Technician Training for Advanced Manufacturing and Materials

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Recent advances in advanced manufacturing technologies have led to new capabilities in manufacturing. Technicians who have a better understanding of these new technologies and the advanced engineering materials used in these processes will be able to implement them in manufacturing facilities. Traditional technical education for manufacturing technicians needs to keep pace with these technology trends in industry. To address this need, this project will introduce new content for existing design, manufacturing, and materials science courses including virtual and hands-on experiential learning exercises as well as tutorials on specific topics. A Business and Industry Leadership Team will provide feedback on course content so that the courses are aligned with the needs of industry. A summer training program will provide an opportunity for students to learn professional skills that will help them be successful in the technician workforce. To complement the training program, students will have the option to participate in an entrepreneurial student competition in which student teams address an industry problem or develop a new product.The goal of this project is to address industry’s workforce needs for skilled technicians who have training in advanced manufacturing technologies including computer-aided design, additive manufacturing, and engineering materials. This project will use the Business and Industry Leadership Team model to collaborate with industry to develop course content that addresses the knowledge, skills, and abilities that manufacturers need to implement and maintain these technologies. In addition to classroom instruction, students will have experiential learning opportunities using a combination of virtual and hands-on activities. Virtual training software will help students earn certificates corresponding to a specific set of skills. A new summer training program will provide training on professional skills including communication, teamwork, and time management skills. This program will also help students develop better problem-solving skills and learn how to conduct experiments and analyze data to obtain meaningful results. The project team will assess the impact of project activities on student learning and retention using student surveys, assessments of student work, and student interviews. 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.