Work-Based Grant Abstracts

Abstract: As a result of the COPE initiative two goals will be accomplished:

Goal I. Folio will be available within the Department of Education and Bowie State Library that highlights the various Educational Opportunities in Education beyond the classroom teacher.

Goal II. The Practicum I Experience within Introduction to Education will be adapted to include observations of the various school team members that work together to maintain the appropriate learning environment for students to learn.

Students at Bowie State University in Introduction to Education and Practicum I will have the opportunity within the framework of the COPE grant to work side-by-side with employees within the Public School setting to gain greater understanding and appreciation of the various career opportunities within education. Based on the information received from the COPE experience, students will develop a folio and make a video tape at the completion of the course that illustrate the various responsibilities of different public school employees. As a part of the 60-hour observation, students will be required to spend two days outside the classroom working alongside a member of the education team such as resource teacher/Vice Principal, Principal, Counselor, Personnel Worker. During the two-day shared work experience, the school employee will identify the various qualifications, responsibilities, strengths, and "pit-falls" of the particular position.

Abstract: The University of Maryland Dental Hygiene curriculum includes an externship program that enables students to experience the role of dental hygienist in community health. Senior dental hygiene students choose from a variety of community health settings in the Baltimore - Washington area such as, The United States Naval Academy, The University of Maryland Cancer Center and the Children's National Medical Center. Students provide clinical and educational dental hygiene services under the supervision of a preceptor at these sites.

This work-based learning course has been a positive experience for students who have participated in it and for professionals and patients at community settings. Many students have included community dental hygiene in their career plans as a result of their experiences at externship sites. In fact, several of the dental hygiene site preceptors are graduates of the University of Maryland. The professionals and patients at the community settings benefit from the program due to the increase in manpower that the students provide and are exposed to some of the latest techniques offered by the students.

While our community externship program has received much praise from students and community professionals, further development of the course is necessary. The grant for "Integration of Work-Based Learning into the College Curriculum" will enable the course coordinator to visit existing sites, investigate potential new sites and develop an orientation program for all site preceptors.

Principal Investigator:

Jillaine Hadfield, M.S.
Department of Medical & Research Technology
University of Maryland School of Medicine

Partner:
Human Genome Sciences, Inc.

Abstract: One of the great educational needs in our region is the training of B.S. degree bioscience students who matriculate with entry-level work skills for the biotechnology industry. Many new graduates are not prepared for the technical jobs they enter. The Department of Medical & Research Technology (DMRT), University of Maryland School of Medicine, has recently implemented a baccalaureate-level biomedical research track which is designed to respond to employer-defined skill standards and which integrates classroom simulations and structured externships into its curriculum. The Educational Development Center, Inc. (EDC), Newton, Massachusetts, sponsored a series of workshops in which employers from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies discussed and defined the skills, knowledge, and attributes that they desire in a new employee. EDC is now sponsoring a two-day workshop where educators will develop liaison with workers in the bioscience industry and co-develop ways to implement and to assess mastery of the National Bioscience Industry Skills Standards. This grant application is for funds to allow Jillaine Hadfield, a DMRT faculty member, to attend the EDC workshop. She will develop industry contacts and will bring information, methods, and insight back to DMRT where they will be applied to the DMRT biomedical research track curriculum.

Principal Investigator:

Dr. Joe Manjone
Frostrburg State University
Frostburg, MD 21532

Partners: Allegany County Public Schools
Garrett County Public Schools
Boy Scouts of America
YMCA
4-H Clubs

Abstract: Outdoor Education is defined as learning in and for the outdoors. School age children usually in the fifth and sixth grades are brought to an outdoor setting for a 3-5 day living experience. There they learn outdoor living and survival skills, and study academic subjects as related to the outdoor environment. Hands-on-learning is the key ingredient to the success of outdoor education. This project will focus on these same hands-on-learning principles. This project, however, will be concerned with the instruction and leadership of the children who participate in these outdoor schools. Frostburg State University undergraduate and Allegany and Garrett County senior high school students who are interested in careers in education, environmental education, adventure sports, youth serving agencies or recreation management will be taught how to set up and administer an outdoor school program, and what and how to teach in the outdoor environment. This project will provide work based learning experiences in teaching, leadership, and administration for college students and high school seniors, while at the same time providing hands-on-learning with school children.

