Through a grant secured by Sierra College, employers and educators formed the Sierra STEM Community Collaborative in 2008 to shape relevant, applied academic education and develop integrated curriculum that prepares students for careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). The goal of this California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office grant is to strengthen education through hands-on project based learning that incorporates academics into technical education and adds hands-on technical projects to academic courses. By engaging students and educators, the STEM Collaborative projects pilot methods to transform education and prepare students for technical careers with local employers. The projects are supported by Sierra College and the Sierra College Center for Applied Competitive Technologies (CACT) www.sierracollegetraining.com .
In 2010, Sierra College received a National Science Foundation grant to build on the STEM collaborative’s work. The Sierra College NSF grant is developing math modules to incorporate into the Tech-Explorer project.
- Learn about the success factors in establishing these grant-funded programs.
- Find out more about STEM Academy where STEM instructors teach each other
- Read the SchoolWorks newsletter, news, press releases and other related STEM articles.
- Find partners and other resource links.
- Contact the Sierra Community Collaborative for more information.
Activities supported by these grants:
- Sierra College NSF Grant Tech-Explorer: Engaging students in STEM Education and Careers
- Integrated Curriculum classroom project database
- Tech-Explorer Mobile Applied Academic Project brought to schools
- Placer and Nevada Counties Schools’ STEM courses
- Education and Career path exploration
- Educator resources and hands-on STEM project curriculum