that allow for unrestricted use, distribution, access, and adaptation.

In a recent ATE Impacts blog post, we highlight projects, organizations, and materials that relate to OER. We hope that these resources can be valuable for educators in the ATE community and that they will be shared widely with students, colleagues, or anyone else who might benefit. We share resources including Connect OER, Open Pedagogy Notebook, Open Geography Education, and others. Find the full list and details about each resource in the blog.

Do you have additional OER that you would like to share with the ATE community? We would love to hear from you! Just email info@atecentral.net!

ATE Success Tips: Social Media

Ephemeral Content

Ephemeral content is temporary, fleeting media that is only accessible or relevant for a brief period. The most prominent examples are “stories” on platforms such as Instagram that disappear after 24 hours. Other examples might include posts promoting upcoming live events or applications with a firm deadline. This is in contrast to evergreen content, which remains relevant over longer time periods.

Why should ATE projects and centers consider including ephemeral content in their social media strategies? The short-lived nature of ephemeral content makes it exciting and urgent, which can be useful for increasing audience engagement on social media platforms. Video marketing has become prominent in recent years, and many audiences, especially younger audiences such as college students, find ephemeral content more appealing.

To plan when and how to post ephemeral content, consider the following checklist:

  • Decide whether to share more videos or more images. This tactic may change depending on what you're marketing, but having an idea of which kind of media to push more will support your project or center's "brand."
  • Post regularly to get the most engagement from your audience. Not only is it a good idea to do this to interact with your audience more, but it will give you an estimate of when people are more likely to engage.
  • Have fun! Ephemeral content is meant to be a more informal way of connecting to your audience.

The NSF Facebook page demonstrates effective use of ephemeral content within the scope of STEM and ATE. For more ideas on how to market your project or center with social media, check out the ATE Central Outreach Kit.

Did You Know?

Student retention rate (the percentage of first-year students who return to the same institution for a second year) is a key metric for community colleges. A new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center suggests that retention continues to be a major challenge, as retention rates in the community college sector fell by 2.1 points, to 51.6%.

The report also showed across-the-board declines in student persistence rate, which measures the percentage of first-year students who return for a second year at any institution.

To learn more or understand the methodology behind the data, read the full report: Persistence and Retention: Fall 2019 Beginning Cohort.

Select STEM Education Resources

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

Education in Chemistry

edu.rsc.org/eic/

Chemistry instructors at a variety of levels may be interested in Education in Chemistry, the web version of a magazine for teachers published by the Royal Society of Chemistry. Here, readers can view all of the magazine's articles and digital resources published since 2007. Content is organized into three main sections: classroom, which offers teaching tips and resources such as videos; staffroom, where readers will find career and administrative advice; and science, which offers articles on contemporary chemistry applications and contexts to help pique students' interest, many of which also include classroom resources. Visitors can also search the site by keyword, browse by topic, or view content by magazine issue. It should be noted that after viewing a few articles, full access to Education in Chemistry's online content requires registration for a free account, which also enables the reader to create their own library of favorite articles.

AACC: 21st Century Center

www.aacc21stcenturycenter.org

This excellent website from the American Association for Community Colleges (AACC) provides a range of thought provoking articles, discussions, and reports. Beyond scouting the homepage, which features some of the site's Latest Stories and Latest Opinions, readers may search by Topics, Recommendations, and Resources. Topics include relevant examinations of Completion (how to help students complete degrees and certificates), College Readiness, Opinions, and other topics. The Resources tab is also packed with helpful research, toolkits, videos, and webinars that can be read or watched online for free. The AACC 21st Century Center is a hub of information for educators, parents, and students interested in community college education.

BBC Skillswise

www.bbc.co.uk/teach/skillswise

In 2001, the BBC created Skillswise, a free online tool developed to assist adult learners and adult educators on topics of English literacy and math. On this website, visitors will find resources that may be of interest to Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) instructors, mathematics instructors, General Equivalency Diploma (GED) or High School Equivalency Test (HiSET) instructors, and instructors in certain community college programs. Resources include videos, dictionaries, online quizzes, worksheets, and interactive online activities. Visitors can browse sources by topic. In the Job Skills section, instructors can find resources about the English and math skills needed for job interviews and searches, as well as resources about specific vocations, including Nursing, Child Care, Construction, Manufacturing, and IT work, to name just a few.