Principal Investigator:

Henry W. Bullamore, Professor and Chair
Department of Geography
Frostburg State University
Frostburg, MD 21532

Partner: Allegany County Visitor's Bureau

Abstract: Development of courses in tourism will respond to a Western Maryland Priority and provide an opportunity for students to develop skills needed for careers in the hospitality industry. Utilizing both available texts and consultations with industry professionals on extended site rotation will lead to courses focused on needed skills. The "Geography of Tourism" course will provide basic content and develop core communication and interpersonal skills. The "Tourism Planning" course will utilize the active project team instructional approach to take students from ideas formulation to evaluation of the complete project plan.

Principal Investigators:

Abstract: The Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree program in the Department of Visual Arts contains a graphic design component which is our largest area of concentration. The graphics program serves an average of sixty students. Our curriculum provides students of design with study in print graphics, multi-media, and video, along with an optional internship program where a student can work for an agency/business and receive advanced level course credit. The current program provides students with knowledge of industry standard computers, peripherals and software to create and produce design. This grant will enable professors to work with degree candidates in all phases of their university career to develop communication skills, resume and final professional graphics portfolio which is proof of the mastery of design and technical abilities. We are asking for grant funding to help connect the components of our existing program which are: 1) advanced graphics courses, 2) senior directed study (portfolio development), 3) graphics internships.

Our plan is to incorporate more client based design assignments in advanced level graphics courses. Students will produce designs for area business as well as on campus organizations. This experience will teach students the skills needed to accurately and effectively represent organizations through research and development of content along with visuals. These assignments will involve group collaboration with actual clients and students from other disciplines. Graphics students will be required to form creative design teams that may include students of computer science (for custom software design), literature (copy writing), foreign language, (used in global communications), communications, (video - public relations), and/or psychology, (market research).

Senior directed study, (portfolio development) will help the student to organize and refine their advanced design portfolios and representative resumes. Students, professors and business leaders will work together towards an accurate assessment of student's strengths.

The final phase of our program is the internship which will benefit both our students and area businesses. Students will gain on-the-job experience working for design studios and business will gain skilled creative professionals. In the past business leaders of Western Maryland have praised our program and our graphics laboratory facilities for providing students with the needed skills to produce quality graphics portfolios. With the help of this grant we hope to continue on this positive course.

Abstract: Data is spread across many sources in a manufacturing environment. Typically, product designs are conducted in a CAD/CAM environment where data generated is either stored as information in a CAD drawing or in a large relational database together with other company data. In today's information infrastructure, the data may be stored anywhere on the network and preferably accessible through the Internet. I will investigate the data integration issues related to manufacturing environment at Northrop Grumman, and study their data environment and data sources. I will work with the engineers there to study this problem and bring this work-based learning to a database teaching and learning environment. I will integrate the database courses taught at Towson University with the manufacturing knowledge acquired by me while conducting this study. The proposed database issues to be studied include: data analysis, modeling, integration, heterogeneity, integrity, access and control, and distribution. These database issues pertinent to manufacturing are targets of integration into the database curriculum, class homework, and projects. In this problem, I will spend half a day per week for two semesters at Northrop Grumman to accomplish the proposed mission.

