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A National Model for Curriculum Adaptation and Implementation

Summary
This project will develop, test, and validate a national model for the adaptation and implementation of an advanced technology curriculum by using the current technologies of satellite teleconferencing and varied Internet resources. This model will begin with a three-hour national teleconference event featuring a panel discussion and multimedia presentation. The panelists will include faculty who have implemented a model curriculum, industry partners, and members of professional organizations including the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) and the National Association of Communications Systems Engineers (NACSE). This teleconference is the starting point for a series of activities that will provide the necessary resources to two-year college faculty and administrators for the adaptation and implementation of an associate-level networking curriculum. This curriculum track is a component in the recently completed ACM Guidelines for Degree and Certificate Programs to Support Computing in a Networked Environment produced by the ACM Two-Year College Education Committee.

The measurable objectives associated with this project are identified below.

• Identify a variety of resources to support the adaptation and implementation of associate degree and certificate programs in networking.
  
• Identify and secure commitments from twenty institutions across the United States to adapt and implement the networking curriculum.
  
• By means of a teleconference event, disseminate information and discuss strategies for adapting and implementing the networking curriculum to the widest audience.
  
• Following the teleconference, connect participants with each other and with the breadth of resources previously identified.
  
• Facilitate the adaptation and implementation of networking programs by providing ongoing assistance, expert mentoring and peer support.

The ACM Two-Year College Education Committee members are well positioned to successfully conduct and evaluate this national project. They have a record of accomplishments in the area of curriculum development and faculty enhancement on a national level. Furthermore, the Committee has already identified the following goals as key objectives for the curriculum Guidelines:

• to provide guidance to two-year colleges in developing one-year certificate and two-year degree programs designed to prepare graduates for computing in a networked environment;
  
• to encourage and support the implementation of curricula based on these guidelines within the two-year college environment; and
  
• to take advantage of current technologies (e.g. Internet/Web, video conferencing, and teleconferencing) to
  
• to disseminate the guidelines;
  
• to foster communication among professionals in the field;
  
• to identify and share instructional methodologies, curriculum materials, and computing resources;
  
• to provide for continual updating and revision of the Guidelines.

It is evident that the accomplishments and vision of the Committee support the goals of the National Science Foundation for the adaptation and implementation of advanced technology education.

Statement of Need
Recently the extraordinary demand for information technology (IT) workers, as well as the need for IT worker preparation and continuous retraining, have been recognized as critical national issues. A mismatch between the demands of the market for IT professionals and the supply systems of education is a problem that community colleges are well positioned to address. The issues associated with the supply and demand of IT workers are very clearly identified and well documented in the recent report entitled The Supply of Information Technology Workers in the United States by Freeman and Aspray, coordinated by the Computing Research Association, NSF grant number EIA 9812240 (1999). Robert D. Campbell, Co-PI, was a Study Group Member for this report. Additionally the ACM Education Board has endorsed this report and has pledged to work with CRA to implement recommendations of the Report.

A second area of need is centered about the demands on computing educators, staff, and administrators at two-year colleges. These individuals are confronted with the enormous tasks of keeping their technology programs current, creating new programs that fulfill the needs of local industry, and addressing a myriad of associated key issues, including program costs, faculty development/retraining, distance-learning methodologies, curriculum validation by industry, and the burgeoning field of industry-specific certifications.

The purpose of this project is to facilitate the process of curriculum adaptation and to support two-year colleges in their efforts to acquire the necessary resources for program implementations. This will be achieved through a variety of avenues, including access to current curriculum materials, peer support through a structured mentoring system, and industry/education collaboration.

Names and Qualifications
The following individuals will provide the leadership for this activity and take responsibility for the overall project:

• C. Fay Cover, the Director of Learning Technologies at Pikes Peak Community College, will serve as the PI for this project.
  
• Robert D. Campbell, the Dean of Information Technology at Rock Valley College
• Karl Klee, Professor of Computer Science and Mathematics at Jamestown Community College, will serve as Co-PIs.

Ms. Cover, Mr. Campbell, and Dr. Klee are three of the five members of the ACM Two-Year College Education Committee. This Committee is responsible for the development of the new ACM Guidelines for Degree and Certificate Programs to Support Computing in a Networked Environment; the networking curriculum track included in those Guidelines is the focus of this model project. Cover, Campbell and Klee have a wealth of experience in the field of computing in community colleges, as described on their attached vita.

List of Participants
There will be three groups of participants:

1. The panelists giving the teleconference presentation.
   This group of participants includes a variety of speakers, representing the ACM TYC Education Committee, business and industry, professional organizations, curriculum providers and deliverers, certifying bodies, and successful implementers of the targeted curriculum. Designated panelists will also serve as mentors to the implementation grant recipients.
   


