Advanced Technological Education in Manufacturing

随着制造业继续在区域和全国范围内变得更加先进，行业已经表明需要更多熟练的技术人员来维护、支持和实施这些进步。随着劳动力老龄化进入退休阶段，公司将需要能够在就业后6个月内独立工作的应届毕业生，而不是通常的1-2年。该项目将研究在技术教育环境中实施以工作为基础的学习的有效性，缩短毕业生为就业做好准备和对自己的能力充满信心所需的时间。在为期3年的项目中，将招收57名学生完成两个班级中的一个学分课程，这些课程将获得机电一体化制造领域的副学士学位。通过与一个由20名成员组成的咨询委员会的合作，以及来自商业和行业领导团队（BILT）的指导，关键能力将被定义并实施到基于工作的学习课程中，该课程将利用教师和学生设计的自动化制造单元来模拟现实世界的工作经验。第一批学生将使用现有课程完成学位，而第二批学生将用基于工作的学习取代精选课程，组成两个研究小组。将制定一项技能评估，以衡量这两种教学方法的有效性，并为今后工作的需要提供信息。由于黑鹰技术学院在机电一体化项目中有大量的非传统学生，因此该项目有可能增加在STEM相关领域中代表性不足的工人数量。该项目还将提供宝贵的见解，了解以工作为基础的学习在帮助学生为有酬就业做好准备方面的有效性。该项目的目标是通过相关的课堂作业和以工作为基础的学习经验，缩短毕业生对自己的技能充满信心并能够独立工作所需的时间。该项目为期3年，预计将招收57名学生。第一组(A)将由一半的学生组成，并将完成现有形式的学分课程，作为对照，而另一组(B)将有四门单学分课程，取而代之的是288小时的基于工作的教学。B组还将增加一个小型顶点项目，以选择课程，进一步增加实践学习机会。定性和定量数据将用于确定以工作为基础的学习模式的有效性，其结果将在威斯康星州技术学院系统的区域内共享，并通过NSF ATE会议在全国范围内共享。教师、咨询委员会、行业合作伙伴以及商业和行业领导团队之间的合作将为学生提供有关工作场所先进技术的相关和最新信息。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。

As manufacturing continues to become more technologically advanced regionally and nationwide, industry has indicated that many more skilled technicians are needed to maintain, support, and implement these advancements. With an aging workforce moving into retirement, companies will need job-ready graduates who are capable of working independently within six months of employment rather than the typical 1-2 years. This project will research the effectiveness of implementing work-based learning in a technical education setting by shortening the time required for graduates to be job-ready and confident in their abilities. Over the 3-year project, 57 students will be recruited to complete credit-bearing courses in one of two cohorts that will result in an associate level degree within the manufacturing field of mechatronics. Through collaboration with a 20-member advisory council, and guidance from a Business Industry & Leadership Team (BILT) key competencies will be defined and implemented into the work-based learning courses that will utilize a faculty and student designed automated manufacturing cell to simulate real world work experience. The first cohort will complete the degree using the current courses while a second cohort will have select courses replaced with work-based learning to make up the two research groups. A skills assessment will be developed to measure the effectiveness of the two instructional methodologies and inform the need for future work. Because Blackhawk Technical College has a significant number of non-traditional students in the mechatronics program, this project has the potential to increase the number of workers who are underrepresented in STEM related fields. This project will also provide valuable insight into the effectiveness of work-based learning in preparing students for gainful employment. The goal of the project is to shorten the time required for graduates to become confident in their skills and be capable of working independently through relevant classwork and work-based learning experiences. 57 students are expected to enroll over the 3-years of the project. The first cohort (A) will consist of half of the students and will complete the credit-bearing coursework in its current form, as a control, while another cohort (B), will have four, single-credit courses replaced with 288 hours of work-based instruction. Cohort B will also have a mini capstone project added to select courses to further enhance hands-on learning opportunities. Qualitative and quantitative data will be used to determine the effectiveness of the work-based learning modality with results being shared regionally across the Wisconsin Technical College System and nationally through NSF ATE conferences. Collaboration between faculty, advisory council, industry partners, and the Business and Industry Leadership Team will provide students with relevant and up-to-date information on advanced technology within the workplace. 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.