Research was undertaken to develop and evaluate an associate degree-level technical education program in Plant Operations oriented towards training students in applied science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills and knowledge relevant to a spectrum of processing industries. This work focuses on four aspects of the curriculum…

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…

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…

A proposal is presented for an Honors Scholar Program at Moraine Valley Community College in response to the need to provide gifted students with the extra challenges they seek. After providing a rationale for the program, the membership of the steering committee and curriculum committees that would develop and guide the program is designated.…

As part of an effort to reinforce the general education competencies of students in its Associate in Applied Science degree programs, Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC) conducted two needs assessment surveys to develop a list of critical life skills for integration into existing curricula. Each of the identified skills can be developed in 2…

A study was conducted to determine the effects of selected personal, work, and educational variables on student attitudes toward the nursing profession and the health care system. Specifically, the study sought to determine whether the variables of age, sex, race, marital status, licensed vocational nurse (LVN) status, the awarding of credit for…

This report provides 2000-2001 information on funding, staffing, facilities, and enrollment at all Washington State community and technical colleges. It also includes demographics on student characteristics, enrollment, graduation, and transfer rates. Highlights include: (1) the colleges enrolled the equivalent of 158,192 full-time students; (2) a…

In an effort to provide nontraditional students with the same opportunity as traditional students to reach the highest level of skills and competencies associated with hi-tech, high-wage employment, the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) offers alternatives to its historically successful full-time day program in chemical technology.…