As
the focus on next generation jobs becomes rooted in STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering, Mathematics) one question remains: are all students on the same
page in terms of STEM proficiency? Do minorities, economically disadvantaged,
or students from rural communities have access to same resources as their peers
who hail from communities with better graded schools? To level the playing
field, the Technological Education for the Rural Community (TERC) project is
addressing the need to improve STEM education in rural communities.
Similar
to FLATE, TERC is a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Advanced
Technological
Education (ATE) project that advances innovative pathways for technical
education at the community college level. Its emphasis, however, lies in serving
rural communities. Working with Hopkinsville Community College (HCC), which is
part of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, TERC currently
serves Christian, Todd, Trigg, and Caldwell counties in southern Kentucky
including Ft. Campbell and Montgomery counties in Tennessee. The region is home
to over 70 manufacturing entities that consistently face difficulty hiring
qualified employees to fill technical positions.
Contingent
on securing funding from NSF, TERC is
set to begin working on targeted objectives by summer
2014. Access to school
for the rural students, poor academic preparation primarily in mathematics, and
awareness of STEM fields open to minorities and women are three identified
hindrances to higher education. Of the three, access and low mathematics
comprehension are two educational barriers that will primarily be addressed by
TERC.
Sherry McCormack, assistant professor at HCC says the
TERC will develop and implement conduits for rural students and traditionally
underrepresented groups to enter technical fields. This will be accomplished by
utilizing portable, personalized instructional methods to facilitate remedial
coursework success with contextualization of materials. Hybridization will
incorporate problem based learning scenarios based on industry-centric curriculum
relevant to highly technical workplaces. Didactic content will be delivered via
the Internet and preloaded on portable media, while lab work will be
facilitated through one-on-one instruction in an open lab environment.
To
incorporate real-world applications and minimize rote learning, the project is contextualizing
mathematics
content with application-related content of technology courses. “We
plan to include ‘messy problems’ that assist students to think critically
through mathematical problems that do not have one clear method for solving
when multiple variables are present” said McCormick. Using this method,
students can recognize real-world difficulties that are not easily solved, but can
be addressed through ingenuity and creativity.
If
funding is secured, TERC will be writing and programming specific problems into
an online course shell to assist students with actual math based concepts they
see in the workplace. “The fusion of math content contextualized for the
specific program will make a smoother transition for students to go from low
level developmental math through more advanced math and trigonometry concepts
that will be required in the workplace” McCormick said. TERC’s findings and
research will not only help define its targeted goals, but can assist FLATE kick
start similar effort to introduce high-tech manufacturing to rural counties in
Florida.
For
more information on TERC contact Sherry McCormack at smccormack0001@kctcs.edu and 270.701.3930.
To learn about NSF ATE projects contact Dr. Marilyn Barger, executive director
of FLATE at 813.259.6578 and barger@fl-ate.org,
or visit www.fl-ate.org and www.madeinflorida.org.
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