Diffusion of photovoltaic occupational skills training : awareness and adoption in the North Carolina community colleges
- WCU Author/Contributor (non-WCU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Deborah Ruth Porto (Creator)
- Institution
- Western Carolina University (WCU )
- Web Site: http://library.wcu.edu/
- Advisor
- Meagan Karvonen
Abstract: Educational administrators in the North Carolina Community College System
(NCCCS) play a key role in the decisions to adopt or reject educational innovations and
as a result are the gatekeepers of technology innovations reaching students. In this study
the innovation-decision process and other aspects of the diffusion of innovation model
are used to consider how the educational innovation of photovoltaic (PV) skills training is
diffusing through the NCCCS. The research questions asked how widespread is
awareness, how do administrators become aware, how widespread is adoption, and what
are the reasons cited for adoption decisions. Subquestions investigated the relationship
between awareness and administrator background and college enrollment, adoption and
college enrollment, and the relationship between credit and noncredit administrators in
the same college. The study collected and analyzed data from two surveys of NCCCS
college credit and noncredit (continuing education) administrators and enrollment data.
Over 90% of respondents were generally aware of PV skills training. The
awareness rates were lower for more specific knowledge of PV skills training
organizations, certifications, and accreditations. News reports, the NCCCS Code Green
initiative and Curriculum Improvement Project were most frequently cited as sources of
learning about PV skills training. Credit administrators at colleges with larger enrollment
were somewhat more likely to have been aware of PV skills training for more time than
administrators at colleges with smaller enrollments. Enrollment was not associated with
awareness for noncredit administrators. The credit and noncredit administrators at the
same colleges learned about PV skills training at different times and in different ways.
Administrator background and employment history were not related to awareness.
Adoption was defined as courses offered with PV skills as the primary subject and
as PV skills added into the content of existing courses. The reported adoption rates were
21% for PV as a primary skill in credit courses and 35% for noncredit courses. The
reported adoption rates were 36% for PV as an added skill in credit courses and 39% for
noncredit courses. Credit and noncredit administrators were consistent in the factors they
rated as important in their adoption decisions. The reasons cited as very important in the
adoption decisions were internal issues of faculty and resources, and external issues of
potential employment and requests by area businesses.
Recommendations for future practice include forming a statewide organization of
credit and noncredit technology deans to increase the awareness and reduce the time of
adoption of new technology training topics, coordinating the credit and noncredit
programs introducing new technology topics within individual community colleges, and
including credit and noncredit faculty and administrators in future NCCCS technology curriculum improvement projects. Recommendations for future research include a
longitudinal study of the implementation and confirmation stages of PV skills training in
the NCCCS, examining the relationship between future NCCCS curriculum improvement
project activities and awareness and adoption of the curriculum under study, examining
the impact of statewide associations of faculty in similar fields and adoption of new
technology training, and investigating the interaction of credit and noncredit
administrators within individual colleges and across the NCCCS and how the interactions
relate to becoming aware of and adopting new technology training programs.
Diffusion of photovoltaic occupational skills training : awareness and adoption in the North Carolina community colleges
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Created on 6/1/2012
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Dissertation
- Language: English
- Date: 2012
- Keywords
- community college, continuing education, curriculum, diffusion of innovation, educational administrator, photovoltaic
- Subjects
- Educational innovations -- North Carolina
- Diffusion of innovations -- North Carolina
- Photovoltaic power systems -- North Carolina
- Occupational training -- North Carolina
- Community colleges -- North Carolina