Community and technical colleges serve a vital function in STEM education by training workers for medium- and high-skilled technical careers and providing employers the labor necessary to operate and maintain thriving business ventures. A curriculum developed with the elements of a systems-based approach results in a program more relevant to the…

Employment within STEM fields has been escalating at a greater rate than employment in other fields (National Science Foundation, 2010). Unfortunately, the number of college students moving into STEM fields of study are substantially low (Lowell & Regets, 2006). The first two years of STEM education for many students take place at the…

The purpose of this study was threefold: (1) to investigate variables associated with learning and performance as measured by the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN), (2) to validate the predictive value of the Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI) achievement exit exam, and (3) to provide a model that could…

California's community colleges are key to resolving the shortage of educated workers that is threatening the competitive position of the state's economy. Tremendous potential for addressing this challenge resides in the system's career technical education (CTE) mission which, with appropriate structures and support, could help many more students…

The California Community Colleges are vital to closing the projected shortfall of Californians with a postsecondary credential and sustaining the state's economic competitiveness. Increasing the number of students who pursue and earn certificates and associate degrees in career technical education (CTE) fields is an important component of the…

There is often a particular void in the education of deaf and hard-of-hearing students who intend to become competent working laboratory technicians. Inasmuch as certain basic professional skills ("soft skills," in this case) are not generally taught in traditional science courses, a new curriculum has been developed in order to enforce…

The field of Environmental Health Technology (EHT) encompasses both the equipment and the trained expertise required to utilize land, water, energy, and minerals in the service of human health and welfare. EHT technicians work in disease control, licensing bureaus, hospitals, nursing homes, hazardous waste agencies, and other health agencies. In…

The purpose of this practicum was to test the belief that a need existed for a two-year associate degree program at Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College in the area of Human Services. A questionnaire was developed and mailed to 25 community agencies, of which 78 percent responded. Results of the survey showed that nine of the responding agencies…

In the late 1970's and early 1980's, Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC) implemented a series of academic reforms, including the adoption of minimum academic standards, mandatory basic skills testing, and the establishment of new general education course requirements. In order to assess the success of the reforms in shaping the curricular patterns…

A project was conducted to develop and implement a curriculum for a series of group sessions designed to assist students in associate degree nursing programs in the socialization process of becoming a nurse. During the curriculum development phase of the project, specific plans and procedures were formulated for 10 monthly sessions that were…

In order to prepare an up-to-date instruments course and provide data on which to publish a text for an associate degree electronics curriculum, the investigator of this study (a competency analysis) surveyed twenty-four Wisconsin- and Minnesota-based firms to identify job entry skills expected of electronics technicians. Of the firms surveyed,…

An open-entry/open-exit competency-based nursing career ladder model was developed to demonstrate the articulation process from high school through licensed vocational nursing (LVN), associate degree nursing (ADN), and baccalaureate degree-level nursing (BSN) programs. The model was based on data obtained from a review of the literature on (1)…

Six state 2-year technical colleges in Georgia were seeking Accreditation Board of Engineering Technology (ABET) approval for a pilot seven-quarter electronic engineering technology program that culminates in an associate of sciences degree. A curriculum revision project that involved a modification of the Delphi technique and input from advisory…

A study was conducted at the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) to examine the course-taking patterns of 94 graduates of the associate in arts (AA) curriculum, 1,957 graduates of the association in general studies (AGS) curriculum, and 99 graduates of the associate in science (AS) curriculum. Using a computer-based approach to transcript…

Members of the automotive parts distribution industry responded to a survey on the specific attitudes, values, knowledge, and skills necessary for students planning to enter the industry, as the basis for revision of an associate degree curriculum in Automotive Parts Management. The survey instrument, sent to 252 industry members (99 responded),…