This project is renovating an energy technician program through real-world applications and strong collaboration with the regional energy extraction industry. The goals of this project are to 1) increase the pool of trained energy technicians through industry-driven applied education, 2) facilitate high participation of trained energy technicians in the energy workplace, 3) provide pathways for two-year energy technician graduates to AAS and BS programs, 4) provide professional development opportunities for high school teachers and two- and four- year college faculty, and 5) create energy industry awareness in the pre-college schools in the region by implementing summer camps for students in grades 5-9. This project is producing exemplary curricular materials, with significant input from industrial partners. These materials are not only enhancing student learning and preparing them for the workplace, but they are also providing faculty and high school teachers with professional development opportunities.
The Energy Technician Education Project was a multifaceted project addressing AAS and AS degrees in Engineering, articulation between educational programs in Engineering related fields, student internships, faculty development and a youth program. The intent of the faculty and youth programs was to create a pipeline for students to enter into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). A series of focus groups with energy companies (coal, uranium, coal bed methane, and oil), supporting industries (Engineering firms), and state agencies (DEQ) determined a baseline of information for the workforce needs. Jobs available in the field and the knowledge, skills and abilities for the jobs were ascertained. Two AAS programs were redesigned to better prepare students for entry into the work force; an Environmental Engineering Technician program with an emphasis on field-based support for engineers and a Computer Aided Design program with emphasis on computer support for engineers. Important finding from the focus groups was the number of shared skills and abilities between the various job titles, like communication, planning, and team work. It was learned that breadth of skills dramatically increases employ-ability, especially with the changing economy. The two programs were structured to accommodate those points. The programs shared a core of courses and were structured so students can earn both degrees with an additional 15-16 credit hours completing their first degree. Original intent was for the AAS programs to bridge into the Engineering AS program, which transfers to the University of Wyoming Engineering program. Some AS student have found the AAS programs attractive for providing more immediate skills for employment and to strengthen their skills for the Engineering program. Students in the programs were able to participate in internship. Each internship was set with specific learning outcomes and the interns were evaluated on their general work performance (e.g. reliability, motivation, team-work) and the completion of the learning outcomes. Structure of the programs and the forms used for the internships can be found on the project's web site www.sheridan.edu/site/energy-education/academic-programs/. Teachers Workshops included a 5-day tour through northern/northeastern Wyoming which featured its geology and energy-industry sites and was followed by a 3-day intensive curriculum development session. The field trip was guided by a geology instructor who described the unique Wyoming geology related to the energy resources available. The site visits included coal mines, coal-fired power plants, uranium mines and processing plants, coal bed methane fields, oil extraction fields including an oil mining site, and rare earth mineral mining (which is necessary for renewable energy.) An instructional designer assisted teachers in developing lesson plans from their fieldtrip experience. The workshops filled with teachers from every region of the US and Wyoming and they each brought different perspectives to the workshops. Teachers shared perspectives of energy issues and policies from their areas and became aware of the diverse energy resources in Wyoming. The lesson plans developed reflect how the teachers were able to take what they learned about Wyoming's resources and energy in general and apply it to lessons that their students could related to, whether it be in Georgia, Texas or elsewhere. Several themes that emerged for lessons include comparisons of renewable and non-renewable energy sources, energy use awareness, and comparison of use of different fuels, such as Uranium versus Coal. Lessons varied from one-hour lessons to those that would encompass several weeks. Lessons ranged for grades 5 – 14.These lesson plans are public domain and free for educators to use as-is or to adapt for their own classroom. They are available for adoption on the project's web page: www.sheridan.edu/site/energy-education/summer-energy-education-program/teacher-information/teacher-lesson-plans-resources/ Five-day youth summer camps for students entering 7th -8th grades were designed to actively engage students in exploring topics of engineering, energy transfer and production, and energy conservation. Subject matter covers multiple areas starting with basic energy concepts on through the diverse energy sources including oil, coal geothermal, hydropower, uranium, wind and solar. The inquire based approach with multiple building projects received positive feedback from the students and their parents. Sample of projects include building mousetrap cars, electromagnetic motors, solar cookers, and solar cars. The student workbooks are public domain and available at: www.sheridan.edu/site/energy-education/summer-energy-education-program/.
