Designing and Implementing an Industry-aligned Robotics Technician Certificate Program

马萨诸塞州中部制造业和仓储业对机器人技术人员的需求很高。为了帮助满足这一需求，该项目将开发一个为期一年的机器人技术员证书课程，以教授区域机器人技术员雇主所寻求的技能。该项目还将开发从现有K-12机器人推广计划到机器人技术教育的途径。机器人技术人员课程将与工业界合作设计，以帮助学生发展技术，沟通和解决问题的能力。行业参与将确保机器人技术人员计划满足行业需求。外联活动将强调从代表性不足的人群中招收学生，包括拉丁裔学生、英语学习者、经济资源不足的学生和残疾人。该计划的设计将与其他有兴趣发展机器人技术教育的高等教育机构分享。该项目将开发和实施为期一年的机器人技术员证书课程。它将首先召集一个商业和工业领导小组，以帮助优先考虑当地雇主所需的技能。然后，它将使用制定课程的过程，以建立课程，并确定最佳做法交付。实验室升级将包括一个可编程的人形机器人，将支持动手教学。教师的专业发展将包括基于项目的学习研讨会和FANUC认证培训。学生将从现有的K-12机器人社区外展计划中招募，这些计划已经吸引了大量代表性不足的学生。因此，该项目预计将加强对机器人技术表现出兴趣的学生的机会，包括来自代表性不足群体的学生，进入需求职业。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。

A high need exists for robotics technicians in the Central Massachusetts manufacturing and warehousing sectors. To help meet this need, this project will develop a one-year robotics technician certificate program to teach skills sought by regional robotics technician employers. The project will also develop a pathway from existing K-12 robotics outreach programs into robotics technological education. The robotics technician curriculum will be designed in partnership with industry to help students develop technical, communication, and problem-solving skills. Industry involvement will ensure that the robotics technician program meets industry needs. Outreach activities will emphasize recruiting students from underrepresented populations including Latinx students, English language learners, economically under-resourced students, and persons with disabilities. The program design will be shared with other institutions of higher education that are interested in developing robotics technician education. This project will develop and implement a one-year robotics technician certificate program. It will first convene a Business and Industry Leadership Team to help prioritize the skills desired by local employers. It will then use the Developing a Curriculum process to build the curriculum and identify best practices for delivery. Laboratory upgrades will include a programmable, humanoid robot that will support hands-on pedagogy. Professional development for faculty will include a Project-Based Learning workshop and FANUC certification training. Students will be recruited from existing K-12 robotics community outreach programs that already engage a large population of underrepresented students. Thus, the project is expected to strengthen opportunities for students with demonstrated interest in robotics, including students from underrepresented groups, to enter an in-demand career. 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.