Distance Learning in Computer Integrated Machining and Manufacturing to Engage Rural Communities

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This project will contribute to the advanced technological workforce by a developing a one-stop pathway to an Associate of Applied Science degree in Computer Integrated Machining and Manufacturing. This degree program will be housed in the newly refurbished state-of-the-art Advanced Manufacturing Institute at Metropolitan Community College. According to the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center, manufacturing accounts for 17% of the job market and 18% of total income in the Kansas City Region. Due to industry growth, the Mid-America Regional Council projects the need for 34,000 production workers in Kansas City over the next five years. The current Computer Integrated Machining and Manufacturing program educates technicians in Precision Machining and offers internships and job placement with industry partners. Although working at capacity, the program cannot educate enough technicians to meet current industry needs. This project aims to increase the number of highly skilled machining technicians in the Kansas City region by providing distance learning opportunities in precision machining to students in rural areas within the region served by the college.This project aims to increase the number of highly skilled precision machining technicians in the Greater Kansas City area by 1) providing virtual instruction through a Zoom link platform to students in rural service areas who cannot travel to the college campus for classes, and 2) offering contextualized machining math through a video module platform. The project expects these efforts to provide rural students with access to a highly successful machining program and to prepare them for work as precision machining technicians. As a result, the distance program has the potential to expand the current pipeline of precision machining technicians to include rural students who will gain the knowledge and skills needed to enter the precision machining workforce in local industries. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.