Flexible Technical Education Pathways in a Building Automation Technology Program

This project aims to serve the national interest by developing a Building Automation Technology program to prepare students for high-demand technical careers in the west-central Michigan region. In collaboration with industry and other academic institutions, courses will be designed and offered to technical education students in SMART HVAC systems, energy storage, production controls in manufacturing, and cybersecurity related to these control systems. The course curriculum will be aligned with industry certifications to better prepare students for the current and future needs of employers in the region. The result will be an increase in the number of skilled building automation technicians that enter the regional workforce each year of the project. Ultimately, this effort aims to fill significant gaps in the availability of customized training programs that meet the needs of industry in today’s data and automation driven society. This project team will collaborate with industry to complete the following activities: 1) create Building Automation Technology courses for Industry 4.0 HVAC systems, including SMART systems and effective data storage, 2) develop energy storage curriculum to support electric vehicles, 3) provide students with practical experience in data and production controls in advanced manufacturing and HVAC systems, and 4) include the creation of cybersecurity curriculum related to controls for advanced manufacturing and municipalities. Course curriculum will prioritize hands-on lab activities and work-based learning experiences as a way to actively engage students in practical and effective skill development. A flexible pathway model with multiple on and off ramps that result in certificates, industry credentials, apprenticeships, degrees, and/or the option to transfer will be implemented. An external evaluation will be conducted to assess project activities and outcomes with a focus on contributing to the body of knowledge on preparing skilled technicians to support the advanced manufacturing industry. A targeted dissemination plan will be carried out that shares project results with other Michigan state two-year colleges and at the national level through presentations to the broader technical education community. This project is funded by the Advanced Technology 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.