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
Mfg Overcoming Software and Hardware Development Challenges in the New Mobility Era Online
Mfg Operational Safety Assessment Metrics for Automated Driving System-Operated Vehicles: SAE J3237 Online
Eng Solar Design Using Helioscope Online
Gen Creating Workforce Pathways to Livable Wage Work Online
– Bio/Chem NABT Professional Development Conference Atlanta, GA
– Gen Accessing Higher Ground 2021 Denver, CO
Gen Mapping Pathways to Transfer Online
Eng Winter is Coming: How AI Predicts Slippery Road Conditions and Enables Automated Driving Online
Eng Scaling Up Virtual ECU Testing and Validation Online
– Info NICE K12 Cybersecurity Education Conference Online
– Mfg ITS America 2021 Annual Meeting Charlotte, NC
Gen Evaluation Methods Online
– Eng Photonics West 2022 San Francisco, CA

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

EPILOGUE Project Releases Findings on the Legacy of ATE Centers

The recently completed two-year study “Exploring Past Investment in Learning through Grant-funded Undergraduate Advanced Technology Education Centers (EPILOGUE)” released its comprehensive report earlier this year. The project sought to investigate the legacy of ATE centers, including the ideas, innovations, knowledge, and products developed by each center and how these continue to evolve and be employed in instructional settings.

The findings in the report draw on interviews, archival documents, and public information from 10 ATE centers. Among the key findings, six major themes emerged: partnerships, team formation, leadership characteristics, creating an independent organization, the role of the National Visiting Committee, and the use of data and external evaluation.

Read the full report for more detailed findings and visit the project homepage for case studies, resource sheets, and other information.

AccessATE Tip Sheet: Workplace Accommodations and Safety for Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing Employees

Potential employees often express concerns about accommodations or safety when hiring students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Read through this Workplace Accommodations and Safety for Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing Employees tip sheet from DeafTEC and AccessATE for helpful hints and resources to prepare you to discuss these topics with industry partners and advocate for your students.

This resource covers accommodations such as Automatic Speech Recognition applications and video captioning, tips for workplace safety, and additional useful resources. Readers interested in learning more can check out this blog post on Video Captioning for Accessibility from AccessATE.

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: Accommodations & Safety for Blind & Low Vision Employees

Potential employees often express concerns about accommodations or safety when hiring students who are blind or have low vision. Read through this Accommodations & Safety for Blind & Low Vision Employees tip sheet from DeafTEC and AccessATE for helpful hints and resources to prepare you to discuss these topics with industry partners and advocate for your students.

This resource covers accommodations such as assistive technology and accessible materials, tips for workplace safety, and additional useful resources. Readers interested in learning more can check out this blog post on Assistive Technologies for Blind & Low Vision Employees from AccessATE.

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.

Call for Submissions for New ATE Journal

The Journal of Advanced Technological Education (J ATE) is a new peer-reviewed technical journal focused on technician education at community colleges. J ATE is now welcoming submissions to be published in upcoming issues. For members of the ATE community, publishing in a peer-reviewed technical journal like J ATE will be an excellent way to disseminate work, promote technical education programs, and share research with like-minded educators and the wider technical education community.

There is no cost to publish, access, and read the journal. In addition, there are no subscription or submission fees. J ATE authors are invited from ATE projects and centers, community college faculty, university education researchers, and industry personnel. Our target audience will include community and technical college faculty and staff, as well as K-12 educators, industry members, and those readers with interests in micro-nano technology and related fields, NSF ATE, and technician education. The journal is supported by the Micro Nano Technology Education Center (MNT-EC) with participation from InnovATEBIO (The National Center for Bio Technologies), the National Center for Autonomous Technologies (NCAT), and the National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing.

J ATE will include:

  • Articles and short communications on a variety of topics relevant to teaching and learning in technician education at all levels. This will include innovative pedagogical methods and related research.
  • Articles that demonstrate new educational activities, lab experiments, instructional methods and pedagogies that can be adopted in community and technical colleges.

 

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.

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