Theory to Practice: Professional Development for Culturally Responsive Technician Education

Cynthia Pickering; Laurie MiLler McNeill; Mara Lopez; Juan Rodriguez; Sarah Belknap; Elaine Craft; Caroline Vaningen-Dunn

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Conference: 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Start Date: June 26, 2022
End Date: June 29, 2022
Conference Session: Two-Year College Potpourri
Page Count: 14
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--41374
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/41374
Download Count: 369

Paper Authors

biography

Cynthia Pickering Arizona State University

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Cynthia Pickering is a PhD Student, Research Program Manager and Process Architect at the Center for Broadening Participation in STEM at Arizona State University. Cynthia has 35 years of experience working in industry with demonstrated technical leadership in software development, artificial intelligence, information technology architecture / engineering, and collaboration systems research. Cynthia is currently studying Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society in ASU’s College of Global Futures. She practices Socio-technical Integration Research as an embedded social scientist who collaboratively works with technologists (STEM students, STEM faculty, and Tech Companies) to increase reflexive learning during technology development and implementation to pro-actively consider the impact of technology decisions on local communities and society at large. This work creates spaces and processes to explore technology innovation and its consequences in an open, inclusive and timely way.

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Abstract

The HSI (Hispanic Serving Institution) ATE (Advanced Technological Education) Hub 2 is a three-year collaborative research project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) that continues the partnership between two successful programs and involves a third partner in piloting professional development that draws upon findings from the initial program. The goal of HSI ATE Hub 2 is to improve outcomes for Latinx students in technician education programs through design, development, pilot delivery, and dissemination of a 3-tier professional development (PD) model for culturally responsive technician education at 2-year Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). The project seeks to do this by developing the awareness and ability of faculty to appreciate, engage, and affirm the unique cultural identities of the students in their classes and use this connection to deepen students’ belonging and emerging identities as STEM learners and future STEM technicians. This paper shares the research foundations shaping this approach and the methods by which faculty professional development is being provided to develop this important and sensitive instructional capability in participating faculty. The tiered PD model features a scaffolded series of reflective and activity-oriented modules to incrementally enrich the instructional practices and mindset of HSI STEM educators and strengthen their repertoire of strategies for engaging culturally diverse students. Scaffolding that translates culturally responsive theory to practice spans each of the four distinct topic modules in each tier. Each topic module in a tier then scaffolds to a more advanced topic module in the next tier. Tier 1, Bienvenidos, welcomes HSI STEM educators who recognize the need to better serve their Latinx students, and want guidance for small practical activities to try with their students. Tier 2, Transformation through Action, immerses HSI STEM educators in additional activities that bring culturally responsive practices into their technician training while building capacity to collect evidence about impacts and outcomes for students. Tier 3, Engaging Community, strengthens leadership as HSI STEM educators disseminate results from activities completed in Tiers 1 and 2 at conferences that attract technician educators. Sharing the evidence-based practices and their outcomes contributes to achieving broader impacts in the Advanced Technological Education or ATE Community of NSF grantees. Westchester Community College (WCC), the first 2-year HSI in the State University of New York (SUNY) 64 campus system, is piloting the 3-tier PD model using virtual learning methods mastered through previous NSF ATE work and the COVID-19 context. During the pilot, over 20 WCC technician educators in three cohorts will develop leadership skills and practice culturally responsive methods. The pilot will build capacity within WCC STEM technician programs to better support the diversity of students, industry demand for a diverse workforce, and WCC’s capacity for future development of technician education programs. This first paper in a three part series describes the program goals and objectives, the 3-Tier PD model, and reports initial results for Cohort A’s engagement in the first three modules of Tier 1.

Citation
Format

Pickering, C., & MiLler McNeill, L., & Lopez, M., & Rodriguez, J., & Belknap, S., & Craft, E., & Vaningen-Dunn, C. (2022, August), Theory to Practice: Professional Development for Culturally Responsive Technician Education Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41374

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - The HSI (Hispanic Serving Institution) ATE (Advanced Technological Education) Hub 2 is a three-year collaborative research project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) that continues the partnership between two successful programs and involves a third partner in piloting professional development that draws upon findings from the initial program.  The goal of HSI ATE Hub 2 is to improve outcomes for Latinx students in technician education programs through design, development, pilot delivery, and dissemination of a 3-tier professional development (PD) model for culturally responsive technician education at 2-year Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). The project seeks to do this by developing the awareness and ability of faculty to appreciate, engage, and affirm the unique cultural identities of the students in their classes and use this connection to deepen students’ belonging and emerging identities as STEM learners and future STEM technicians. This paper shares the research foundations shaping this approach and the methods by which faculty professional development is being provided to develop this important and sensitive instructional capability in participating faculty.
 
The tiered PD model features a scaffolded series of reflective and activity-oriented modules to incrementally enrich the instructional practices and mindset of HSI STEM educators and strengthen their repertoire of strategies for engaging culturally diverse students. Scaffolding that translates culturally responsive theory to practice spans each of the four distinct topic modules in each tier.  Each topic module in a tier then scaffolds to a more advanced topic module in the next tier.  Tier 1, Bienvenidos, welcomes HSI STEM educators who recognize the need to better serve their Latinx students, and want guidance for small practical activities to try with their students. Tier 2, Transformation through Action, immerses HSI STEM educators in additional activities that bring culturally responsive practices into their technician training while building capacity to collect evidence about impacts and outcomes for students. Tier 3, Engaging Community, strengthens leadership as HSI STEM educators disseminate results from activities completed in Tiers 1 and 2 at conferences that attract technician educators.  Sharing the evidence-based practices and their outcomes contributes to achieving broader impacts in the Advanced Technological Education or ATE Community of NSF grantees.
 
Westchester Community College (WCC), the first 2-year HSI in the State University of New York (SUNY) 64 campus system, is piloting the 3-tier PD model using virtual learning methods mastered through previous NSF ATE work and the COVID-19 context. During the pilot, over 20 WCC technician educators in three cohorts will develop leadership skills and practice culturally responsive methods. The pilot will build capacity within WCC STEM technician programs to better support the diversity of students, industry demand for a diverse workforce, and WCC’s capacity for future development of technician education programs.  
 
This first paper in a three part series describes the program goals and objectives, the 3-Tier PD model, and reports initial results for Cohort A’s engagement in the first three modules of Tier 1.
AU  - Cynthia Pickering
AU  - Laurie MiLler McNeill
AU  - Mara Lopez
AU  - Juan Rodriguez
AU  - Sarah Belknap
AU  - Elaine Craft
AU  - Caroline Vaningen-Dunn
CY  - Minneapolis, MN
DA  - 2022/08/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Theory to Practice: Professional Development for Culturally Responsive Technician Education
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/41374
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--41374
ER  -