Applied Design Thinking for Product Development Technicians

This project aims to serve the national interest by expanding design thinking strategies developed under an existing Technical Certificate in Integrated Design, to meet local and national industry needs for skilled workers with analytical and creative problem-solving abilities and with specialized training in product design and fabrication. This project will also strive to enlarge the pool of students seeking such careers by providing increased opportunities and support for Latinx students, “placed at risk” teens, and rural students traditionally underrepresented in design-related and STEM technical fields. Impacts will be achieved through the development of relevant, industry-advised, and project-based coursework, and through partnerships with industry advisors and outreach programs to provide well-supported, achievable pathways for students from high school to college and from college to the workforce. This project will enhance strategies to meet local workforce needs by leveraging curriculum and resources developed as part of a previous NSF ATE grant and focuses on three goals. First is to enhance and expand existing integrated design curricula to additional disciplines at Northwest Arkansas Community College and other K-12 partners with industry-aligned course components. Second is to enhance professional development opportunities in advanced design thinking concepts, applied product design, and sustainability. Third, and finally, is to partner with on-campus groups and local agencies to create pathways to enroll, retain, and graduate underrepresented groups in the region for an emerging technician role in product development. Through meeting these goals, this project will provide an accessible entry point for students to pursue multiple degree tracks and career paths through design thinking, integrated design, and industry-advised knowledge, skills, and abilities. This project leverages an existing Technical Certificate in Integrated Design (TC-ID) across Construction Technology, Computer-aided Design, and Fine Arts programs. The current TC-ID stacks into three degree tracks: an Associate of Fine Arts (AFA), an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Construction, or an AAS in Computer-Aided Design. This project will expand the TC-ID to Engineering Technology and Graphic Design with respective AAS degree tracks. The expansion of the Technical Certificate, and the creation of a new Certificate of Proficiency in Integrated Design aimed for concurrently enrolled high school students, will provide additional opportunities for students to be exposed to multiple degree tracks while gaining interdisciplinary skills and industry-ready credentials. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced technology fields that drive the nation's economy. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.