Towards an Electric Vehicle Service Technology Certificate: Building Career Pathways by Implementing a Hybrid Curriculum in Electric Vehicle Technology

在蓬勃发展的南卡罗来纳州汽车行业，对电动汽车(EV)技术人员的需求日益增长，这为汽车技术专业的学生创造了职业道路，并为他们的教师提供了相应的专业发展。该项目将为学生开发一条途径，并为提供电动汽车服务和维修证书的教师提供培训资源。在这个为期三年的项目中，将招募50名学生完成学分课程，这些课程将获得电动汽车服务和维修证书，使他们能够在不断增长的电动汽车维修领域工作。此外，还将为适应新的电动汽车课程的教师提供专业发展。在CA2VES ATE中心(使用虚拟电子学校的航空和汽车技术教育中心)的指导下，以及电动汽车联盟成员的建议下，该项目将为南卡罗来纳州服务不足的人群创造进入两年制和四年制机构以及进入工作场所的公平机会。该项目将整合课堂和虚拟学习，以增加电动汽车服务技术人员的数量并使其多样化。这将通过实施支持参与和坚持电动汽车服务技术员教育的做法来实现，这些学生包括农村学生、未得到充分服务的学生和/或在电动汽车行业中代表性不足的学生。灵活的混合方法允许个性化学习，以支持不同背景的学生在更短的时间内达到熟练程度并获得认证。对这种混合方法在教学和学习、数字学习技术和劳动力发展方面的创造力和创新的有效性进行评估将提高知识。这个项目的总体目标是通过实施混合课程和为教师提供培训，更好地为不同的学生进入电动汽车劳动力或继续教育做好准备。该项目与NSF资助的电动汽车财团密切合作，将完善和部署创新、创意和见多识广的电动汽车服务行业技师教育混合课程，将课堂和虚拟学习结合起来，以增强汽车服务卓越(ASE)认证课程，并补充现有的先进制造研究。此外，该项目将为教师和培训者提供专业发展，以解决增强型电动汽车课程，并创建一个新颖的“培训培训者”计划，以确保广泛使用。最后，该项目将从电动汽车技术人员教育项目中招聘、留住和研究生，建立职业道路，并满足南卡罗来纳州建设电动汽车维护劳动力能力和多样性的需求。预计将有50名学生在三年内入学，随着“培训培训者”计划的建立，至少25名教师将受到影响。学生将在第一年与面对面实验室一起参加所有电动汽车服务技术员课程的面对面和在线同步和异步讲座，从发动机基础开始。该项目由高级技术教育计划资助，该计划专注于为推动国家经济发展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优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The growing demand for Electric Vehicle (EV) technicians in the burgeoning South Carolina Automotive industry has created a need for career pathways for automotive technology students and corresponding professional development for their instructors. This project will develop both a pathway for students and training resources for instructors offering the coursework leading to the Electric Vehicle Service and Repair certificate. Over the three-year project, 50 students will be recruited to complete credit bearing courses that will result in an EV Service and Repair certificate enabling them to work in the ever-growing EV repair field. Also, professional development for faculty addressing the new EV curricula will be provided. With mentorship from the CA2VES ATE Center (Center for Aviation and Automotive Technological Education Using Virtual E-Schools), and advisement from EV consortia members, this project will create equitable opportunities for underserved populations in South Carolina to progress to two- and four-year institutions and to the workplace. The project will integrate classroom and virtual learning to increase and diversify the pool of EV service technicians. This will be accomplished by implementing practices to support participation and persistence in EV service technician education for students including those who are rural, underserved, and/or underrepresented in the EV industry. The flexible hybrid approach allows for personalized learning to support students with different backgrounds to achieve proficiency in a shorter time period and attain certification. The assessment of the effectiveness of this hybrid approach regarding creativity and innovation in teaching and learning, digital learning technology, and workforce development will advance ATE knowledge.The overall goal of this project is to better prepare diverse students to enter the EV workforce or continued education through implementing a hybrid curriculum and providing training for faculty. Working closely with NSF-funded EV consortia, the project will refine and deploy an innovative, creative, and informed EV service industry technician education hybrid curriculum incorporating classroom and virtual learning to augment Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certification courses and complement existing advanced manufacturing research. Additionally, this project will provide professional development for faculty and trainers addressing the augmented EV curricula and create a novel "Train the Trainer" program to ensure widespread use. Finally, the project will recruit, retain, and graduate students from EV technician education programs, build career pathways and address South Carolina’s need to build capacity and diversity in the EV maintenance workforce. Fifty students are expected to enroll over three years, and at least twenty-five instructors will be impacted as the "Train the Trainer" program is established. Students will participate in in-person and on-line synchronous and asynchronous lectures with in-person labs for all EV Service Technician courses starting with Engine Fundamentals in their first year. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program focusing 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.