ETSTE DCL: Improving the Education of Semiconductor Technicians Through Enhanced Curriculum and Partnerships to Meet Industry Needs

Currently, education and industry are not well-aligned to support the nanotechnology and semiconductor workforce. Additionally, there are barriers to student success, which contribute to the labor shortage felt by industry partners. TCCD seeks to improve its nanotechnology curriculum and student support services to both bolster its students and meet industry needs through a new Certificate in Semiconductor Electronics Technology (CISET). TCCD will use proven instructional methods to improve student outcomes in the areas of diversity, persistence, course success and degree attainment. Additionally, TCCD will use the innovative Business and Industry Leadership Team (BILT) model to work with its industry partners to address their workforce needs. The implementation of the project will have numerous impacts that align with NSF's mission, including (1) increasing the participation of women and students of color through improvement of student success and recruitment efforts, (2) improving STEM educator professional development through the broadening of current pedagogical preparation, and (3) increasing the quality of STEM education for students through both the improvement of a level I Certificate and through strengthened partnerships between TCCD, independent school districts, and regional STEM industry organizations. The project will enhance the development of a diverse STEM workforce available to meet the needs of the semiconductor industry, through which it will increase the economic competitiveness of the U.S. in the field of microchip manufacturing. This project will create a model than can be adopted by other colleges/universities and scaled to meet their unique needs. The goals of the project are to: (1) Improve TCCD's Electronics Technology Department curriculum and partner networking to enhance student education and produce qualified technicians to meet semiconductor industry workforce demands, and (2) Improve the Electronics Technology Certificate student diversity, persistence, success, and degree attainment. TCCD anticipates having 60 students complete the CISET by the end of September 2027. This will be accomplished through the following activities: (1) establishing the Certificate in Semiconductor Electronics Technology at TCCD, (2) hosting a technology career fair for students that engage industry partners and include workshops and skill-building sessions, (3) aligning electronics technology courses with industry-related certifications and badges, allowing students to develop and obtain industry-specific KSAs, (4) providing faculty professional development on flipped classroom pedagogy, to engage students in thinking, investigating, and creating, and (5) developing and implementing a math enrichment experience, a supplemental instruction program, and technology club to address barriers to enrollment and interest in electronics technology and to increase the number of electronics technology students who continue their studies with an advanced degree. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program and is supported in part by funds from Intel Corporation under the ETSTE DCL. The program 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.