Wosczyna-Birch, K., & Faezi, M., & Birch, J., & Flynn, E., & Angle, K. (2022, August), Using Virtual Delivery to Build Interest in Technology Careers  Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41984

\bibitem{asee_peer_41984}
  Wosczyna-Birch, K., \& Faezi, M., \& Birch, J., \& Flynn, E., \& Angle, K. (2022, August), \emph{Using Virtual Delivery to Build Interest in Technology Careers}
  Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Minneapolis, MN.
  10.18260/1-2--41984

Karen Wosczyna-Birch, Mehrdad Faezi, John Birch, Eric Flynn, and K.andrew Angle.  "Using Virtual Delivery to Build Interest in Technology Careers".  2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN, 2022, August.  ASEE Conferences, 2022.  https://peer.asee.org/41984 Internet.  17 Jul, 2024

\bibitem{asee_peer_41984}
  Karen Wosczyna-Birch, Mehrdad Faezi, John Birch, Eric Flynn, and K.andrew Angle.
  "Using Virtual Delivery to Build Interest in Technology Careers".
  \emph{2022 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Minneapolis, MN, 2022, August}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2022.
  https://peer.asee.org/41984 Internet.  17 Jul, 2024

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_41984
author = "Karen Wosczyna-Birch, Mehrdad Faezi, John Birch, Eric Flynn, and K.andrew Angle"
title = "Using Virtual Delivery to Build Interest in Technology Careers"
booktitle = "2022 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition"
year = "2022"
month = "August"
address = "Minneapolis, MN"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/41984}
number = {10.18260/1-2--41984}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - The goal of the National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education funded Building Career Interest in Computer Science through Advanced Real-World Technology Projects (CICSTART) program is to provide additional professional and technical skills to cohorts of high school students through a Saturday Program. The CICSTART curriculum is continuously reviewed and modified to address current skills needed by the technician workforce. While this program was originally planned as in-person, the leadership team decided to shift to a virtual environment as the pandemic caused the closure of community college campuses where the program was to be held. Program modalities and curriculum were modified to shift to an online experience. 

Zoom was utilized for teleconferencing and Google Classroom for the learning management system. TinkerCAD was used for the study of electronics and CAD design for circuit theory and the creation of virtual circuits. Participants explored the CAD functionality of TinkerCAD with the construction of their own 3D designs. The BBC Micro:bit and the MakeCode online Integrated Development Environment (IDE) was adopted to allow a physical and online experience for programming. Students were provided with their own Micro:bit device and challenged with writing programs for industry and real-world scenarios given to each team. For the professional skills modules, students learn the DISC (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientiousness) Behavioral Model and how to work in a team environment. Student evaluations report that DISC learning is an important component of the program and immediately useful to understand and communicate both in school and in their personal lives.

CICSTART has provided 57 inner-city students from four high schools with out-of-school, hands-on educational programs focusing on professional skills, technical writing and engineering technology competencies. Average participant demographics include 88% minority and 57% female students. CICSTART utilizes industry-driven, project-based learning (PBL); lessons in career and college readiness; and a summer teacher workshop. Each student session consists of five consecutive Saturdays and is taught by a team of high school teachers, community college faculty, and instructors with expertise in professional skills, teambuilding, leadership, technical writing, coding, and STEM disciplines. 

The program’s leadership team disseminates best practices through presentations, social media, publications and workshops at national conferences. The four-day Summer Teachers’ Workshop brings high school and community college educators from throughout the USA to experience the same program that is used for the high school students. The CICSTART’s outreach efforts and the national dissemination of best practices for engaging underrepresented populations in technology careers has a national impact that will potentially increase the diversity of the technician workforce. The program has inspired participants to have confidence in their own abilities. Principals from participating high schools have commented that students who attended CICSTART have demonstrated an improvement in their academics and behavior due to the knowledge of professional and technical skills that they have gleaned from the program. Students implement the concepts they learn from the DISC behavioral model into their social networks. 

AU  - Karen Wosczyna-Birch
AU  - Mehrdad Faezi
AU  - John Birch
AU  - Eric Flynn
AU  - K.andrew Angle
CY  - Minneapolis, MN
DA  - 2022/08/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Using Virtual Delivery to Build Interest in Technology Careers
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/41984
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--41984
ER  -