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1. Building a Student-to-Workforce Pipeline for 21st Century Cloud Industry Careers

   https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--36764  

   Billionniere, Elodie ; Meyer, Lawrence ( July 2021 , 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Proceedings)

   Cloud migration has accelerated and companies around the world are investing their technological future with the cloud. Given the growing industry demand for cloud related skills, Miami Dade College partnered with the industry leader in cloud computing solutions Amazon Web Services (AWS). In conjunction with AWS, we developed a new cloud-based learning curriculum designed to provide an academic gateway for the next generation of computing technicians to meet local and national workforce demands. The recruitment population focused on predominantly minoritized and low-income populations. This certificate-based curriculum is designed as stackable for both the successful completion of a College Credit Certificate and/or an Associate of Science in Networking Technology with a concentration in Enterprise Cloud Computing. The curriculum was developed in alignment with industry needs and utilizes high impact educational practices. The cloud computing programs prepare students to potentially earn an academic credential and globally recognized industry certifications at the entry (college credit certificate) and associate levels. Ensuring students are offered the highest standard of training, faculty members completed professional development in cloud computing, earning industry-recognized credentials to become AWS-accredited instructors. The current cohort of faculty certified to teach in the AWS Academy is the largest group of certified instructors in the academic arena. The inclusion of industry standard certifications from major cloud providers allows for consistency of program evaluation and instructors assessment of student work and course comprehension. The net effect of these certifications is not only earned degrees, but employer ability to validate prospective employee skill and knowledge outside of an academic environment. This paper presents the approach followed in developing in-depth, project-based learning opportunities using cutting-edge technology for the new academic pathway in cloud literacy and the program outcomes. A discussion on the best practices and lessons learned while implementing the first year of the program is included. 

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2. Upskilling to Meet Cloud Talent Needs

   Meyer, Lawrence E. ; Billionniere, E. ( July 2021 , 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference)

   null (Ed.)

   Miami Dade College, based on demands in the workforce, has focused on creating emerging technology education, particularly Cloud technology. Business Cloud migration has accelerated over the last several years, and companies around the world are investing in their future with the cloud. With the increased demand for cloud-skilled professionals the last four years, we launched a cloud literacy initiative to meet cloud talent needs. This initiative aims to provide our students in the computing/IT fields with the knowledge, abilities and skills needed to accelerate their cloud-related learning. With the support of NSF ATE, we collaborated with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to create a new pathway for the next generation of cloud computing professionals. The course sequence was designed in conjunction with an AWS Educate team assisting in the design of course sequencing and degree plans to leverage their educational experience in teaching cloud technologies. The core curriculum designed for the cloud literacy initiative leveraged an existing pathway for an associate degree in networking technology, and then partially pulled classes from the design of the bachelor’s in information systems technology degree. The classes identified, used current offerings across our programs and included a focus on the supporting infrastructure of cloud systems: Databases, Linux OS, and Networking. With these three foundational classes that were cloudified, three cloud-focused courses based on industry certifications were developed: Cloud Essentials for AWS Cloud Practitioner and Cloud Infrastructure and Services for AWS Solutions Architect certifications with a capstone class completing the academic pathway. This new curriculum includes pedagogical changes to utilize project-based learning by incorporating resources and learning from multiple sources to best mimic real-world application, data, and design attributes. In addition to the associate degree, a college credit certificate in cloud computing was created to strengthen (re-)entering students in the workforce and dual enrollment students with credentials and employability skills by using high impact educational practices. Our cloud curriculum incorporates project-based learning approach, a real-world experience using the cloud technology. This poster shares strategies and pedagogical tools for teaching a cloud-focused curriculum for broader impact and student success. 

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3. Middle school teachers’ self-efficacy in teaching computer science and digital literacy: Impact of the CS Pathways RPP professional development program

   https://doi.org/DOI:10.13140/RG.2.2.31416.26887  

   Bausch, G. ; Ni, L. ; Martin, F. ; Hsu, H. ; Feliciano, B ( October 2021 , The intersection of RPPs and BPC in CS education: A culmination of papers from the RPPforCS Community)

