Spectrum Innovates Pathway Program: Summer 1 Curriculum

Program Description

The Spectrum Innovates Pathway Program (SIPP) was created to "address the autistic community's employment crisis and the forecast[ed] shortage of technicians in the aeronautics industry over the next twenty years." SIPP is a "prototypal transition pathway program for those on the autism spectrum who share a common passion for aeronautics." The primary goals of this program are to prepare students for success in higher education and to enter the workforce in advanced technician roles. This program is a partnership between NPF Nexus and Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology. The program runs for 12 months. There is a 6-week orientation, two academic semesters, and a 6-week residency experience.

Collection Description

This collection includes the materials for the first summer semester of the program. The summer orientation “official[ly] begins a student’s journey through the Spectrum Innovates Pathway Program. The 6-week summer semester “is designed to develop a broad skill set designed to be a foundation for [a] year-long project based educational journey …” This first summer semester includes the following three modules: Manufacturing and Workforce Skills, Computer Programming, and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Life Skills.

Collection Contents

This collection is composed of documents that were used for the SIPP summer 1 semester. A summer orientation document, curriculum, assessments, lesson notes, activity plans, project documents, documents on different advanced technology topics, presentation slides, standards, and competencies are included in this collection. 

The 25-page SIPP Summer Orientation Curriculum .pdf includes an executive summary on the program and the first summer semester of the program. A daily and weekly schedule, modules, objectives, a competency-based assessment tool, and more are included.

The Manufacturing and Workforce Skills module is intended to “develop[…] foundational skills through a maker’s perspective.” Students will begin with a safety orientation and an exploration with computer-aided design software. Semester projects include cardboard prototypes with basic linkages and mechanisms, 3D printing, plasma and laser cutting, metal machining, and more.

The next module, Computer Programming, “teaches students to code in a project-based learning environment.”

Th SEL Module “… consists of a basic introduction of concepts and skills that will be practiced and revisited throughout the entire year of SIPP.”

For orientation purposes the 1SIPP Summer 1 Curriculum.pdf is included as a separate attachment and offers a sample of the type of material included in this collection. 

Additional program, semester, innovation hub, and SEL resources are available to view separately.

Below is a list of the folders and files contained within the .zip attachment. The size of each folder and number of files is included in parenthesis. Files are listed with their file name and size in parenthesis. 

1SIPP Summer 1 Curriculum (1 folder, 23 files, 13.3 MB)

• SIPP Summer 1 Curriculum (1SIPP Summer 1 Curriculum.pdf 390 KB)
• CAD Design Lesson 1 Notes (4CAD Design Lesson 1 Notes.pdf 611 KB)
• 9-13 Orientation Activity Plans (5 files, 2MB)
  • Week 1 Orientation Activity Plans (Week 1 Orientation Activity Plans.pdf 719 KB)
  • Week 2 Orientation Activity Plans (Week 2 Orientation Activity Plans.pdf 193 KB)
  • Week 3 Orientation Activity Plans (Week 3 Orientation Activity Plans.pdf 709 KB)
  • Week 4-5 Orientation Activity Plans (Week 4-5 Orientation Activity Plans.pdf 199 KB)
  • Week 6 Orientation Activity Plans (Week 6 Orientation Activity Plans.pdf 149 KB)
• AET Framework Areas + Vaugh Competencies + Maker Roles SA (AET Framework Areas + Vaugh Competencies + Maker Roles_SA.pdf 410 KB)
• Arduino Autonomous Smart Cars (Arduino Autonomous Smart Cars.pdf 115 KB)
• CAD Class Lesson 2 Notes (CAD Class Lesson 2 Notes.pdf 195 KB)
• CAD Lesson 3 Notes (CAD Lesson 3 Notes.pdf 864 KB)
• CAD Unit Project (CAD Unit Project.pdf 97 KB)
• Computer Numerical Controls (Computer Numerical Controls.pptx 5.4 MB)
• CPX Project Work (CPX Project Work.pdf 90 KB)
• Intro to Arduino (Intro to Arduino.pdf 79 KB)
• Intro to CPX (Intro to CPX.pdf 77 KB)
• Laser Cutter - CAD to CAM, Work Practices & More (Laser Cutter - CAD to CAM, Work Practices & More.pdf 1.5 MB)
• Lesson 4 Advanced Techniques (Lesson 4 Advanced Techniques.pdf 914 KB)
• Overview of Computers and Microcontrollers (Overview of Computers and Microcontrollers.pdf 92 KB)
• SEL Orientation Topic List (SEL Orientation Topic List.pdf 75 KB)
• SEL Standards and competencies (SEL Standards and competencies.pdf 126 KB)
• Weather Station (Weather Station.pdf 71 KB)
• Workshop Woodworking Basic Skills Week One (Workshop_Woodworking Basic Skills Week One.pdf 100 KB)