Broadening Participation in the Automation Technician Workforce

随着制造商在其制造设施中采用新的自动化技术以提高其竞争力，对能够实施、维护和排除机器人系统故障的技术人员的需求正在增长。扩大这一领域的参与需要新的途径，让传统上代表性不足的群体的学生参与到积极的学习体验中来。迈阿密戴德学院为不同的学生群体提供技术教育，其中许多是第一代和低收入家庭的学生。此外，考虑到该地区的人口结构，通过为学生提供获得国家认可的认证的途径，有机会扩大自动化技术人员队伍的参与。该项目将开发一种新的途径，帮助学生学习基本技能，并为机器人、自动化、电气工程、电子工程、机械工程、编程和信息技术等领域的进一步技术教育提供切入点。一项专业发展计划将为大学教员和高中教师提供机器人培训。项目团队将确定实践机器人经验在增加技术教育中代表性不足群体学生的招聘和保留方面的作用。项目团队将根据从项目中吸取的经验教训，采用最佳做法，举办一个研讨会，探讨在技术教育项目中招收和留住女学生的成功策略。该项目的目标是增加来自代表性不足的群体的学生的数量，这些学生拥有必要的技术技能，可以进入自动化技术人员的工作队伍。为了实现这一目标，项目团队将开发一个新的机器人证书项目，培训高中教师教授证书项目中的课程，并从代表性不足的群体中招募学生参加夏季机器人训练营。为了获得证书，学生将学习四门课程，包括机器人导论、代数、电气基础和数字电路。其中两门课程将为双重入学的高中生提供。项目团队将与学院的行业咨询委员会合作，确保这些课程符合行业证书要求。该证书课程将为学生提供编程和操作工业机器人的实践培训。教师和学科专家将为大学教师和高中教师提供机器人培训。在夏令营中，高中生将学习软技能训练，如团队合作、写报告、演讲和解决问题。学生也将有机会接受有关工业设备的培训，以获得行业认证。项目评估将评估项目活动对证书课程中代表性不足群体学生入学的影响。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。

The demand for technicians who can implement, maintain, and troubleshoot robotics systems is growing as manufacturers adopt new automation technologies in their manufacturing facilities to improve their competitiveness. Broadening participation in this field requires new pathways that engage students from traditionally underrepresented groups in active learning experiences. Miami Dade College provides technical education for a diverse student population, many of whom are first generation and low-income students. In addition, given the regional demographics, there is an opportunity to broaden participation in the automation technician workforce by providing a pathway for students to obtain nationally recognized certifications. This project will develop a new pathway to help students learn fundamental skills and provide an entry point to further technical education in robotics, automation, electrical engineering, electronics engineering, mechanical engineering, programming, and information technologies. A professional development program will provide robotics training for college faculty and high school teachers. The project team will identify the role that hands-on robotics experiences have on increasing recruitment and retention of students from underrepresented groups in technical education. Using best practices based on lessons learned from the project, the project team will develop a workshop on successful strategies to recruit and retain female students in technical education programs.The goal of this project is to increase the number of students from underrepresented groups who have the necessary technical skills to enter the automation technician workforce. To achieve this goal, the project team will develop a new robotics certificate program, train high school teachers to teach courses in the certificate program, and recruit students from underrepresented groups to participate in a summer robotics camp. To earn a certificate, students will take four courses including introduction to robotics, algebra, electrical fundamentals, and digital circuits. Two of the courses will be offered for high school students who are dual enrolled. The project team will collaborate with the college’s industrial advisory committee to ensure that these courses align with industry credential requirements. The certificate program will provide students with hands-on training for programming and operating industrial robots. Faculty and subject matter experts will provide training on robotics for college faculty and high school teachers. At the summer camps, high school students will learn soft-skills training such as teamwork, writing reports, giving presentations, and problem-solving. Students will also have the opportunity to receive training on industrial equipment to obtain industry certifications. The project evaluation will assess the impact of the project activities on the enrollment of students from underrepresented groups in the certificate program. 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.