Work requires that schools prepare the workforce with certain basic and technical competencies. Business, industry and its workers are demanding that these competencies be made available in easily accessible learning formats in order to accommodate the pace of technological change. Schools, however, are faced with rising costs and the service needs of changing student groups. The mission of the TECH SPAN Program is to develop applied manufacturing curriculum which provides for the flexible delivery of technical education to first time and returning students, and workers in an internationally competitive environment. TECH SPAN will develop manufacturing curriculum in technology-supported instructional packages. TECH SPAN will create a framework on which to base a sustainable system of curriculum development and delivery at the undergraduate and secondary school levels, especially for technicians being educated for the high performance workplace. This project will result in major improvements in advanced technological education in manufacturing, serve as a model for other institutions and states, assure that secondary and postsecondary students acquire strong foundations in mathematics and science, and produce nationally-usable educational products. The TECH SPAN Program will a) develop 11 manufacturing technical core competencies into modules and instructional materials using the Wisconsin Instructional Design System (a computerized, performance-based instructional design system); b) research the most effective delivery method/materials for providing manufacturing technician training in multiple delivery formats (i.e., traditional, audio, visual, digitized, CD-ROM, Internet, etc.); c) produce computerbased, self-paced, multi-media manufacturing curriculum, d) develop educational professionals in traditional and non-traditional educational delivery systems; and e) disseminate information on the process and the educational products developed.
