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1. Building a Cybersecurity Pipeline through Experiential Virtual Labs and Workforce Alliances

   Crichigno, Jorge; Ahmed, Sadia; Gerdes, John; Brookshire, Robert (June 2019, ASEE annual conference & exposition)

   This paper describes a project led by the University of South Carolina (USC) to address the cybersecurity workforce gap. The project creates curricular material based on virtual laboratories (vLabs). As vLabs are developed, they are adopted and tested at USC and Northern New Mexico College (NNMC), the main partnering institution in this project. These vLabs consist of virtual equipment (e.g., virtual network, virtual router, virtual firewall) emulating complete systems on-demand running in NETLAB. NETLAB is a widely used platform for training purposes across the country, with more than 1,000 institutions currently using it. USC and NNMC have also established an alliance with industry organizations and with Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) to establish internship opportunities. Currently, student interns are not only exercising technical skills but also developing soft skills such as team work and time management. Finally, in partnership with manufacturer leaders, the project permits students to earn industry certificates. These certificates are aligned with the guidelines for “Information Technology Curricula 2017 for IT programs” by the IEEE/ACM. Specifically, the guidelines indicate that IT should emphasize “learning IT core concepts combined with authentic practice” and “use of professional tools and platforms.” Hands-on vLabs activities show that providing access to computing technologies (e.g., professional next-generation firewalls, routers) used in the work environment eases the transition of students from academia to the workplace. 

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2. Building a Cybersecurity Pipeline through Experiential Virtual Labs and Workforce Alliances

   Crichigno, Jorge; Ahmed, Sadia; Gerdes, John; Brookshire, Robert (June 2019, ASEE annual conference & exposition proceedings)

   This paper describes a project led by the University of South Carolina (USC) to address the cybersecurity workforce gap. The project creates curricular material based on virtual laboratories (vLabs). As vLabs are developed, they are adopted and tested at USC and Northern New Mexico College (NNMC), the main partnering institution in this project. These vLabs consist of virtual equipment (e.g., virtual network, virtual router, virtual firewall) emulating complete systems on-demand running in NETLAB. NETLAB is a widely used platform for training purposes across the country, with more than 1,000 institutions currently using it. USC and NNMC have also established an alliance with industry organizations and with Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) to establish internship opportunities. Currently, student interns are not only exercising technical skills but also developing soft skills such as team work and time management. Finally, in partnership with manufacturer leaders, the project permits students to earn industry certificates. These certificates are aligned with the guidelines for “Information Technology Curricula 2017 for IT programs” by the IEEE/ACM. Specifically, the guidelines indicate that IT should emphasize “learning IT core concepts combined with authentic practice” and “use of professional tools and platforms.” Hands-on vLabs activities show that providing access to computing technologies (e.g., professional next-generation firewalls, routers) used in the work environment eases the transition of students from academia to the workplace. 

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3. Work-based Experiential Learning in IT: Career Enhancement for Underserved Students at a 2-year Hispanic-serving Institution

   Pickering, C. (August 2022, Proceedings ASEE annual conference)

   In the midst of the pandemic, a 2-year Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in metropolitan Phoenix launched the Information Technology Institute (ITI), and a five-year National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored program to provide culturally responsive work-based experiential learning opportunities for adult students balancing multiple jobs and responsibilities. This paper discusses the benefits to students in gaining IT experience alongside industry mentors, how peer mentoring increases engagement, and the challenges of hybrid delivery during the pandemic. Two types of paid opportunities were designed and are currently in pilot mode to provide real-world IT experience for undergraduate students: 1) externships situated on-campus, under the supervision of faculty and assisted by peer-mentors and industry mentors and 2) internships situated with local companies under the supervision of industry employees. When career preparedness elements were interwoven while learning and practicing new IT skills within hands-on project deliverables, externs reported benefits such as increased confidence in seeking out employment opportunities, preparing for interviews, professional networking, leadership development, and conveying their industry experience in their resumes and on LinkedIn. Lessons learned to date related to engaging and retaining targeted students include the need to: prioritize student well-being and work/life balance, pay students during the externships or internships, intentionally immerse students within the work-based experiences, provide continual guidance and structuring on projects where students own a specific work deliverable - yet collaborate, incorporate culturally responsive mentoring from peers, faculty, and industry to meet students where they are in terms of technical and professional skills, design flexibility into the work schedule, and accommodate both virtual and in person work sites. 

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4. Building Interest in Technology Careers for High School Students

   https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--46785  

   Wosczyna-Birch, K; Robicheau, W (June 2024, ASEE PEER)

   The goal of this program, funded by the National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education (NSF ATE) program, is to provide additional professional and technical skills to cohorts of high school students through a Saturday Program. The program has provided inner-city high school students with out-of-school, hands-on educational experiences focusing on both professional and technical skills. Participant demographics will be discussed in this paper as diversity is a key objective of the program. The program utilizes industry-driven, project-based learning (PBL) and lessons in career and college readiness to prepare students for the workforce. Each student session consists of five consecutive Saturdays and is taught by a team of high school teachers, community college faculty, and instructors with expertise in professional skills, teambuilding, leadership, technical writing, coding, and STEM disciplines. The program is held on community college campuses as a way to show students that they are welcome in a college environment, which has inspired participants to have confidence in their own abilities to attend college and pursue educational and career goals in technology fields. Principals from participating high schools have commented that students who attended the Program have demonstrated an improvement in their academics and behavior due to the knowledge of professional and technical skills that they have gleaned from the program. The program’s leadership team disseminates best practices through presentations, social media, publications, and workshops at national conferences. The virtual four-day Summer Teachers’ Workshop allows high school and community college educators from throughout the United States to experience the same program that is used for the high school students. Although the workshop is virtual, participants are provided with materials and supplies, so they have the same hands-on experiences as the students in the Saturday program. 

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5. How to Support Career Technical Instructors to Develop Students' Professional Skills: Research Brief

   Lundh, P; Yarnall, L; Smith, E; Krishnamachari, A; Griffiths, R (July 2024, NA)

   NA (Ed.)

   Project GOALS (Greater Opportunities to Advance Lifelong Success), an NSF Advanced Technological Education targeted research project, brought together researchers and community college educators from 2020 through 2024 to co-develop, test, package, and distribute resources for developing technicians' professional skills. Through this work, the team discovered the barriers that hinder both instructors and students from connecting around professional skills development. To address these barriers, the Project GOALS team developed an instructional framework grounded in research that integrates focused low-stakes activities into classes as students work toward their technical certificates. Based on our research, we believe Project GOALS provides ways for students to students' career readiness. In this research brief, the team describes how the Project GOALS co-development collaboration revealed the supports that technical instructors need to build students' professional awareness and reflection habits. Through qualitative analysis, Project GOALS researchers discovered the challenges that prevent many instructors from sharing their honest assessments of students' professional skills. The brief describes findings and recommends ways that community colleges can provide the assistance and resources that instructors need to develop students' professional skills. 

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