2. The program directors at the sites selected to receive implementation grants.
   This group of participants includes program directors at twenty sites across the country that have agreed to implement degree and certificate programs in the targeted curriculum. The initial advertisement of the event will include a call for implementation applicants; twenty sites committing to implement programs will be selected for special assistance, in the form of extensive packets of materials, expert mentoring, and seed grants. These sites will be given special attention following the event, their progress will be tracked, and data about their activities will be collected as part of the evaluation process.
   


3. The community college personnel across the country registering to view the presentation.
   This group of participants includes anyone responding to the advertisement of the event, which registers to view the teleconference. Notice of the event will go out to all community colleges across the nation, and will include instructions for obtaining the satellite coordinates by registering at a designated web site. Upon the conclusion of the event, this group will be asked to complete a web-based follow-up evaluation, and will subsequently receive access to the web site for a variety of implementation materials.

Probable Dates
The timeframe for this project is projected at a total of 13 months, as detailed below:

August 1, 1999: Project approved/funding available
August 15, 1999: Facilities contracted
August 20, 1999: Organizational meeting
September 1, 1999: Announcements distributed
September 15, 1999: Panelists finalized
October 1, 1999: Planning meeting
November 12, 1999: Satellite Teleconference conducted
November, 1999 - June, 2000: Follow-up events
November, 1999 - August, 2000: Evaluation, data collection, and analysis
August, 2000: Assessment meeting
September 15, 2000: Final report submitted

Budget

The total amount of support requested from NSF is $48,866, delineated as follows:
NSF Direct Costs:

Products
The products resulting from this project will include a variety of materials and resources:

1. All participants will have access to a web site, which will provide the following:
   
   • Peer-support Networking Curriculum discussion areas
     The web site will provide for sharing of ideas, resources and implementation strategies, both prior to the teleconference and following the event, using both a discussion forum and a list serve.
     
   • Active links to the following:
     
     • Curriculum Guidelines
       
     • Model Programs
       
     • Implementation Resources
       
     • Curriculum Materials
       
     • Materials provided by program directors receiving implementation grants
   • Archived video feed of the teleconference
     
   • Teleconference proceedings - including PowerPoint slides and other materials used by the panelists


2. In addition to the above, all sites designated to receive implementation grants will receive the following:
   
   • An assigned expert mentor to assist them throughout the process of program implementation
     
   • Detailed information and contacts for associated vendor-generic and vendor-specific industry certifications, including instructor certifications (for example, NACSE, Microsoft, Novell, Cisco, etc.)
     
   • Copies of the ACM Computing in a Networked Environment Curriculum Guidelines
     
   • Curriculum materials (for example, Westnet and 3Com NetPrep program materials and agreements, Cisco program materials and agreements, etc.)
     
   • Distance learning implementation avenues (for example, the WebUniversity Westnet materials and agreements)
     
   • Lists of hardware/software resources required to implement the program, with acquisition opportunities
     
   • Student-targeted employment assistance
     The intent is to provide targeted participants with information that is very current for the high-demand field of computer networking, including curriculum guidelines, curriculum materials, industry validation and endorsement, instructional methodologies, distance-learning resources, implementation seed money, access to hardware/software materials, program graduate placement assistance, expert mentors, and ongoing peer support.
   
   
3. A model process for the validation of curriculum by industry, the adaptation and implementation of curriculum guidelines and materials, assisted departmental preparedness, national dissemination, and various forms of support for implementation sites, all the while maintaining a focus on outcomes, impact, and evaluation.

Evaluation
The evaluation of this project will include several facets:

1. A web-based evaluation form will be available for completion by all viewers of the teleconference. Those that view but have not been designated to receive implementation grants will evaluate the usefulness of the event, the quality of the activity, and the format for the model. Subsequently, these evaluators will receive access to a packet of material in return.
   


2. The program directors that receive implementation grants will be expected to:
   
   • Complete an evaluation form for the event
     
   • Identify an industry partner in their locale
     
   • Outline an implementation plan
     
   • Provide a minimum of $500 local match for the ($1500) grant seed money
     
   • Demonstrate that the program is being implemented, and provide statistics on initial and projected student demographics and program costs (to students and the institution)
     
   • Agree to serve as mentors to other sites, as requested
     
   • Agree to serve as a resource to others by sharing instructional materials and methodologies, via web site, phone, and email contact
     
   • Agree to participate in presentations at conferences and workshops, as available
     The evaluation of the entire project will include an analysis of these items, across all implementation sites.
     


3. The panelists representing the ACM TYC Education Committee and the TYC panelist, that have already successfully implemented programs in the targeted curriculum, will commit to serving as mentors for the sites receiving implementation grants. These panelists will report on the quantity and quality of those collaborations, as well as providing anecdotal evaluation comments.

References
The Supply of Information Technology Workers in the United States by Freeman and Aspray, coordinated by the Computing Research Association, NSF grant number EIA 9812240 (1999).

ACM Guidelines for Degree and Certificate Progr4ams to Support Computing in a Networked Environment produced by the ACM Two-Year College Education Committee.