From Concept to Production: Reconceptualizing the Mechanical Engineering Technology Curricula

蓝岭社区学院正在修订其机械工程技术（MET）集群的内容和课程框架，以创建一个创新和全面的教育计划，为制造业提供高技能的技术人员。通过课程修订，建立一个新的机械工程技术中心，并与工业伙伴合作，实现了制造过程的综合方法。该中心的项目和MET集群的课程采用由弗吉尼亚高地社区学院和皮埃蒙特弗吉尼亚社区学院开发的计算机数字控制会话编程应用程序和3-D建模模块，以增强集群的整体教育和学习方法。与中学系统、当地制造业和詹姆斯麦迪逊大学的现有合作伙伴关系正在被用于开发和实施创新的学习方法。教师们正在采用以团队为导向的方法，詹姆斯·麦迪逊大学综合科学与技术学院已经成功地使用了这种方法。该学院与工业界和地区技术预备联盟的合作伙伴关系导致设计现实世界的制造项目，让高中生和大学生参与数学，设计和工程课程。该项目使蓝岭社区学院能够在整个机械工程技术集群中实现制造技术的改进集成，为教师提供更多机会，与制造业的技术变革保持同步，并向权力展示

Blue Ridge Community College is revising the content and curricular framework of its Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) Cluster to create an innovative and comprehensive educational program that will provide highly skilled technicians for manufacturing industries. Through curricular revision, the creation of a new Mechanical Engineering Technology Center, and collaboration with industry partners an integrated approach to the manufacturing process is achieved. The Center's projects and the MET Cluster's courses adapt computer numeric control conversational programming applications and 3-D modeling modules developed by the Virginia Highlands Community College and the Piedmont Virginia Community College to enhance the Cluster's holistic approach to education and learning.Existing partnerships with secondary school systems, local manufacturing industries, and James Madison University are being used to develop and implement innovative learning methodologies. Faculty are adapting the team oriented approach which has been successfully used by the College of Integrated Science and Technology at James Madison University. The college's partnerships with industry and the regional tech-prep consortium are resulting in the design of real world manufacturing projects to engage high school and college students in mathematics, design, and engineering courses. The project enables Blue Ridge Community College to achieve improved integration of manufacturing technology throughout the mechanical engineering technology cluster, to provide faculty with increased opportunities to remain abreast of technological changes in manufacturing, and to demonstrate to the powe