Board # 105 : Developing a Pipeline for Students from Rural High Schools into Engineering Technology and Mechatronics at a Two-Year College (NSF-ATE Projects)

Abstract

Abstract This poster session showcases the successful efforts by Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College to develop pathways for students from rural high schools in South Carolina into post-secondary programs in STEM in the areas of engineering technology and mechatronics. The College has received three National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education (NSF-ATE) awards since 2007. Each of these awards has included as at least one objective related to establishing pathways into the STEM programs at the College. The projects which included extensive collaboration and articulation agreements with K-12 systems in the region were: 1) Diverse Engineering Pathways: Curriculum Innovation and Best Practice for Recruitment, Retention and Advancement of Engineering Technology Majors 2) Curriculum Infusion: A Modular and Online Approach to Train Renewable Energy Technicians and K-12 Teachers 3) Advanced Technological Education in Robotics and Automated Manufacturing Program (ATE-RAMP) The first project involved developing pathways utilizing dual enrollment from Project Lead the Way (PLTW) courses in the area high schools into the Engineering Technology programs at the College. The second project developed and made available alternative energy modules to both secondary schools and colleges. These modules could be incorporated into existing courses or used as components of an alternative energy course. The current project includes professional development in robotics for K-12 teachers, summer camps for middle and high school students, and the development of two courses in robotics that are components of the Middle College curriculum and the College’s Mechatronics program. Specific details of the pathways established or enhanced by each of the projects will be presented during the poster session along with descriptions of outreach activities and metrics showing the success of each project. Resources to be shared include models of curriculum pathways, programs of study, examples of Middle College programs with connections to STEM education both at the College and at the state and regional level. Information on the e-learning platform that is hosted by the College to provide statewide access to the materials and the system used for producing the online courses will also be shared.