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Technology Vision
Technology is a key element in the reform effort to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of
engineering technician education. Students, faculty, and managers must be encouraged to use
technology collaboratively and appropriately to increase the quantity quality, and diversity of
engineering technology graduates. For the purpose of this plan, technology is intended to mean
electronic devices students learn to use, electronic delivery methods for delivering course,
instructional aids used by instructors, and technology used in the workplace.
Quantity
Used appropriately, technology addresses the varied learning styles and challenges today's students
bring to the educational environment. Technology helps to bridge the gap between the needs of
students and engineering technology program requirements. By making accommodations with
respect to distance, time, and place of instruction, technology can improve educational opportunities
and access for potential engineering technology students of all ages and backgrounds. Technology
will increase the quantity of engineering technology graduates through better recruitment, better
retention, and improved graduation rates.
Quality
Engineering technicians today work in high tech environments of collaborative problem solving. To
be prepared for today's work place, students must have the knowledge, skills, and abilities dictated
by industries driven by a global economy and market place. The appropriate use of a variety of
instructional technologies is a critical success factor in the preparation of engineering technicians.
The quality of engineering technicians will be improved by preparing students for the modern
workplace with up-to-date current technology.
Diversity
Technology has the capacity to increase access to resources and reduce the barriers in order to
optimize the enrollment and retention of engineering technology students. Technology will increase
the diversity of engineering technicians by providing more flexible methods of delivery (videotapes,
distance education, Internet, etc.), more flexible scheduling (time and place), and more exposure to
non-traditional students.
PERSPECTIVES
Faculty
Technology is no longer a novelty. Creative uses of technology make education more productive,
more relevant, more accessible, and more responsive to learner needs. Technological advances are
redefining and restructuring the way that teachers teach and the environments in which students
learn.
High on the list of technology skills needed and wanted by ATE faculty is the ability to use
appropriate technology to improve communications. In today's high tech environment, instructors
can no longer depend on face-to-face, real-time communications with students and colleagues.
Electronic mail has virtually replaced other written correspondence and video conferencing and
distance learning are rapidly becoming viable alternatives to conventional classroom instruction.
Computer-mediated communication (voice, text, and video) and presentation tools are recognized
as "tools of the trade" for college faculty.
For faculty to improve their technology skills and appropriately use technological resources,
just-in-time training is needed on how to use up-to-date hardware and software. "Time to learn" is a
significant barrier. On-site experts are needed.
Students
Engineering technology students thrive in learning environments modeled after the workplace. The
workplace environment is a moving target. Rapidly changing technological advances create physical
changes in where we work, what we work with, and how we interact with one another to do our
work. The challenge we face is to create learning environments in which students learn the technical
and communication skills they need and are prepared to work today and tomorrow.
By accessing courseware, databases and analytic tools from campus networks, and using
asynchronous learning opportunities such as web-based courses, students increase their time for
learning beyond the typical class periods. Technology-based, individualized, self-study modules and
courses reduce the barriers to learning with which many students today are challenged.
SC ATE TECHNOLOGY PLAN
SC ATE Web Presence -- (http://scate.org/scate)
The SC ATE Center of Excellence is a virtual center. There is no one place where all activities take
place or resources are housed. The function of the SC ATE web site is to provide information and
resources to persons internally and externally to the project. The web site is evolving and
information will come on-line as it is available. An editorial team of faculty and staff oversee the
development and implementation of the web site to include:
Project Information
Project overview and executive summary
Retreats and Chautauquas) - who, what, when, where, resources
1. Upcoming events
2. Past events
Faculty and Staff (Who's who, addresses, etc)
Team activities (projects, presentations, contacts and resources)
1. Management team
2. Individual campus team
3. Ad hoc team
4. Peer group
FAQs about the project
Project evaluations
1. AED survey results and project evaluations
2. Annual Report to NSF
Training and Development
Bibliographies (by topic) of all presentations made during ATE retreats and
Chautauquas
SC ATE video library listing and order form
Links to other NSF projects and Centers of Excellence
Project technical support/resources
Links to industry-training resources
Curriculum
Frameworks and objectives
1. in progress
2. completed
Curriculum projects and workshops
Syllabi
Policies
Labs
List of teaching materials
List of teaching resources
Links to all of the above with other ATE projects
Computers and Internet Resources
The ATE project web site serves as a window to other Internet resources. On-line research, global
communications via email, chat rooms, and listservs as well as web-based multimedia instruction
through modules and courses create tremendous possibilities for virtual education. Learning
activities completed at the students' own time, place, and pace combined with interactive and
collaborative software packages through which instructors and students interact produce new and
exciting paradigms for course/classroom management.
Equipment requirements include:
· PCs in every instructor's office
· student PC labs
· student e-mail accounts
· student internet access
· computer projection equipment
· CD ROM preparation equipment (projectors, scanners, digital cameras)
· video phones for distance learning sites
Faculty Training
Train-the-trainer workshops designed to facilitate the use of authoring software, web tools, and
creating multimedia resources are planned for selected ATE faculty from each campus. Each
Technical College should have at least one ATE faculty member who is specifically trained to
provide assistance in the use of instructional technology. These faculty will provide on-site training
and assistance to faculty teaching in engineering technology programs.
