SC ATE Center of Excellence and

1. SC ATE Center of Excellence and National Resource Center for Expanding Excellence in Technician Education Florence-Darlington Technical College

2. SC ATE Center of Excellence • To increase the quality, quantity, and diversity of Engineering Technology graduates in support of economic development • Partially funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF)

3. How Do You: • Increase enrollment, retention, and graduation rates? • Engage diverse learners and address multiple learning styles? • Improve workplace readiness skills like problem-solving, teamwork, and communications?

4. Planning Grant • Identified needs: • Faculty development • Organizational change • New approach to ET education

5. Take a different approach • Emphasize faculty development • Pay attention to learning vs. teaching • Help students make connections • Focus on what is really important • “Loosen” your hold on content coverage

6. Exemplary Faculty Project

7. Challenges SC ATE Addressed • General education prerequisites • Question: “Why am I learning this?” • Making connections across disciplines • Problem solving skills • Communication skills • Teamwork skills • Learning styles

8. SC ATE Center of Excellence – Six Years of Funding

9. SC ATE Solution • Interdisciplinary faculty coordinating teams • Problem-based learning • Mathematics, physics, communications, & technology • Student teamwork • Industry-based problems • Problems with multiple solutions • New ways to assist the under-prepared

10. SC ATE Center of Excellence Curriculum • ET Core: integrated, problem-based • Communications, physics, mathematics, & engineering technology • 3 semesters/27 credit hours • Used for all ET majors

11. Is the SC ATE Curriculum good? • SC ATE ET Core curriculum ranked 4.0 on a 0-4 scale for "its effectiveness in helping students learn the knowledge and skills and/or practices needed to be successful in the technical workplace."1 1 Evaluation Center, Western Michigan University, 2003.

12. SC ATE Center of Excellence Technology Gateway & Industrial Curricula • Technology Gateway: (1 sem.) • integrated (math, English, technology) • problem-based ► design • Industrial Core: (1 sem.) • integrated (math, English, technology) • problem-based ► maintenance

13. Technology Gateway • Integrated, multiple-disciplined, problem-based curriculum comprised of workplace scenarios • Increases the opportunity for high school students to become “college ready”

14. Technology Gateway Students

15. Retention Monograph • Data was captured and analyzed by Dr. W. Douglas Evans of Evaluation Research Associates • Key findings and recommendations have provided the basis for recruitment and retention strategies for SC ATE • Recommended expanded industry involvement

16. SC ATE Industry Consortium • Supports marketing and recruitment efforts for Engineering Technology programs • “Grow Your Own” approach to finding the best students • Industry pays consortium dues and pays tuition and books not covered by Financial Aid

17. SC ATE Scholars • 75 Students have received tuition, books and wages totaling almost $400,000 since program’s inception • Scholar/interns are paid $10/ hour (5/1/08) • All classes on Monday-Wednesday-Friday to allow students to work all day on Tuesday and Thursday

18. “A Win for Students, Companies and The School” • “Nan Ya greatly appreciates the student’s cooperation, dependability and contribution to the company. The students’ drive for more knowledge and perfection has been inspiring to many.” • Clarence Davis, ATE Scholar Mentor, Nan Ya Plastics

19. Fast Track to ET Project • Reduced time to graduation • Credit hour reduction • New marketing and recruitment strategies • Business & Industry Liaison position created • Visits to High School math and science classes • ET Career Ambassadors model developed

20. SC ATE Center of Excellence • SC ATE National Resource Center for Expanding Excellence in Technician Education (EEITE) – 2nd NRC • Major partner – National Dropout Prevention Center at Clemson University • Partnering with two Georgia High Schools and three Two-year Colleges to offer the Technology Gateway curriculum

21. Technology Gateway at the High School Level • White County High School • Targets students who have failed the Math or Science portion of the GA HS Graduation exit exam • First semester results – 80% pass rate on Math/Science graduation exit exams • Stephens County High School Fall 2008 implementation

22. Technology Gateway at the Community College Level • Asheville-Buncombe Technical & Community College, NC • Ben Franklin Institute of Technology – Boston, MA • Wayne Community College, NC

23. Ben Franklin Institute of Technology – Boston, MA • SC ATE Center Exploratory Partner • Implemented Technology Gateway through their TechSMART program after a site visit to SC ATE in South Carolina • 34 students entered the 22-week long TechSMART program; 23 completed the program and matriculated to a two-year program at Ben Franklin Institute of Technology

24. Ben Franklin Institute of Technology • Implemented the Technology Gateway curriculum this fall in the Department of Academic Development for new BFIT students • Applied for and has received grant funding from ATE through “Small Grants for Institutions New to ATE”

26. A new approach to connecting providers of faculty development to those seeking faculty development • 123 events posted since launch • 92 events currently posted • 285 registered users to date

29. SCATE Inc. • 501(c)(3), not-for-profit corporation • Material sales • Project Evaluation • Curriculum Development • Technical and Grant writing assistance

30. Future Initiatives Future Initiatives?

31. Elaine Craft, President/CEO SCATE Inc. & Director, SC ATE Center of Excellence Florence-Darlington Technical College, Florence, SC Elaine.Craft@fdtc.edu 843-676-8545 www.TeachingTechnicians.org www.scate.org