Advancing NextGen Technicians: Addressing New Industry Demand for Robotics Because of COVID-19

该项目旨在通过增加劳动力中受过中级机器人培训的技术人员的数量来服务于国家利益。它的设计是为了直接满足行业对由COVID引起的永久重新设计的制造环境的需求。制造业是北爱荷华州最大的工业部门，2020年对地区制造商的一项调查证实，该州需要拥有更先进机器人技能的工业技术人员。该项目将帮助学生接触以安全和效率为重点的新型机器人仪器，并将有助于保持北爱荷华州地区的工业，其中一些工业已经受到COVID-19大流行造成的工人和可用面积损失的严重影响。该地区和该学院的第一代低收入家庭学生比例很高。因此，这个项目的重点是推进制造业的机器人培训，可能会帮助许多有经济需求的人更快地进入高技能的技术岗位。北爱荷华地区社区学院（NIACC）将与行业合作伙伴密切合作，开发一门中级机器人课程，使用广泛的机器人仪器，包括视觉、协作机器人和移动工业（MIR）机器人。这样的机器人可以让制造商为工人提供足够的隔离，减少拥堵，提高效率。NIACC的创新计划将把新开发的二级国家认证中心联盟（NC3）证书嵌入到新的中级机器人课程中，以加强中级技能工业技术人员的教育。为工业系统技术（IST）学生开设的新应用机器人课程，以及为工业机械和维护（IMM）学生开设的新可选机器人证书，将以该机构之前的努力为基础。拟议的项目将包括四项主要活动。首先是获得先进的机器人设备，并制定课程，培训适用于当地制造业需求的机器人技术人员。二是培训教师掌握新的机器人技术，包括MIR机器人和具有视觉能力的协作机器人。第三是在新创建的应用机器人课程中对所有NIACC IST学位学生进行培训和认证，并在课程中嵌入NC3认证课程。第四是培训额外的IMM学位学生，并提供可选的机器人证书附件。项目评估计划包括利益相关者群体的反馈、关键评估问题以及项目每年的数据收集和方法蓝图。项目材料和成果将与社区学院、制造业和商业部门的同行分享。信息将通过项目网站、行业出版物和ATE Central共享。这门课程可以为其他社区学院和他们的行业合作伙伴提供一个模型，关于如何将更先进的机器人和仪器技术纳入制造技术人员的准备中。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。因此，该项目有可能为改善国家STEM劳动力做出贡献。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。

This project aims to serve the national interest by increasing the number of technicians in the workforce who have intermediate level training in robotics. It is designed to be directly relevant to industry’s needs for the permanently re-designed manufacturing environment caused by COVID. Manufacturing comprises the largest industry sector in North Iowa and a 2020 survey of regional manufacturers confirmed the need for industrial technicians with more advanced robotics skills. This project will help to engage students with new robotics instrumentation focused on safety and efficiency and will help to keep industries in the North Iowa region, some of which have already been deeply affected by the loss of workers and useable square footage due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The region and the college have a high proportion of first-generation low-income students. Thus, this project’s focus on advancing robotics training for manufacturing may help many individuals with financial need move more quickly into highly skilled technician jobs. Working closely with industry partners, Northern Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) will develop an intermediate robotics course using a broad range of robotics instrumentation including vision, cobots and mobile industrial (MIR) robots. Such robots allow manufacturers to provide adequate separation for workers, reducing congestion, and increasing efficiency. NIACC's innovative plan will embed a newly developed Level 2 National Coalition of Certification Centers (NC3) credential into a new intermediate robotics course to enhance middle-skilled industrial technician education. The new Applied Robotics class for Industrial Systems Technology (IST) students, and a new optional robotics certificate for Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance (IMM) students, will build on previous efforts at the institution. The proposed project will feature four key activities. First is to acquire advanced robotics equipment and develop curriculum to train technicians in robotics that are applicable to local manufacturing needs. Second is to train faculty on new robotics technology, including MIR robots and cobots with vision capabilities. Third is to train and credential all NIACC IST degree students in a newly created Applied Robotics course, using NC3 credentialing coursework embedded into the course. Fourth is to train additional IMM degree students with an optional robotics certificate add-on. The project evaluation plan includes feedback from stakeholder groups, key evaluation questions and a data collection and methods blueprint for each year of the project. Project materials and results will be shared with community college, manufacturing, and business sector peers. Information will be shared through a project website, industry publications, and ATE Central. This curricular may provide a model for other community colleges and their industry partners about how to incorporate more advanced robotics and instrumentation into manufacturing technician preparation. 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. As a result, the project has the potential to contribute to improving the national STEM workforce.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.