The automotive industry contributes significantly to the national economy, and it is currently experiencing a revolutionary technological transformation. Automakers, in response to economic, political, and environmental pressures, are expanding their development and production of more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly automobiles through advanced automotive technologies that fall into three main categories: hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), alternative fuel vehicles (AFV) including new generation diesel and biofuels, and fuel cell vehicles (FCV). These categories are both descriptive of the technologies and inclusive of new generations of alternative propulsion systems yet to be developed that require service and development technicians and technologists to acquire new skills sets and knowledge. Projections show that HEV, AFV, and FCV will grow considerably in the next 20 years, and there is an unmet demand for a future generation of technicians. With more than 26,000 automotive technicians in Michigan, a planning grant for a regional center for advanced automotive technologies is strategic in that the state is home to the American auto industry and international epicenter for research and development of new technologies.
The Center for Advanced Automotive Technology (CAAT) is being planned to meet the growing and evolving advanced technical education needs of automotive technicians by providing modern training modules and programs for advanced automotive technologies that will enter the market in the near future. Activities to reform current automotive technician education curriculum at the secondary and postsecondary school levels include synthesis of existing materials; creation of curriculum; adaptation and offering of degree programs and professional development for educators; curriculum alignment to new state high school content standards in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology (STEM) subjects; and utilization of educational research and industry partners to infuse research into the curriculum. The core project team for the planning process includes (a) postsecondary education institutions (Macomb Community College, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Henry Ford Community College,and Wayne State University); (b) secondary education partners; and (c) industry and government partners.
The intellectual merit of CAAT is based on the partners' abilities and capacities to improve student learning in advanced automotive technology (HEV, AFV, and FCV) by collecting the most advanced technological expertise from industry and education partners, integrating existing and evolving curricula into a comprehensive educational package, and adapting that curriculum to targeted audiences among students and educators across the array of educational partners and the community.
Broader Impact: The auto industry is critical to the entire nation. If the United States is to minimize reliance on foreign oil, use of evolving propulsion technologies must be expanded and include training of the service and development sectors. Documents produced are being made available to educational and industry partners across the United States.
