Joyce Malyn-Smith, EdD, is a national expert on STEM careers and workforce development. For more than 20 years, she has worked with industry experts and educators to identify the major tasks, skills, knowledge, and abilities needed by workers in emerging fields and significantly changed occupations. She has also helped to define new career pathways in industries as diverse as manufacturing, social media, and big data.
Malyn-Smith’s interest in helping students transition from school to work began in the 1970s, when she taught high school in the Boston Public Schools. Her research findings have helped colleges develop up-to-date, relevant programs that give students the skills and knowledge needed to succeed once they enter the workforce.
For 16 years, Malyn-Smith served as the principal investigator for numerous National Science Foundation-funded grants, including the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) Learning Resource Center (2003–2013); IT Across Careers (ITAC 1, 2 and 3: 2002–2010); Computational Thinking in America’s Workplaces; and the New Media Technician.
Malyn-Smith holds an EdD from Boston University and an EdM from Boston State Teacher’s College.
“To create a pathway to [STEM] careers, students need to come out of our education system not only armed with the [computational thinking enabled] knowledge and skills they need to use these new (technology) tools but, also, with real hands-on experience using these tools in low-risk learning environments.”
Projects
Speaking Highlights
Advancing STEM and Computing in Education: Pathways to Computing Careers
Can CTE Change the Brain?
Technician Entrepreneurs—Using Social Media to Build a Business Brand and Network
A Program Director’s Guide to Evaluating STEM Education Programs STEM Workforce Development Model and Outcomes Framework
Media
Articles
“Community Colleges Tackle Workforce Gaps”
EDC, January 24, 2012
“Can Community Colleges Boost the U.S. Economy?”
EDC, October 26, 2011
Blog Posts
“Computational Thinking from a Dispositions Perspective”
Google for Education, September 13, 2016
"Cultivating a STEM-Savvy Workforce"
EDC, December 15, 2013
Selected Publications
Reider, D., Knestis, K., & Malyn-Smith, J. (2016). Workforce education models for K–12 STEM education programs: Reflections on, and implications for, the NSF ITEST program. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 1–12. doi: 10.1007/s10956-016-9632-6
Malyn-Smith, J., Na’im, A., Supel, J., & Cedrone, D. (2013). A program director’s guide to evaluating STEM education programs: Lessons learned from local, state and national initiatives.
Malyn-Smith, J., & Smith, D. (2013). Can CTE change the brain? Techniques, 88(7), 24–29.
Malyn-Smith, J., & Smith, D. (2013). New jobs and new skills for a changing workplace: STEM enabled technicians and professionals. Career Planning and Adult Development Journal, 29(2), 34–52.
Malyn-Smith, J. (2012). Staking a claim in the STEM education landscape: Opportunities for business education. Business Education Forum, 66(4), 23–27.
Malyn-Smith J., & Lee, I. (2012). Application of the occupational analysis of computational thinking-enabled STEM professionals as a program assessment tool. Journal of Computational Science Education, 3(1), 2–10.
Selected Resources
Written for program directors, program managers, educators, and others responsible for developing and implementing STEM programs in schools and community-based organizations, this guide seeks to re
For two years, the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) Learning Resource Center at EDC and the ITEST community engaged in a collaborative exploration of evidence-bas