Principal Investigator:

Abstract: Many employers assert that today's engineering graduates are not adequately prepared to practice engineering after completing their educational requirements. Instead, companies are forced to provide extended training to new employees facilitating the transition from an academic to an industrial environment. In light of these concerns, four year universities must seek to instill the practical needs of industry through innovative educational programs. Hence, a new course in mechanical engineering is proposed focusing on "work-based" design and manufacturing. The course is to be offered as a senior capstone design option in which as multi-component product is designed and actually manufactured, identical to the industrial setting. Students are divided into "product teams" which are responsible for the successful design and manufacture of one component from a multi-component structure subjected to realistic constraints (e.g. cost, manufacturing processes, and time to market). Individual product groups learn the importance of communication and teamwork to insure that the primary features of each part enables successful manufacture, assembly, and service of the final multi-component product. This work-based scholastic environment is a vital step towards enhancing the quality of our engineering graduates and the technical aptitude of our nations industries.

Abstract: Undergraduates in the paramedic track of the Department of Emergency Health Services, UMBC, participate in 208 hours of field internship. Successful completion of the field internship is a requirement for national certification as an Emergency Medical Technician - Paramedic.

The field internship consists of ride-alongs and performance of appropriate skills on paramedic ambulances. Students are assigned to actual shifts with career providers throughout Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. While on-duty, the students interact with working professionals both during emergency responses and while awaiting calls.

For most students, the field internship is their first formal interaction with career paramedics. Although most students have experience as volunteers, they have not been exposed to the culture of a career environment. This can be stressful given the difference in educational level, work ethic, and biases existing within the emergency services.

This grant will fund development and delivery of a mandatory workshop for junior level paramedic students. The focus of the workshop will be to explore the culture of the workplace, student and preceptor expectations, and strategies for effective interaction. Students will interact with career paramedics, senior students, and faculty to explore issues and perceptions related to the field internship.

Abstract: A faculty externship is proposed to investigate the applications of computer graphics and solid modeling in an industrial setting. Faculty visits to local architectural and manufacturing firms and participation in two workshops will provide professional exposure and training relative to computer graphics and solid modeling applications in engineering design. Knowledge and skills documented from these experiences will be utilized to plan and implement an Advanced Computer Assisted Design (CAD) course that will cover Computer Graphics, Geometric Modeling and Solid Modeling. This course will be required for all Construction Management, Engineering Technology and Technology Education majors. The prerequisite for the advanced CAD course will be the Introduction to CAD course which is currently a requirement.

Abstract: This project will bring together three Hospitality Industry Partners and an educational partner to facilitate the incorporation of Work Based Learning into the Curriculum of the Hotel and Restaurant Management Department at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Downtown Baltimore Program. We will focus on work based competencies in three areas: Customer Service, Food Production, and Human Resources Management. The faculty member will team up with each industry partner to identify and evaluate how technology is utilized within in their organization. Then, working in small teams, design and develop classroom simulations, exercises, projects and training scenarios for the classroom using the appropriate technologies. The work based classroom experiences will be incorporated into three different courses within the Hospitality Curriculum; Human Resource Management, Technology Systems in Hospitality and Front Office Management.

Abstract: Through the project, "ESOL & Literacy: Teachers, Tutors, and Resources", Salisbury State University students, studying to become English as Second Language teachers, will tutor ESOL middle/high school students during the first year of their teacher training curriculum. In addition to exposing teachers-in-training to the "real world" of ESOL, a second benefit of the project will be that Wicomico County ESOL students will receive 120 -150 hours of additional ESOL Literacy tutoring during the academic year.

Moreover, this project will initiate a joint resource center to be shared by the Wicomico County ESOL teachers and SSU's teachers-in-training. Collaboratively, they will identify needs for materials, visit the Baltimore-based Multifunctional Resource Center, and order materials for a local center.

ESOL remains one of the areas facing serious teacher shortage for the State of Maryland. The number of ESOL students on Maryland's Eastern Shore has more than doubled in the last decade leaving the school systems in need of ESOL resources. This project will enhance the learning experiences of future ESOL teachers, while supporting the immediate needs of Wicomico County's ESOL teachers and students. Finally, the proposed ESOL & Literacy Project will leave a legacy of resources for future collaborative use.

Faculty Externships
 

Title: Faculty Externship at Human Genome Sciences, Inc..