   Background: Researcher-practitioner partnerships (RPPs) have gained increasing prominence within education, since they are crucial for identifying partners’ problems of practice and seeking solutions for improving district (or school) problems. The CS Pathways RPP project brought together researchers and practitioners, including middle school teachers and administrators from three urban school districts, to build teachers’ capacity to implement an inclusive computer science and digital literacy (CSDL) curriculum for all students in their middle schools. Objective: This study explored the teachers’ self-efficacy development in teaching a middle school CSDL curriculum under the project’s RPP framework. The ultimate goal was to gain insights into how the project’s RPP framework and its professional development (PD) program supported teachers’ self-efficacy development, in particular its challenges and success of the partnership. Method: Teacher participants attended the first-year PD program and were surveyed and/or interviewed about their self-efficacy in teaching CSDL curriculum, spanning topics ranging from digital literacy skills to app creation ability and curriculum implementation. Both survey and interview data were collected and analyzed using mixed methods 1) to examine the reach of the RPP PD program in terms of teachers’ self-efficacy; 2) to produce insightful understandings of the PD program impact on the project’s goal of building teachers’ self-efficacy. Results and Discussion: We reported the teachers’ self-efficacy profiles based on the survey data. A post-survey indicated that a majority of the teachers have high self-efficacy in teaching the CSDL curriculum addressed by the RPP PD program. Our analysis identified five critical benefits the project’s RPP PD program provided, namely collaborative efforts on resource and infrastructure building, content and pedagogical knowledge growth, collaboration and communication, and building teacher identity. All five features have shown direct impacts on teachers' self-efficacy. The study also reported teachers’ perceptions on the challenges they faced and potential areas for improvements. These findings indicate some important features of an effective PD program, informing the primary design of an RPP CS PD program. 

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4. Faculty Development for Research Inclusion: Virtual Research Experiences for Undergraduates

   Morreale, P. ; Gates, A. ; Villa, E. ; Hug, S. ( January 2021 , Zone 1 Conference of the American Society for Engineering Education)

   This paper presents an innovative approach, applicable to all research-based fields, that identifies and broadly engages future computer science researchers. The Computing Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institutions (CAHSI) piloted a national virtual Research Experience for Undergraduates (vREU) during the summer of 2020. Funded by an NSF grant, the goal of the program was to ensure that students, in particular those with financial need, had opportunities to engage in research and gain critical skills while advancing their knowledge and financial resources to complete their undergraduate degrees and possibly move to advanced studies. The vREU pilot provided undergraduate research experiences for 51 students and 21 faculty drawn from 14 colleges and universities. The Affinity Research Group (ARG) model, based on a cooperative learning model, was used to guide faculty mentors throughout the eight-week vREU. ARG is a CAHSI signature practice with a focus on deliberate, structured faculty and student research, technical, communication, and professional skills development. At weekly meetings, faculty were provided resources and discussed a specific skill to support students’ research experience and development, which faculty put into immediate practice with their students. Evaluation findings include no statistical difference in student development between the face-to-face and virtual models with faculty and the benefit of training as an opportunity for faculty professional growth and impact. This faculty development model allows for rapid dissemination of the ARG model through practice and application with weekly faculty cohort meetings, coaching, and reflection. 

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5. Faculty Development for Research Inclusion: Virtual Research Experiences for Undergraduates

   Morreale, P. ; Villa, E. ; Gates, A. ; Hug, S. ( July 2022 , Proceedings of the 2021 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition (ASEE ’21))

   This paper presents an innovative approach, applicable to all research-based fields, that identifies and broadly engages future computer science researchers. The Computing Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institutions (CAHSI) piloted a national virtual Research Experience for Undergraduates (vREU) during the summer of 2020. Funded by an NSF grant, the goal of the program was to ensure that students, in particular those with financial need, had opportunities to engage in research and gain critical skills while advancing their knowledge and financial resources to complete their undergraduate degrees and possibly move to advanced studies. The vREU pilot provided undergraduate research experiences for 51 students and 21 faculty drawn from 14 colleges and universities. The Affinity Research Group (ARG) model, based on a cooperative learning model, was used to guide faculty mentors throughout the eight-week vREU. ARG is a CAHSI signature practice with a focus on deliberate, structured faculty and student research, technical, communication, and professional skills development. At weekly meetings, faculty were provided resources and discussed a specific skill to support students’ research experience and development, which faculty put into immediate practice with their students. Evaluation findings include no statistical difference in student development between the face-to-face and virtual models with faculty and the benefit of training as an opportunity for faculty professional growth and impact. This faculty development model allows for rapid dissemination of the ARG model through practice and application with weekly faculty cohort meetings, coaching, and reflection. 

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