Stackable Credential Program for Mechatronics Technicians

Recognizing the demand for mechatronic technicians in a rural, but rapidly growing region in northeastern Virginia, the project team from Germanna Community College (GCC) will develop a stackable credential program to address this need. The aim of the project is to produce a multi-level mechatronics technician program that allows students to pursue single or multiple certificates and/or an associate's degree in mechatronics and to become a Manufacturer Skills Institution (MSI) Assessment Center. The effort includes dual enrollment pathways, certificate and degree producing pathways, transfer pathways, and career advancement pathways. Project objectives include (1) establishing a mechatronics advisory board for industry input; (2) developing a stackable credential program that is aligned with a Virginia state-wide initiative (G3) with three interconnecting levels for associate degree programs and with the offer of tuition assistance to students pursuing degrees in fields identified as critical to the state's needs (3) initiating a dual enrollment program; (4) informing the public about education and career opportunities in the field; (5) attracting students from diverse groups, particularly students from underrepresented populations; (6) fostering faculty expertise and experience aligned with up-to-date knowledge and skills through participation and completion of the MT1 Trainer Certification course (Manufacturing Skills Institutes' Manufacturing Technician 1 certification); and (7) incorporating experiential learning activities into the program. The project draws on the resources developed by Central Virginia Community College (CVCC) Advanced Technological Education (ATE)-funded center in "Improving Mechatronics Technician Training for the Advanced Manufacturing Industry." Importantly, industry standards and competency examinations guide the alignment of the design/implementation of project activities and project deliverables. The mixed methods formative and summative evaluation will be designed to answer key questions about project outputs/outcomes and processes/implementation. The goals of the project are to: (1) expand the existing program to establish a stackable credential program for mechatronics technicians in the Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia (DMV) region; (2) create educational pathways to recruit a diverse student body into the mechatronics program; and (3) build the college's capacity to provide relevant, high-quality education for mechatronics technicians. Project goals, objectives, activities and deliverables are aligned. Guided by a set of questions, indicators, specified data sources, research methods and planned analyses, the mixed methods project evaluation is designed to assess and document project implementation, accomplishments, and identify problems and unanticipated results. 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.