Advancing Technology Education for Pulp, Paper, and Chemical Process Technicians and Operators

阿拉巴马州南方社区学院与来自阿拉巴马州林业、造纸和化学技术技术网络中心、奥本大学化学工程系、奥本大学纸浆和造纸研究教育中心、地区工业和参与的地区K-12学校系统的合作伙伴正在开发、评估和改进12个课程模块。这些工业驱动和以国家技能为基础的课程正在用于培训制浆、造纸和化学工业的工艺操作员和技术人员。这种为技术人员和操作人员教育提供工具的战略被视为成功培养合格工人的最佳解决方案，这些工人需要维持和提高美国纸浆、造纸和化学制造业的竞争力和可持续性。一旦完全开发，该计划将利用所有12个课程模块（其中8个已经开发并在以前的NSF ATE资助下使用，4个将在该项目下开发），为阿拉巴马南部大学的三个技术学位课程以及区域行业提供实践技术教育经验，以提升员工技能。这些课程包括课堂、多媒体以及由教师指导和团队合作的实验室经验，强调正在建模的过程操作的安全和环境问题。该项目正在编制可供出版的课程模块，并配备工业驱动的实验室，为区域和国家传播做好准备。它还在发展两个讲习班；一个是为社区学院的教师准备学生在美国东南地区的纸浆、造纸和相关行业就业。第二个是为高中教师和感兴趣的高中生提供体验行业模拟环境的机会，以加强数学，化学，团队合作和工作场所领导技能。此外，该项目的重点是增加学生的奖学金和实习机会，特别是少数民族和其他传统上在这些行业中代表性不足的群体。传播是通过一个项目网页、在国家会议上发言和在评审期刊上发表文章。

Alabama Southern Community College, with its partners from the Alabama Technology Network Center for Forestry, Paper and Chemical Technology, the Auburn University Chemical Engineering Department, and the Pulp and Paper Research Education Center at Auburn University, regional industry and participating regional K-12 school systems, are working on the development, evaluation and refinement of 12 curriculum modules. These industry driven and national skill based curricula are being utilized in training process operators and technicians for pulp, paper, chemical industries. This strategy of providing tools for a technician and operator education initiative is seen as the best possible solution to successfully develop qualified workers required to maintain and improve the competitiveness and sustainability of the pulp, paper and chemical manufacturing industry in the United States. Once fully developed, the program utilizes all 12-curriculum modules (8 already developed and being used under previous NSF ATE funding and 4 to be developed under this project) to extend hands-on technical education experiences for three technical degree programs at Alabama Southern as well as with regional industry to upgrade employee skills. These curricula include classroom, multimedia as well as instructor-led and teaming laboratory experiences that emphasize safety and environmental issues of the process operations being modeled. The project is producing publication-ready curriculum modules with aligned industry driven laboratory ready for regional and national dissemination. it is also developing two workshops; one for community college faculty preparing students for employment in pulp, paper and allied industries throughout the southeast region of the US. The second is for high school faculty and interested high school students to provide opportunities for experiencing an industry simulated environment to strengthen math, chemistry, teaming and workplace leadership skills. In addition, the project focuses on increasing scholarship and internship opportunities of students particularly for minorities and other groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in these industries. Dissemination is through a project web page, presentations at national conferences and publication of articles in refereed journals.