Competency-Based Education for Automation Technologies to Improve Student Success

制造业是爱荷华州东南部技术工人需求最大的行业，也是该地区高薪工作的来源。需要熟练的技术人员，他们能够成功地排除故障，修理和维护在制造设施中运行的各种制造过程的机器和设备。现有的工业控制、自动化和机器人技术技师学位课程目前的保留率和毕业率很低，部分原因是学生进入该课程时技术技能的可变性。行业利益相关者希望看到学生更快地完成课程，有获得证书的机会，并以一种他们可以展示自己掌握技能能力的方式。能力本位教育在提供一种学习环境，使具有不同学习能力的学生能够学习并展示一套特定技能的能力方面显示出了希望。以能力为基础的课程将允许学生通过结构化的能力以自己的步调异步工作，使他们能够在转移到下一个能力之前掌握每个能力。该项目将把目前的学位课程转变为以能力为基础的教育模式，以提高学生的保留率和坚持率。招生活动将侧重于增加该项目中来自弱势社会经济群体的学生人数。该项目的目标是：1)增加自动化技术学位课程的毕业生人数；2)创建一个灵活的学习实验室，增加学生动手学习的机会；3)增加双录取课程的高中学生人数；4)扩大行业参与，促进学生的职业发展。为了实现这些目标，该项目将采用基于能力的教育模式重新设计当前学位课程中的课程，其中包括与行业认可的证书和课程水平的能力保持一致，并开发技能评估和硕士课程外壳。高中学生将有机会参加双招生课程，这将缩短毕业时间，提高学生对就业机会的认识。教师学院和工业实习将为高中教师提供学习涉及自动化技术的制造业职业的机会。数据收集和分析的混合方法将用于评估该项目对学生入学、保留和持久性的影响。项目结果将通过项目网站、年度报告、会议报告和专业出版物向技术人员教育界传播。该项目将建立在相关知识体系的基础上：创新的课程交付方法；K-14职业路径，提高学生入学率、保留率和完成度；灵活的学习实验室，满足学生的需求；扩大行业参与，促进学生的职业发展。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。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Manufacturing is the largest in-demand industry sector for skilled workers in southeast Iowa and is also the source of the most high-paying jobs in the region. Skilled technicians are needed who can successfully troubleshoot, repair, and maintain the machinery and equipment that powers the various manufacturing processes in operation at manufacturing facilities. The existing Industrial Controls, Automation, and Robotics Technology technician degree program currently has low retention and graduation rates, some of which is due to the variability of students’ technical skills on entry to the program. Industry stakeholders would like to see students completing the program sooner, with credential-earning opportunities, and in a manner where they can demonstrate their mastery of skill competencies. Competency-Based Education has shown promise in providing a learning environment in which students with different learning abilities can learn and demonstrate competency for a set of specific skills. A competency-based curriculum will allow students to work at their own pace asynchronously through structured competencies allowing them to master each competency prior to moving to the next one. This project will transform courses in the current degree program into a Competency-Based Education model to improve the retention and persistence rates of students. Recruiting activities will focus on increasing the number of students from disadvantaged socio-economic groups in the program.The goals of this project are to: 1) increase the number of graduates for a degree program in automation technologies; 2) create a flexible learning lab to increase student accessibility to hands-on learning experiences; 3) increase the number of high school students in dual enrollment courses; and 4) expand industry involvement to promote career paths for students. To achieve these goals, this project will redesign the courses in the current degree program using a Competency-Based Education modality which will include alignment to industry-recognized credentials and course-level competencies and the development of skills assessments and master course shells. High school students will have the opportunity to take dual enrollment courses that will decrease the time to graduation and increase student awareness of career opportunities. A Teacher Academy and externships in industry will provide high school teachers with the opportunity to learn about careers within the manufacturing sector involving automation technologies. A mixed methods approach to data collection and analysis will be used to assess the impact of the project on student enrollment, retention, and persistence. Project results will be disseminated to the technician education community through a project website, an annual report, conference presentations, and professional publications. This project will build upon the body of knowledge related to: innovative course delivery approaches; K-14 career pathways to increase student enrollment, retention, and completion; flexible learning labs to meet student needs; and expanded industry involvement to promote career paths for students. 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.