The project is working to increase the number of multi-skilled maintenance technicians using an Advanced Industrial Integrated Technology (AIIT) curriculum. The curriculum integrates content from different technical areas within courses in order to align with the way work is actually performed in a modern "integrated systems" manufacturing environment. The investigators are: 1) completing the modularization of AIIT courses using spiral and authentic assessment instructional design principles; 2) designing effective on-line delivery of those courses using research-based e-learning principles and best practices; 3) adapting SCATE ATE Center's curriculum materials to develop a high school technology gateway course to recruit neglected majority students; 4) developing effective on-line and traditional academic support services to ensure academic success; and 5) creating a career pathway from high school, to associate degree, to baccalaureate degree in a high demand technical occupation. The investigators are partnering with two four-year schools, the local school district, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), the SCATE ATE Center, the Automotive Manufacturing Technical Education Collaborative (AMTEC), and local industry representatives. The evaluation effort, under the direction of an independent evaluator, is monitoring progress toward the project's objectives and is examining the impact of the program on enrollment, employment opportunities, student competence in integrated systems problem solving and in critical thinking skills, and the students' use of the instructional material. The project team is disseminating their instructional material and results through established mechanisms in the KCTCS and AMTEC and through presentation at national conferences on technology education. Broader impacts include the extensive dissemination of the materials. the connection to secondary schools, to non-traditional students, and to dislocated and low-income workers.
