Exploring Human Centered Design Thinking to Develop Career and Technical Education (CTE) Programs for Incarcerated Individuals: Development and Pilot of a Faculty Survey Instrument at a Utah Technical College

Postsecondary Career and Technical Education (CTE) institutions are confronted with growing demands to improve efficiency while boosting student outcomes and achieving performance metrics for funding. As enrollment competition grows and funding sources change, technical colleges are looking to develop new programs and identify untapped student populations such as incarcerated individuals. Instructors of postsecondary CTE technical programs often bring industry experience but typically lack formal teaching training unlike their secondary CTE instructors which may create variable teaching success and impacts both teacher confidence and student achievement, especially for at-risk populations such as incarcerated individuals. This research explores faculty perspectives on human-centered design thinking (HCDT) as an approach to student-centered program design and faculty interest in teaching in carceral settings that were captured by a survey instrument validated across two technical college campuses in Utah. The instrument assessed 10 competencies in 4 design thinking areas utilizing a Likert scale ranging from Not Important to Very Important. Phase one of the pilot study included responses from 14 participants. Phase two of the study, collected responses from nine participants. The findings of this study suggest that faculty members understand the value of adaptive teaching methods centered on students but lack sufficient training to apply HCDT principles effectively. The research demonstrates the necessity for faculty professional development programs that match industry requirements while promoting interactive teaching models which center around student needs. Postsecondary institutions can develop more effective learning environments that support student success and workforce preparedness by incorporating HCDT into faculty training.