Pathways to Technology: The Community College Route

Wgbh Educational Foundation, Brighton MA

Investigators

Abstract

This project is showcasing a diverse range of ground-breaking Advanced Technology Education (ATE) programs currently operating in community colleges across the country, through production and dissemination of a series of media-based products. The project also features a robust outreach campaign to awaken students, parents, guidance and career counselors, policymakers, and community colleges themselves to the enormous potential of these programs. Five 15-minute videotapes illustrate successful ATE programs in such fields as Agriculture, Biotechnology, Chemical or Process Technology, Information Technology, and Manufacturing. Each video profiles two students, highlighting the ethnic, geographic, and age diversity reflected in community college demographics. In addition, an introductory video, drawn from the library as a whole and also produced in CD-ROM format, provides an overview of exemplary ATE programs in community colleges across the country. A companion Web site is expanding on the topics addressed in the videos, providing additional information through text, interactive activities, streamed clips from the series, and links to related sites. A National Advisory Group is guiding all aspects of the project. Dissemination activities feature widespread distribution of copies of the video series, the overview CD-ROM, and print guides to facilitate use. In addition, through partnerships with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), and Jobs for the Future, Inc., there is use of common messaging to place listings and articles about the series in the online community college guides published by Peterson's, USA Today, and U.S. News and World Report.The project is also working to reach the 5 million members Phi Theta Kappa and marketing the series via general educational distributors. All project materials are designed for use as tools by community colleges in recruiting students, educating policymakers, and encouraging expanded involvement of business and industry in ATE programs.The intention of the project is to bring community colleges to the forefront of consideration when students (e.g., high schoolers, older-adults, displaced workers) and those who support them (e.g., guidance counselors, workplace supervisors, and parents) are exploring educational and career options.