Hybrid vehicles are quickly gaining popularity around the world. Concerns about fuel costs and air quality are resulting in the sale of hybrid vehicles in unprecedented numbers. The growth in hybrid vehicle sales requires a corresponding increase in the number of technicians who have been trained to service these vehicles. Through this project, professional development workshops are being developed and delivered that are aimed at community college faculty and high school teachers who are teaching in automotive repair technology. Representatives from several major US automakers are participating in the delivery of the workshops. Participants are being linked together through a variety of strategies to form a community of practice for the exchange of curricular materials, course ideas, and the possible sharing of equipment. Follow-up activities are designed to help ensure that content from the workshops is being implemented in the academic programs of the participating institutions. Participants are also creating curriculum modules that are being vetted and stored in an online repository. Results from the project are being rigorously assessed through a variety of measures.
