National CTC grant funding has ended.
Access the CTC's public "legacy drive" to download evergreen resources, best practices, and classroom content.
Each summer, the National CTC's Business and Industry Leadership Team (BILT) revises a "KSA list" of knowledge, skills, and abilities that entry-level IT workers will need to have in 12-36 months. The list is intended to help educators align curriculum with the needs of the IT workforce. Specifically, educators are encouraged to use the National CTC list as a tool with their own local/regional business council to be sure the skills students are learning are the skills employers are seeking. Learn more about the BILT model and how the KSA validation process works by viewing our "BILT Basics" webinar. An explanation of how to view and use the KSA sheet is explained in the video.
The current KSA list is available below in three formats – an Excel spreadsheet, a PDF document, and a special package of Google Sheets and Google Forms that are “linked” to allow your BILT to vote on KSAs electronically. To learn how to use this Google package, click here or watch this video.
EDUCATORS
Curriculum and Recruitment Information
Because the National CTC is a NSF ATE center grant, access to the complete curriculum is limited to educators of North American secondary and post secondary institutions. Available through each link is the syllabus of each curriculum subject, the outline of learning activities and powerpoint presentations as well as a links to sample learning activities and powerpoint presentations.
Curriculum Course List
- 5G
- Advanced Cloud Concepts Capstone (NEW - Fall 2023)
- Certified Wireless Network Administrator
- Convergence Technology
- Data Visualization
- Digital Home Technology Integration
- Enterprise Systems Architecture, Analysis, and Design
- Information Technology Capstone I and II
- Internet of Things Labs
- Internet Programming
- Introduction to Computer Networks
- IT Fundamentals - IT Fun
- IT Project Management
- Linksys VoIP
- Network+ and Security+ Labs
- Secure E-Commerce
- Residential Networking
- Systems Programming
- VoIP II
Note that the National CTC was funded by an NSF ATE grant. As such, curriculum is intended for use solely by educators of North American secondary and post-secondary institutions. To access the content, visit the CTC's public "Curriculum" legacy drive.
The National CTC maintains a robust "resource wiki" that serves as a repository for meeting minutes, conference presentations, best practice documents, classroom tools and exercises, and program resources. Materials are regularly updated and uploaded. Most of the wiki pages are open to the public, but some are password-protected and available only to members of the Convergence College Network (CCN).
**Because the National CTC sunset on September 30, 2023 the resource wiki has closed. Click the button below to access select "evergreen" documents and resources preserved on a public drive.
The National CTC has also developed an innovative "virtual internship" model that other schools are starting to adopt. Because so many community college students have families and full-time jobs, a traditional internship often isn't feasible. The "virtual internship" class – under the leadership of a local IT business mentor – assembles student teams to work on a specific real-world IT problem. The business mentor meets with the student teams four or five times throughout the semester via webinar. During those meetings, the mentor helps the students – and their faculty leader – to design, document, and implement a solution to the problem ranging from fairly simple to complex. The class concludes with a formal face-to-face business panel review in which the student teams present their solution verbally and visually. They also produce a report describing their solution. This "virtual internship" model strengthens the students' soft skills, gives them valuable content for their job portfolios, connects them with IT professionals, and exposes them to real-world workforce challenges.
Below is the Virtual Internship overview, and you can also view interviews with students from the pilot "virtual internship" at Collin College here.
View recent Conference Presentations on our Google Drive.
ATE Central
A freely available online portal and collection of materials and services that highlight the work of the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) projects and centers.
ATEtv
ATETV (Advanced Technological Education Television) is an award-winning Web-based video series and interactive network designed to connect students and professionals with careers in advanced technology. ATETV aims to show how ATE is relevant to the modern workplace and to attract students to this growing field.
Teaching Technicians
This website links technician educators with National Science Foundation supported, state-of-the-art, faculty development in advanced & emerging technologies, teaching methods, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
IWTTS
IWITTS helps educators nationwide close the gender gap for women and girls in male-dominated careers, such as technology, the trades and law enforcement. They offer research, training, and classroom tools that help technology and science educators increase the number of women and girls enrolled in their classes and retain them.