Page 4 - Fall 2016 Update

BRIDGING HANDS-ON TECHNICAL AND ONLINE EDUCATION Bridging Hands-On Technical and Online Education

by Regina L. Garza Mitchell, Associate Professor at Western Michigan University

Community colleges are the foremost providers Regina L. Garza Mitchell

of both career and technical education

(CTE) and online education. There is a gap in Dr. Mitchell has worked in

knowledge, however, about how the technical higher education for over

side of CTE is offered in an online environment. 15 years in the areas of

To help close this gap, researchers from educational leadership, student

Western Michigan University’s Center learning, online learning,

for Research on Instructional Change in distance education, and faculty

Postsecondary Education, Santa Fe College, development. Prior to joining

and Santa Fe Community College received a WMU, Garza Mitchell was the

grant from the National Science Foundation associate vice president for

Advanced Technology Education (NSF-ATE) student learning at Texas State

program to study how community colleges are Technical College Harlingen

implementing online technical education. and an adjunct faculty member

at Texas Tech University. She

Background earned her Ed.D. in higher education leadership at Central

Michigan University, where she also earned her M.A. and B.S.

In the current era of completion and economic degrees; she also earned an A.S. degree from Mid Michigan

return, CTE has shifted to the forefront Community College. Her research interests include online

of American education. CTE is viewed as a education, leadership, and faculty work, predominantly in a

mechanism for increasing college completion community college setting.

(The White House, 2009) and for boosting the

economy (D’Amico, Morgan, Katsinas, & Friedel, 2015; college completion, our study is focused on the closing

U.S. Department of Education, 2012). On the credit- divide as community colleges offer more technical

bearing side, CTE credentials may be earned through courses with online options.

certificate or associate’s degree programs. The national “Online Technical Education in ATE-
interest in CTE is reflected in the phenomenal increase Funded Programs”
in certificates earned. Between 2000 and 2014 the

number of certificates earned at community colleges

increased by 236%, with certificates comprising 39% of The NSF-ATE program focuses on improving “the

all credentials earned at these colleges (Phillipe & Tekle, education of technicians for the high-technology fields

2016). that drive our nation’s economy” (National Science

Foundation, n.d.). Over the past six years, ATE has

Community colleges were the earliest adopters of online funded at least 30 projects involving significant online

education, becoming and remaining its foremost provider educational elements at the community college level.

(Parsad & Lewis, 2008; Radford, 2011). As early as In fall 2015, our research team began a two-year

2004 a small number of colleges offered online courses study, titled above, of ATE-funded projects to learn

in technical areas such as livestock production and digital how technical education is being delivered in online

circuits (Johnson, et al., 2004). However, the majority formats in these projects. The team chose to focus on

of online enrollment remains in career areas, such as ATE projects for several reasons. First, the projects are

business or computer science, and general education housed in colleges across the country, which provides a

(Radford, 2011), as opposed to technical areas (Githens, national perspective. Second, the projects vary according

Sauer, Crawford, & Wilson, 2012). This is not surprising to need and ability. For instance, a project may involve

given the hands-on nature of technical education, and developing a fully online course or program, creation of

the need for specialized tools or laboratories that must an online simulation that is used for either online or face-

be accessed at or through a college (Horvitz & Zinser, to-face technical courses, or the online component may

2011). Given advances in technology and the push for be a small part of a larger project related to enhancing