Effect of Regional Centers and Selected National Centers on the Number and Quality of Technicians and on Program Characteristics and Community College Structure and Organization

ATE计划中的制造业和信息技术区域中心将与区域工业密切合作，以增加受过良好教育的技术人员的数量。 这种合作应该改变社区大学教育技术人员的方式，并提高雇主对那些成为雇员的学生的满意度。 社区学院研究中心记录并评估ATE区域中心在信息技术和制造业方面的活动，以确定区域中心在何种程度上以及在何种情况下实现目标。 其中要解决的问题是结构和机制，以适应和实施示范教学材料到新的背景下，教师的作用，在程序，部门，机构和系统的改革的变革推动者;和机构建立自己的能力，以应对教育高素质的技术劳动力的挑战的过程。 该方法是定量措施的组合，使用由西密歇根大学评估中心生成的数据，以及定性措施，包括对区域中心的实地访问，采访学生，教师和管理人员以及雇主。 该报告应有助于社区学院发挥作用，为各种学生提供获得生产性长期职业和继续教育的教育机会。

The regional centers in manufacturing and information technology in the ATE program are to work closely with regional industry to increase the numbers of well-educated technicians. This collaboration should change the way community colleges educate technicians and increase employer satisfaction with those students who become employees. The Community College Research Center documents and evaluates the activities of the ATE regional centers in information technology and manufacturing to determine the extent to which and under what circumstances the regional centers are achieving the goals. Among issues to be addressed are the structures and mechanisms to adapt and implement exemplary instructional materials into new contexts; the role of faculty as change agents in reform of programs, departments, institutions, and systems; and the process by which institutions build their capacity to address the challenge of educating a highly qualified technical workforce. The methodology is a mix of quantitative measures, which use the data generated by the Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University, and qualitative measures, that include site visits to the regional centers interviewing students, faculty and administrators and also employers. The report should be helpful to community colleges in their role in providing educational access to productive, long-term occupations and further education for a diverse population of students.