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Community colleges in search of a method to assess student progress and outcomes, as well as the effectiveness of institutional procedures may be interested in participating in the Voluntary Framework of Accountability (VFA). This accountability framework, developed by community college leaders, “gauges student progress and outcomes including pre-collegiate participation (such as developmental education and Adult Basic Education), academic progress and momentum, completion and transfer measures, and workforce outcomes for career and technical education.”

Those interested in contributing to the on-going development of the VFA can select from two tiers of participation. The first tier is free with 2019 AACC membership. A second tier, providing additional data and reports, is also available for $1,000.

Institutions that would like to register to participate can do so here.

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The Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Principal Investigators’ Conference, co-sponsored by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), is a national professional development and networking event for ATE project and center grantees and their project partners. The conference is by invitation only and brings together approximately 850 people—representing NSF ATE grants from across the country—to focus on the critical issues related to STEM technician education.

This webinar serves as an orientation to the conference and highlights why you and your ATE grant team should attend, what you can expect, how you can best prepare to participate in the required showcase sessions, and how you can maximize your time to get the most out of the conference and its many networking opportunities. It will be presented by Elaine Craft, principal investigator, Mentor-Connect and Ellen Hause, program director for academic and student success, AACC.

The webinar will take place on Friday, September 6, 1:00 - 2:30 pm EDT. Those interested in participating can register here.

Opening Pathways to Technical Careers conference banner

Instructors of deaf students teaching biology curriculum may benefit from attending the October 13-15, 2019 Opening the Pathways to Technical Careers conference offered by DeafTEC and BioQUEST. This event is aimed at secondary and postsecondary instructors, as well as interpreters, and will center on “using case studies, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, and teaching in ASL to enhance student success in biology.”

Registrants can attend the conference for free and can get travel expenses covered by the NSF ATE grant money. To receive these benefits, participants must apply by the September 6, 2019 deadline and receive an offer to attend. 

More information about the conference and a link to the application are available here.

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The showcase sessions are a highlight of the PI conference, with opportunities for projects and centers to share and display their work and learn about what others in the community are doing. It's also a great opportunity to connect with NSF program officers.

This year, showcases will take place in two sessions, the first on Wednesday, October 23, and the second on Thursday October 24. When reserving their slot, participants can select their preferred session. Showcase booths will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

First-time ATE grantees will share a booth with other new grantees and are asked to prepare a poster and/or one-page handout for display and sharing purposes. Other ATE projects and centers, whose funding is not new as of the FY19, will each be assigned their own booth. Booths will have electrical access and non-new grantees can also request a flat screen monitor.

All projects and centers are required to have a display at the showcase sessions, so don't forget to fill out your showcase submission before the September 19th deadline! 

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This year’s ATE PI Conference is fast approaching! This year’s theme is Innovation and Impact: ATE for the Future, centering on “the significant role that ATE projects and centers play in creating and implementing successful and impactful career pathways resulting in a highly skilled U.S. workforce.”

In this vein, conference organizers are accepting session proposals demonstrating “how the ATE community has successfully broadened impact through partnerships and collaboration with key stakeholders.” These proposals can be formatted in several ways, including as a forum, demonstration, discussion session, breakfast roundtable, high impact practice workshop, or synergy meeting.

Any of the following criteria may also be addressed: evidence-based project or center impact in one of the six session track topic areas, focus on multi-discipline-relevant learning experiences and strategies, interactive learning activities with take-away resources, or collaborative efforts among multiple ATE centers or projects. 

Those interested in submitting session proposals before the August 28 deadline can do so here.

HI-TEC Conference Banner 2019

It’s hard to believe summer is going by so quickly! HI-TEC is almost here and we are so excited to join members of the ATE Community in St. Louis. If you are planning to attend the conference July 22-25, stop by Booth #404 and say hello to ATE Central PI Rachael Bower, or participate in ATE’s special session on July 26 from 8:30-11:00 am CDT to give feedback on the current program solicitation and outreach efforts. See you there!

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If you are interested in developing your mentoring skills and giving back to the ATE community, apply to the Mentor Fellows internship program offered by Mentor-Connect. While shadowing experienced Mentor-Connect mentors and attending Mentor-Connect workshops and webinars, Mentor Fellows learn how to guide new-to-ATE college faculty as they prepare competitive ATE grant proposals through Mentor-Connect. Mentor Fellows receive a stipend and travel support. Applications are due September 27. Those interested in applying can learn more here. 

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Those looking to apply the latest research on student learning styles to their teaching practices may be interested in NISOD’s The New Science of Learning: Teaching That Promotes Student Success webinar. The talk will demystify the most successful methods of motivating students and targeting deep learning. It will also cover best practices for getting learners “more involved with course content,” as well as overviewing “applications of pedagogical research that can be used in almost any class.” 

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If you are a part of the ATE community and attending HI-TEC, come give feedback on the ATE program to NSF Program Officers in a targeted session Friday after HI-TEC. The ATE Program Officers want feedback on the current program solicitation regarding what is working and what needs to be improved. Further, they want ideas on how to conduct outreach to more community and technical colleges to help them to craft and submit competitive ATE proposals, and they want ideas for how to help those who have submitted but have been declined to recraft their proposals into competitive proposals. This session will cover these topics and more. 

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Hone your accessibility expertise with this webinar designed to assist in developing classroom materials that meet the core principles of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines(WCAG). 

The hour-and-a-half program uses revision of a course syllabus as a context to explore these WCAG elements, which can be summed up under the acronym POUR (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust), as well as offering easily implementable tips and techniques. Participants will walk away with practical knowledge on creating course materials that “are accessible and work for all learners from the start, by design.” 

The webinar runs Monday, June 10 from 12:00-1:30 pm CDT and is presented by the NSF- ATE-funded AccessATE project and the National AEM Center at CAST. For more information, visit ATE Central’s event listing. Register to participate in the webinar here.