Responsibilities of trained faculty include:
· stay updated in technology changes
· share information/training on a regular basis with team members
· be available for e-mail/telephone consultations
Types of possible compensation include:
· monetary compensation for work beyond normal faculty workload
· release time and/or additional money for learning/training on own time
· summer contracts for faculty do not teach in summer term
· coverage for faculty to attend conferences
ATE Exemplary Faculty --Training Goals:
· Develop instructional materials for classroom, laboratory, and web presentations
· Use Window 95 authoring tools: Authorware 4.0, Director 6, ToolBook II, and Active X
Controls
· Use diverse technologies required to produce multimedia and web-based presentation
materials- capture images, audio, video, and animate objects
· Use various resources such as clip art libraries, fonts, photographs, audio, and video
· Integrate instructional technology, multimedia, and web-based materials into courses
· Create interactive multimedia/Internet courses
· Use graphing calculators
Outcomes of Technology Training:
ATE faculty must be prepared to teach students with the following minimum computer/technology
competencies as developed by the South Carolina Department of Education. (Mathematics Grade
by Grade Standards of Learning. Prepared for State Board of Education Study Session, November
12, 1997, p. 45 - DRAFT)
Computer/Technology Standards by the End of Grade Eight
· The student will communicate through application software
· Compose and edit a multipage document at the keyboard, using word processing skills and the
writing process steps
· Communicate with spreadsheets by entering data and setting up formulas, analyzing data, and
creating graphs or charts to visually represent data
· Communicate with databases by defining fields and entering data, sorting, and producing reports in
various forms
· Use advanced publishing software, graphics programs, and scanners to produce page layouts
· Integrate databases, graphics, and spreadsheets into work-processed documents
· The student will communicate through networks and telecommunication
· Use local and worldwide network communication systems
· Develop hypermedia "home page" documents that can be accessed by worldwide networks
· The student will have a basic understanding of computer processing, storing, retrieval and
transmission technologies and a practical appreciation of the relevant advantages and disadvantages
of various processing, storage, retrieval, and transmission technologies
· The student will process, store, retrieve, and transmit electronic information
· Use search strategies to retrieve electronic information
· Use electronic encyclopedias, almanacs, indexes, and catalogs to retrieve and select relevant
information
· Use laser discs with a computer in an interactive mode
· Use local and wide-area networks and modem-delivered services to access and retrieve
information from electronic databases
· Use databases to perform research
In addition to state standards for all students, engineering technology students should learn how to:
· read, use, and convert readings taken from measuring instruments
· read and find information in technical manuals
· access, download, and read hard copy of blueprints
· conduct web searches and download web information
· use calculators
· interpret and use data from sensing equipment
· produce Auto CAD and hand drawings
· use a technical vocabulary
· take something that has been built and break it down into component parts
· perform hands-on trouble shooting and solve technical problems
· recognize, program, and fix PLCs
· use basic hand tools
Schedule of ATE training:
Summer, 1998--Train-the-trainer workshops for selected faculty (Queensborough Community
College, Bayside, NY)
Fall, 1998-On-campus and/or vendor-sponsored workshops for ATE and non-ATE mathematics,
science, engineering technology, and communications faculty
· Office 97
· Desktop Publishing
· Web Tools
· Graphing calculators
· Electronic gradebooks
· Projection equipment/scanners/digital cameras
Spring, 1999-On-campus and/or vendor-sponsored workshops for ATE and non-ATE
mathematics, science, engineering technology, and communications faculty
· Authoring Tools
· Multimedia Presentations
· Interactive multimedia/Internet Courses
· Discipline-specific software
Fall/Spring 1999-2000-Credit courses offered to ATE faculty
· Spreadsheets
· HTML -web page creation
· Word processing
· Copyright considerations
· PowerPoint
· Data bases
· Operating systems
· Multimedia
Instructional Applications
Electronic hardware and software tools, sensing devices, and other technological aids are used
extensively in the workplace. Modeling the workplace in the classroom entails an extensive use of
technological devices. Appropriate identification and application of these devices throughout the
engineering technology program is essential to the success of the program. The ATE vision for the
engineering technology classroom is a hands-on, technology-rich environment where students and
instructors are engaged in seeking solutions to real-world problems. Graphing calculators, equipped
with computer interface or large screen monitors are essential instructional devices in engineering
technology programs.
Curriculum Delivery
A problem-based, integrated engineering technology curriculum requires flexible and responsive
modes of delivery. Team teaching, collaborative learning, competency-based learning, and authentic
assessment all contribute to the complexity of the teaching/learning system. Technology is key to the
success of such a system.
Teaching strategies include:
· problem-based learning modules taught in traditional and virtual classroom settings
· web-based modules and courses available regardless of time and place
· distance learning modules and courses delivered via the South Carolina statewide compressed
video system
· computer-based multimedia instruction enhancing the learning environment
Technology components include:
· Teacher web pages
· Teacher e-mail addresses
· Student e-mail access
· Virtual labs
· Class web pages
· Document scanners
· Distance Learning labs
· Telephones with voice mail
· Multimedia classrooms
· Portable setups
· Computers available on campus and off campus
· Linked computers
· Videos
· Instructional software
Technology Support
The South Carolina ATE Center of Excellence recognizes the boundless needs of the sixteen
Technical Colleges for technology support. While it is unrealistic to expect the ATE project to meet
all technology needs it is important that the project support faculty and administrators in their quest
for relevant, technology-enhanced engineering technology programs. Critical issues are hardware
and software availability for students and faculty, network considerations, prolonged and sustained
faculty training and technical support, and cost-effective delivery of instruction. Campus support
should be financial, logistical, administrative, and technical.
Hardware and software concerns may be addressed through partnerships with industry, state and
federal agencies, and private foundations. SC ATE has limited funds for the purpose of purchasing
hardware. The project is committed, however, to providing the foundation of hardware and
software needed by ATE faculty teams to create and implement learning experiences capable of
boosting access, quality, and productivity for both students and teachers. Questions about hardware
and software, connectivity, and technical communications may be addressed to the SC ATE project
management and staff by contacting:
Dr. Helen S. Edens, Curriculum Specialist
SC ATE Center of Excellence
SBTCE
jedens111@pbtcomm.net
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