Thank you so much Elaine! I really appreciate your feedback and kind words. We are very excited to be able to offer these credit pathways for students who have earned valuable industry-related credentials. 

Hi Gerhard,

Thank you for the excellent questions. We actually work quite closely with industry as we enhance our current programs and develop new ones. In addition to our engineering technology program, we collaborated with Dow Chemical to implement an Advanced Technology major that fulfills the requirements for students who are seeking national apprenticeships. This major does not have the mathematical rigor of engineering technology major, but includes the mathematics necessary for industry jobs as was specified by Dow. Both majors also include business courses and employability skills training. Both majors were reviewed by our industry advisory board before sending them to the curriculum committee. We communicate with our Industry Advisory Board throughout the year. They send us their employee needs, and we ask them questions on how we can better prepare our students for work at their companies.

Math is continually a barrier to success for many students in these majors. We are very dedicated to assuring the best possible learning experience in math for our students. Students who do not achieve the appropriate math level have the chance to polish up their skills using an online platform called Aleks, and then retake the exam. We also have an online fast Track math course that allows a student to brush up on the skills that they need to reinforce to achieve a higher math level. We have an Academic Success Center where we offer both face to face and online tutoring. A students chooses which modality is best for them. In addition, we have a STEM Learning Center where faculty are available for students if they need help in our STEM subjects. We offer a lot of support for our students in our credit programs that help to streamline their path to success. 

This is a wonderful student support structure with an exemplary communication with industry!  I would like to join the conversation about math and its challenges in our contemporary world.  I am curious to know if you have identified other areas that are particularly challenging for students in both majors.  

Hi Carmen,

This is a very interesting question. Math is our greatest challenge with many of our students who seek STEM majors. Another issue we have found with respect to the math is that many students have trouble applying the math to word problems such as those in physics ad engineering. Strategies to help with this include writing down what you are given and what you need to find. Making a chart to see what the missing quantity is. Writing down the formulas to be able to better identify the equation(s) needed to solve a problem. Multistep or multi concept problems are also a very big challenge for many students. 

Yes, we have identified other challenges for many students. We have found that students are afraid of failure and have a hesitancy to address open ended problems. Failure, troubleshooting, and fixing are the essence of engineering and engineering technology. Fear is a big factor with some students not being able to apply the math to word problems. They are afraid to start! We have developed presentations on addressing fear of failure, and how to make students more comfortable with failing and fixing. I emphasize in my laboratory classes that failure is part of the process of completing the lab, and that they are expected to troubleshoot and to devise solutions to problems. The atmosphere in my classroom is welcoming, and I expect students to ask questions. Students work in teams and solve problems together, and I make sure they have fun. I am so happy to see their faces when something doesn't work and they figure out how to fix it, and then get the correct measurement or output. I tell my students to document everything, and that I want to see their thinking. 

Students also have problems visualizing in some of the engineering and engineering tech. courses that require spatial skills. I have conducted research into how early spatial development is connected to self-efficacy, and encourages STEM careers. This is another very important area to address at the K-12 level. 

Hello Majd! Thank you for your question. Here is a reference to a paper we published on teaching students in a remote world. 

Delahanty, C., Herring, S., Timby, T.A., & Genis, V. (2021, July), Education in a Remote World: Focus on Workforce Readiness. Paper presented at 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual Conference. https://peer.asee.org/37002

We presented this at the 2021 ASEE conference, and our flexibility with respect to different modalities was inspired by the pandemic. 

Our workforce development certification programs were taught in a hybrid format that is discussed in our paper. This worked out very well with the lecture part taught in an online format, and the hands-on training part taught face to face. We were very careful with protocol too during the pandemic to keep everyone safe. The outcomes were very successful as the job placement rate of > 90% was the same for totally face to face and for the hybrid format. 

Thanks so much Aileen! We will present our model at the 2022 ASEE Conference NSF Grantees poster session. Our poster includes details on the credit curriculum where students can apply their workforce development certifications. 

