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Assessing Educational Pathways for Manufacturing in Rural Communities: Research Findings and Implications from an Investigation of New and Existing Programs in Northwest Florida

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Conference

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Location

Virtual Conference

Publication Date

July 26, 2021

Start Date

July 26, 2021

End Date

July 19, 2022

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Tagged Topic

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Page Count

12

DOI

10.18260/1-2--36705

Permanent URL

https://strategy.asee.org/36705

Download Count

368

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Paper Authors

biography

Marcia A. Mardis Florida State University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-2209-1498

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Marcia A. Mardis is a Professor and Associate Dean at Florida State University's College of Communication and Information and Associate Director of the Information Institute. Author of numerous publication and recipient of over two decades of federally funded research grants, Dr. Mardis' work focuses on professional identity development, educational text and data mining, and technician education improvement.

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biography

Faye R. Jones Florida State University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0001-6178-8143

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Faye R. Jones is a Senior Research Associate at Florida State University’s College of Communication & Information. Her research interests include STEM student outcomes and the exploration of student pathways through institutional research.

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Abstract

In northwest Florida, advanced manufacturing (AM) jobs outstrip the supply of middle-skilled technicians, though AM constitutes almost a quarter of the region’s total employment. Guided by the overarching research question (RQ) “To what extent do curriculum content, employer needs, and student experiences align within an advanced manufacturing educational pathway,” this NSF-funded study’s goals have been to 1) investigate the role AM program pathways have in meeting the needs of employers and new professionals who are employed in the region; 2) expand the research base and curriculum content recommendations for regional AM education; 3) build regional capacity for AM program assessment and improvement by replicating, refining, and disseminating study approaches through further research, annual AM employer and educator meetings, and annual research skill-building academies in which stakeholders transfer research findings to practices and policies that empower rural NW Florida colleges. To date, research efforts have demonstrated that competency perceptions of faculty, employers, and new professionals have notable misalignments that have opportunities for AM program curriculum revision and enhancement. This presentation will encompass four years of research output, emphasizing the impactful findings and dissemination products for ASEE community members, as well as opportunities for further research.

Mardis, M. A., & Jones, F. R. (2021, July), Assessing Educational Pathways for Manufacturing in Rural Communities: Research Findings and Implications from an Investigation of New and Existing Programs in Northwest Florida Paper presented at 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual Conference. 10.18260/1-2--36705

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