RESEARCH ON ATE
Researchers Study
ATE Program Implications
As the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program has matured, grantees’ work has become the subject of research.
Liesel Ashley Ritchie of the University of Colorado’s Institute of Behavioral Science coordinates the work of 20 researchers from 7 institutions who are involved in the Discovering the Educational Consequences of ATE (DECA) project. This research is in addition to the annual program report by The Evaluation Center of Western Michigan University and individual centers’ and projects’ evaluations.
The reports that the DECA researchers began making in 2010 advance understanding of the impact of the ATE program, the value of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) investment in it, and the program’s broader implications for technician education andcommunity colleges.
Researchers’ Findings
Wayne Welch of Rainbow Research is studying the sustainability of ATE programs. One of his preliminary findings is that 90.9% of the 216 grant recipients who participated in the survey agreed or strongly agreed that the program changes initiated by their grantswould continue after NSF funding ends.
Darrel M. Hull of the University of North Texas found that technician education students generally have higher abilities in spatial reasoning than nontechnological students at the same colleges. He recommends structuring curricula and pedagogy to use students’ spatial strengths to increase their motivation to learn math and science. He also encourages assessment of spatial abilities as part of career guidance services so students with spatial aptitudes receive information about technician education programs.
Louise Yarnall of SRI International analyzed ATE instructional materials for instructional fit, technical quality, and ease of use. “The study indicates that higher quality ATE materials provide good models for teaching professional skills [those that go beyond narrow technical content], and provide clear guidance on teaching methods and rich materials for classroom use.”
Ron Anderson of Rainbow Research examined the gender gaps among students enrolled in ATE programs and found that “ATE funds facilitate a variety of important recruitment and retention activities for getting students into and remaining with technician education programs.” Preliminary results of his analysis of technician education students’ attainment of critical milestones—such as course completion and program persistence—indicate that “gender, race, and age play a major role in the student pipeline and that the magnitude of this role changes across time.”
Charles Henderson, Herb Fynewever, and Heather Petcovic of Western Michigan University conducted case studies on the direct and indirect impacts of 3 national ATE centers on their home institutions. They found that the most successful centers have clear visions of their core competencies and use these competencies to collaborate with colleagues at their institutions.