Here is a reference that we published on our model. We presented this at the 2020 ASEE Conference:

Delahanty, C. M., Genis, V., Herring, S., & Timby, T. A. (2020, June), Enhancing Workforce Readiness of Engineering Technicians Paper presented at 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual On line . 10.18260/1-2—34579

Hi Margie! Thanks for the feedback. The non-credit certification programs in metalwork training and industrial maintenance are approximately 8 weeks long. The placement rate in industry for graduates is >90%. These students can also earn 12 college credits for these programs. The associate degrees in engineering technology and advanced technology are 61-62 credits.  The associates degree program is designed to be completed in two years. However, it may take longer if the student needs to take prerequisite courses or they go part time. Some employers also offer to pay tuition, so that is an added benefit to these graduates. 

We have articulation agreements with several four year institutions for engineering technology, and are updating these agreements as part of our ATE grant. As part of this, we will investigate the certification programs and how they might transfer into the four year schools to allow for a seamless transition. 

Hi Maia,

Thank you for your feedback and excellent questions. Not surprisingly, we have found that math is a big barrier to success for our students. Students in the workforce development programs are offered the math necessary to succeed in their certification program. They are monitored throughout the program to assure that they are successful. For the math within the credit side, I am reiterating my response to Gerhard:

Students who do not achieve the appropriate math level have the chance to polish up their skills using an online platform called Aleks, and then retake the exam. We also have an online fast Track math course that allows a student to brush up on the skills that they need to reinforce to achieve a higher math level. We have an Academic Success Center where we offer both face to face and online tutoring. A students chooses which modality is best for them. In addition, we have a STEM Learning Center where faculty are available for students if they need help in our STEM subjects. We offer a lot of support for our students in our credit programs that help to streamline their path to success. 

Also, within assignments, we make sure that students get the practice thy need with the math, and we also provide numerous resources on Canvas for them. Our faculty discuss common mathematical challenges that students face, and we reinforce those skills through discussion and assignments. 

Within laboratory within Workforce Development and our credit side, students are trained and educated utilizing instrumentation and equipment that helps to make them more workforce ready. The lab exercises require troubleshooting skills and experimentation in a positive setting. This helps to reduce their fear of failure. 

Some of our non-academic resources we have include our counseling center, disability office, career services and transfer services Depts., veterans services,  services for diversity and inclusion, and we have therapy dogs come to campus during more stressful times, such as midterm and finals weeks.

Hi Tim! Thank you for your questions! Here is a response from our Executive Director of Workforce Development, Susan Herring: 

If a student is struggling in math, we actually refer them to the college’s tutoring center. That said, our instructors will also spend extra time with the student and do all possible to increase achievement level. What helps is having two instructors working with the students - so while one is teaching the other may be able to work one on one with the student needing extra help. 

 Regarding employment, there are plenty of opportunities for students to work part-time while getting credentials. Coordinating job openings and student interest during a set timeframe is the challenge - one that is a work in progress for us.

 The employers advise on curriculum, offer tours, and then hire our graduates. However, the college also offers customized training to assist employers in upskilling their incumbent workers. In addition, the state of PA offers grant funding to employers to help offset the cost of training their employees.

We do offer stackable credentials in several forms including prior work experience, military training, high school NOCTI exams and relevant courses, and certifications, like the Center for Workforce development certifications that streamline into our engineering technology program for college credit. We also offer digital badges for a very wide variety of credentials on both the workforce development and the credit sides of the college. This provides an opportunity for students to build skills and advance or "level up" and also to display these credentials in their e-portfolio. We are still assessing the outcomes and benefits of this for students. Our Industry Advisory Board indicated that credentialing in areas relevant to what they do at their companies is valuable to them. We recently created a badge for CSWA SolidWorks training, and are developing a badge for FAA small UAS certification. 

Thanks Theresa! I really appreciate your positive feedback.

Thanks Rita! Yes, I am very excited about our collaboration with workforce development and being able to create a pathway for their students in the excellent program they have that align with local industry.