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Farewell (and Thank You) from the National Convergence Technology Center
The National CTC grant comes to an end this weekend. What began as a series of regional grants in the 2000s led to a national Advanced Technological Education grant award by the NSF in 2012 (and a renewal in 2017). Through all those years, the National CTC – headquartered at Collin College in North Texas…
Read MoreWatch lunch presentations from Summer Working Connections
The National Convergence Technology Center’s (CTC) annual Summer Working Connections event welcomes faculty from across the country for a deep dive into a specific IT track with the goal of immediately implementing what they’ve learned in the classroom. But aside from the usual 9am-5pm track lectures and labs, Working Connections also hosts short lunch presentations…
Read MoreCTC shares best practice “legacy” documents
The National Convergence Technology Center (CTC) grant – funded by the National Science Foundation’s ATE (Advanced Technological Education) program – sunsets later this month. What began as a series of regional grants in the 2000s led to a national center award in 2012 and a national center renewal in 2017. Through all those years, the…
Read MoreFree skill standards workshop in October
Are you looking to work with your local employers to update an existing technical program or create a new, cutting-edge technical program? Do you need help engaging with industry to get the feedback you need for your curriculum? The “IT Skill Standards 2020 and Beyond” project – funded by a National Science Foundation grant –…
Read MoreLean and agile principles in IT
The National Convergence Technology Center’s (CTC) most recent “Brown Bag” webinar featured a look at lean and agile concepts, which are often used in the IT workplace to maintain competitive advantage by pursuing continuous improvement. Students who can understand the basics of lean and agile frameworks could have an edge in job interviews. The presenter…
Read MoreCTC releases annual update of IT infrastructure job skills
Earlier this summer, the National Convergence Technology Center (CTC) convened its Business and Industry Leadership Team (BILT) for its annual prioritization – via vote and discussion – of essential entry-level IT job skills students and graduates will need to know in the next 12-36 months. Because higher education curriculum development can proceed slowly, the BILT…
Read MoreAre you using our Brown Bag videos?
We hope faculty are taking full advantage of the National Convergence Technology Center’s (CTC) library of “Brown Bag” webinars. Many of the videos are appropriate for classroom use. First launched in 2020, the Brown Bag series offers special topic presentations via bite-sized, 30-minute segments on both technical and employability topics. To date, these 16 webinars…
Read MoreJuly Was Busy for the CTC
Your National Convergence Technology Center (CTC) staff just closed the book on one of its busiest three-week stretches, which is the main reason our weekly blog has been so often dark this summer. We are exhausted! * In-person Summer Working Connections, July 10-14 – By now we all surely know that annual Working Connections events…
Read MoreStrategies of Persuasion
The National Convergence Technology Center’s (CTC) most recent “Brown Bag” webinar featured a look at the “art of persuasion.” The presenter was Ryan Bradshaw, who’s Department Chair for Business Education and Technology, part of the Business, Industry, Logistics, and Transportation division (B.I.L.T.) at Johnston Community College in North Carolina. The CTC’s annual grant review panel,…
Read MoreTeaching APIs
The National Convergence Technology Center’s (CTC) most recent “Brown Bag” webinar featured a look at APIs. The presenter was Muhammad Shoaib, who’s Associate Faculty at Collin College in Frisco, Texas and a Full Stack Developer at Magnit. Muhammad offered an overview of APIs with the goal of helping faculty to start thinking about building curriculum…
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