Improving Industrial Technology Education with Flexible Learning Options and Student Support Services

工业技术的学术课程为学生在机器人、电子、可再生能源和电池技术等领域的就业做好准备，这些领域都被认为是新兴技术劳动力快速增长和高薪的机会。伊利诺斯州中部地区已经确定了一个就业缺口，有超过1000个具有高技术技能的合格工人空缺职位。为了满足这一需求，哈特兰社区学院打算让更多的学生更容易接触到工业技术课程。具体而言，它将修订和重新设计工业技术课程的在线教学，并提供实验室经验，使用开放的实验室模式。开放式实验室模式将允许学生根据个人需求和时间限制，在白天、晚上或周末时间安排和使用工业设备和培训师。此外，该项目将把这些课程改进与学生支持结合起来，包括补充指导和同伴指导。该项目预计，这些改进将增加完成工业技术课程的学生人数。该项目的目标是通过开放的制造实验室、灵活的内容交付和学生支持，展示一种新的工业技术教育模式，以提高学生获得高质量工业技术教育的机会。为此，哈特兰社区学院将投入2500平方英尺和额外的学院基础设施来建立和维护一个开放的实验室。该空间将增加训练有素的教师、辅导员和同伴导师，以提供支持性的人际互动。哈特兰社区学院的工业技术学院将修改他们的课程，以允许和支持灵活的学习形式，以配合开放的实验室。学院还将采用正式的补充教学模式，让在校学生有机会成为同伴领导者，这将在帮助其他学生的同时增加领导者的学习。灵活的形式将为学生提供更多的实验室和学生支持服务，为有工作和家庭义务的学生提供更多的机会。哈特兰社区学院将通过地区和国家职业技术教育会议分享他们的模式。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。

Academic programs in Industrial Technology prepare students for employment in fields such as robotics, electronics, renewable energy, and battery technology, all of which have been identified as fast-growing and high-paying opportunities for an emerging skilled workforce. The central Illinois region has identified an employment gap with more than 1000 unfilled positions for qualified workers with high-technology skills. To help meet this need, Heartland Community College intends to make the Industrial Technology program more accessible to more students. Specifically, it will revise and redesign the industrial technology courses for online instruction and offer laboratory experiences using an open-access laboratory model. The open-access laboratory model will allow students to schedule and use industrial equipment and trainers during day, evening, or weekend hours, depending on their individual needs and time constraints. In addition, the project will combine these curricular improvements with student supports, including supplemental instruction and peer mentoring. The project expects that these improvements will increase the number of students completing the Industrial Technology program.The goal of this project is to demonstrate a new model for industrial technology education using an open-access manufacturing laboratory, flexible content delivery, and student supports to enhance student access to high-quality Industrial Technology education. To this end, Heartland Community College will dedicate 2500 square feet and additional college infrastructure to establish and maintain an open-access laboratory. The space will be augmented with trained faculty, facilitators, and peer mentors to provide supportive human interactions. The Industrial Technology faculty of Heartland Community College will revise their curriculum to allow for and support flexible learning formats that will compliment an open-access laboratory. The college will also adopt a formal supplemental instruction model to give current students opportunities to become peer leaders, which will augment the leaders’ learning as they help other students. The flexible format will give students enhanced access to the laboratory and student support services, providing increased access for students with job and family obligations. Heartland Community College will share their model through regional and national Career and Technical Education conferences. 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.