Understanding, Supporting, and Creating Curriculum Pathways for Industrial Automation Careers

该项目正在支持和创建课程途径，以增加自动化制造系统（工业自动化）的操作，故障排除，设计和集成领域的合格技术人员数量。课程途径包括一系列课程和学习经验，使学生能够在自动化系统和工业自动化领域取得成功。该项目正在开发从高中到劳动力的职业道路，利用网络技术使工业自动化教育更容易获得。智力优势：许多课程衔接工作都集中在建立一般学术科目或特定类型的技术，如机电一体化和机器人双学分课程。相对而言，很少强调自动化系统教育或建立开始在高中水平的工业自动化双学分课程。为了克服这一缺点，该项目：1）评估工业自动化领域的行业劳动力需求和技能组合，2）确定影响学生从高中到两年或四年制大学顺利过渡到工业工作的能力的差距和效率低下，3）开发课程途径和衔接协议，以有效地为学生进入劳动力市场做好准备，4）开发工具（例如，网络可访问的自动化系统和虚拟学习环境），使教学资源有限的学习者更容易获得实践学习经验，以及5）在三个集群内对这些工具进行试点测试，（至少）一所高中、一所两年制大学和一所四年制大学。更广泛的影响：该项目有助于为美国公司提供对工业自动化概念有更深入理解的技术人员和工程师，更好地适应生产目标、自动化流程和组织结构调整的变化。伙伴机构正在与大量代表性不足的少数民族学生合作，传播计划正在为各种背景的学生提供更多的机会，以学习与系统集成有关的概念。该项目通过让来自西得克萨斯州的两年制大学参与者在风能和太阳能行业工作，进一步促进农村技术人员教育。由于对自动化系统劳动力准备的重视程度相对较低，该项目正在创建从高中到劳动力的示范职业途径，并使用网络技术使所有人都能更容易地获得工业自动化教育。该项目的重点是自动化制造，使能源行业受益，这有助于解决全球高素质工人严重短缺的问题，从而对国家及其相关经济产生积极影响。

This project is supporting and creating curriculum pathways to increase the number of qualified technicians in the areas of operation, troubleshooting, design and integration of automated manufacturing systems (industrial automation). The curriculum pathways include a series of courses and learning experiences that equip students for a successful career in automated systems and industrial automation. The project is developing career pathways that lead from high school to the workforce, using web technologies to make industrial automation education more accessible. Intellectual Merit:Many curriculum articulation efforts have focused on establishing dual credit programs for general academic subjects or on particular types of technology, such as mechatronics and robotics. There has been relatively little emphasis on automated systems education or establishing dual credit programs in industrial automation that begin at the high school level. To overcome this shortcoming the project is: 1) assessing industry workforce needs and skill sets in the area of industrial automation, 2) identifying gaps and inefficiencies that affect students' ability to smoothly transition from high school to two or four-year college to jobs in industry, 3) developing curriculum pathways and articulation agreements to efficiently prepare students to enter the workforce, 4) developing tools (e.g., web-accessible automated systems and virtual learning environments) to make hands-on learning experiences more accessible to learners with limited instructional resources, and 5) pilot-testing the tools within three clusters consisting of (at least) one high school, one two-year college, and one four-year college.Broader Impacts:The project is helping provide U.S. companies with technicians and engineers who have a deeper understanding of industrial automation concepts, and who are better prepared to adapt to changes in production goals, automation processes and organizational restructuring. The partnering institutions are working with a significant number of underrepresented minority students and the propagation plans are providing further opportunities for students from all backgrounds to learn the concepts associated with system integration. The project is further contributing to rural technician education, by engaging two-year college participants from west Texas to work in the wind and solar energy industries. Since there has been relatively little emphasis on automated systems workforce preparation, the project is creating model career pathways from high school to the workforce and using web technologies to make industrial automation education more accessible to all. The project's focus on automated manufacturing to benefit the energy industry is helping address the global priority on the critical shortage of highly qualified workers to positively impact the nation and its related economy.