Technician Training for Advanced Manufacturing and Materials

先进制造技术的最新进展带来了制造业的新能力。对这些新技术和这些工艺中使用的先进工程材料有更好理解的技术人员将能够在制造设施中实施这些技术。传统的制造业技术人员的技术教育需要跟上工业中的这些技术趋势。为了满足这一需求，该项目将为现有的设计，制造和材料科学课程引入新的内容，包括虚拟和动手体验式学习练习以及特定主题的教程。一个商业和工业领导团队将提供对课程内容的反馈，使课程符合行业的需求。暑期培训计划将为学生提供学习专业技能的机会，这将有助于他们在技术人员队伍中取得成功。 作为对培训项目的补充，学生还可以选择参加学生创业竞赛，在竞赛中，学生团队解决行业问题或开发新产品。该项目的目标是满足行业对熟练技术人员的劳动力需求，这些技术人员接受了先进制造技术的培训，包括计算机辅助设计，增材制造和工程材料。该项目将使用商业和工业领导团队模型与行业合作，开发课程内容，解决制造商实施和维护这些技术所需的知识，技能和能力。除了课堂教学，学生将有体验式学习的机会，使用虚拟和动手活动的组合。虚拟培训软件将帮助学生获得与特定技能相对应的证书。一个新的暑期培训计划将提供专业技能培训，包括沟通，团队合作和时间管理技能。该计划还将帮助学生培养更好的解决问题的能力，并学习如何进行实验和分析数据，以获得有意义的结果。项目团队将通过学生调查、学生作业评估和学生访谈，评估项目活动对学生学习和保留的影响。该项目由先进技术教育计划资助，该计划侧重于为推动国家经济的先进技术领域培养技术人员。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.