Creating Technician Pathways in Mechatronics for the Industry 4.0 Workforce

工业4.0技术正在将制造设施转变为智能工厂，这些工厂使用数字技术，先进的传感器和控制以及机器人技术来提高自动化程度并改善制造流程。需要了解如何实施和维护这些技术的技术人员来支持这一转变。技术人员学位课程的学生需要在电气，机械，物流和数据系统的交叉点学习新的多学科技能。该项目将通过与行业合作来解决这一需求，以确定学生在工业4.0技术人员队伍中取得成功所需的知识，技能和能力。利用这些结果，项目团队将为新的机电一体化应用科学副学士学位课程创建一套课程，并创建一套证书课程，学生可以在完成课程时获得。技术人员教育将包括课堂教学，实验室动手培训，行业实习和学徒。高中生将有机会通过与农村中学签订的双招生协议获得证书。该项目将帮助增加具有工业4.0技能的技术人员的供应，以满足该地区农村制造商日益增长的需求。该项目的目标是创建学术途径，以培养学生在汽车，工业维护，合同制造和物流领域使用的工业4.0技术。该项目将建立一个商业行业领导团队，优先考虑行业计划内容，确定计划实施策略，实施基于工作的学习活动，并确定和招聘具有行业专业知识的教师。在应用科学学位，堆叠证书和行业证书的机电一体化副将通过修改现有的课程和创建新的课程开发。新的实验室设备将为学生提供不同类型的电子传感器，电动机，气动执行器和机械动力传输组件的实践培训。这项培训将帮助学生获得机电一体化行业证书。项目组将为农村高中生提供职业意识活动，并与当地高中建立双招生计划。该项目对学生招聘，保留和计划完成的影响将根据机构数据进行评估。该项目由先进技术教育计划资助，该计划侧重于推动国家经济的先进技术领域的技术人员的教育。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。

Industry 4.0 technologies are transforming manufacturing facilities into smart factories that use digital technologies, advanced sensors and controls, and robotics to increase automation and improve manufacturing processes. Technicians who understand how to implement and maintain these technologies are needed to support this transformation. Students in technician degree programs need to learn new multidisciplinary skills at the intersection of electrical, mechanical, logistics, and data systems. This project will address this need by working with industry to identify the knowledge, skills, and abilities that students will need to be successful in the Industry 4.0 technician workforce. Using these results, the project team will create a set of courses for a new mechatronics Associate of Applied Science degree program and a set of certificate programs that students can earn as they complete courses. Technician education will include classroom instruction, hands-on training in the labs, industry internships, and apprenticeships. High school students will have the opportunity to earn certificates through dual enrollment agreements with rural secondary schools. This project will help increase the supply of technicians with Industry 4.0 skills to meet the growing demand of rural manufacturers in the region.The goal of this project is to create academic pathways to train students on Industry 4.0 technologies that are used in the automotive, industrial maintenance, contract manufacturing, and logistics sectors. The project will establish a Business Industry Leadership Team to prioritize industry programmatic content, identify program implementation strategies, implement work-based learning activities, and identify and recruit faculty with industry expertise. A mechatronics Associate in Applied Science Degree, stackable certificates, and industry credentials will be developed by revising existing courses and creating new courses. New lab equipment will provide students with hands-on training on different types of electronic sensors, electrical motors, pneumatic actuators, and mechanical power transmission components. This training will help students earn an industry credential in mechatronics. The project team will offer career awareness activities for rural high school students and establish dual enrollment programs with local high schools. The impact of the project on student recruitment, retention, and program completion will be assessed based on institutional data. 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.