Technician training for industry 4.0 technologies

This $650,000 project grant from the National Science Foundation's STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076) supports the development of new curricula and hands-on learning experiences focused on Industry 4.0 advanced manufacturing technologies. Led by Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, the project aims to prepare students and incumbent workers for careers in manufacturing technician roles in sectors such as agriculture, food and beverage processing, and oil and gas. Key deliverables include new certificate programs in industrial automation offered through collaboration with sub-awardees Clovis Community College and Lone Star College - University Park. The project also provides professional development for community college instructors and secondary school teachers on Industry 4.0 topics. Evaluation of student learning outcomes and the online learning environment is included. The three-year period of performance began in August 2022.

Abstract

Manufacturing is in the midst of change as industry 4.0 advanced manufacturing technologies are being implemented to bring manufacturers into the digital age. These new technologies include recent advances in automation, computing, and communications. Manufacturers need skilled technicians and advanced operators to build, implement, troubleshoot, maintain, and modify manufacturing systems that use these technologies. Students will learn industry 4.0 competencies that are based on local industry workforce needs. This project will focus on agriculture, food and beverage processing, and oil and gas manufacturing sectors. Texas a & m university will collaborate with clovis community college and lone star college on the development and evaluation of new curricula that will provide instruction and hands-on learning experiences for students on industry 4.0 concepts. Students will have the opportunity to earn a certificate in industrial automation. The project will provide professional development workshops to train community college faculty and high school teachers on industry 4.0 technologies. Working with local high schools, the project team will create dual enrollment courses for high school students that can be taken at the community college campuses, at the high school, or online. The goal of this project is to help students learn the necessary skills to be successful in the manufacturing technician workforce. This project will: (1) prepare new graduates for local industry workforce needs by creating course content for industry 4.0 concepts; (2) enrich skill sets of incumbent workers through certificate programs; (3) create a pipeline for incoming students by working with school districts and offering workshops for secondary school teachers; and (4) host professional development workshops to disseminate project results to instructors at community colleges. Subject matter experts will provide feedback to the project team about the technical accuracy and relevance of the instructional materials. To make hands-on learning experiences more accessible to learners with limited instructional resources, online access to automated systems and virtual/remote learning environments will be developed and pilot tested. The impact of the courses and the online learning environment on student learning will be evaluated using student surveys and learning assessments. This project is funded by the advanced technological education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.