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Award Abstract # 2055696
Industry 4.0 Seminar Series

NSF Org: DUE
Division Of Undergraduate Education
Recipient: NORTHEAST WISCONSIN TECHNICAL COLLEGE
Initial Amendment Date: June 23, 2021
Latest Amendment Date: June 23, 2021
Award Number: 2055696
Award Instrument: Standard Grant
Program Manager: Christine Delahanty
cdelahan@nsf.gov
 (703)292-8492
DUE
 Division Of Undergraduate Education
EDU
 Directorate for STEM Education
Start Date: June 15, 2021
End Date: May 31, 2023 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $69,481.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $69,481.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2021 = $69,481.00
History of Investigator:
  • Jill Thiede (Principal Investigator)
    jill.thiede@nwtc.edu
  • Sue Zittlow (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Jason Trombley (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
2740 W MASON ST
GREEN BAY
WI  US  54303-4966
(920)498-5615
Sponsor Congressional District: 08
Primary Place of Performance: Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
2740 W. Mason Street
Green Bay
WI  US  54303-4966
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
08
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): S8HFKCLSML38
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s): Advanced Tech Education Prog
Primary Program Source: 04002122DB NSF Education & Human Resource
Program Reference Code(s): 1032, 7556, 9178, SMET
Program Element Code(s): 741200
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.076

ABSTRACT

This project aims to serve the national interest by improving the teaching practices of manufacturing educators to implement evidence- and industry-based practices on the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies in regional manufacturing businesses. Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC), a two-year technical college, aims to prepare incumbent and new technicians with the skillsets needed to support a diverse, evolving technological infrastructure by building the knowledge of post-secondary educators on emerging technologies utilized in industry. The future of manufacturing and employer economic competitiveness is dependent on the use of technologies that bridge the mechanical and digital worlds on the manufacturing floor. The concepts of Industry 4.0 were first introduced less than a decade ago and are quickly making waves across manufacturing, creating skills gaps not only among the incumbent workforce but also in higher education where instructor advanced education and ?real world? experiences pre-date this arrival. New strategies are needed to address this knowledge gap and produce rigorous curricular updates to ensure industry has the IT and manufacturing skillsets needed to operate in this smart environment. The Industry 4.0 Seminar Series project will demonstrate a model for adapting post-secondary program content to upskill technicians that can be implemented in manufacturing-dominate regions of the nation, as well as in non-manufacturing industry sectors, such as transportation and logistics, building design, energy, healthcare, and public safety, where Industry 4.0 technologies are increasingly being adopted.

The Industry 4.0 Seminar Series conference and meetings project will convene regional post-secondary educators from the fields of Information Technology (IT) and Manufacturing, Industry 4.0 technology subject-matter-experts, business representatives, and instructional designers. Three questions will be addressed through the multi-session seminar series: What technologies are currently and/or anticipated to be adopted by regional/state employers? How is industry applying this technology? And, how can higher education translate the skillsets of these technologies into new and existing certificate, technical diploma, and associate degree programs to produce graduates trained to meet the changing needs of industry? The results of this seminar series will be used to inform new teaching practices that better align with workforce needs in relation to emerging and evolving technologies, ensuring that new and incumbent workers have the necessary IT and manufacturing skillsets. 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.

PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT

Disclaimer

This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.

The Industry 4.0 Seminar Series conference and meetings project convened regional secondary and post-secondary educators from the fields of Information Technology (IT) and Manufacturing, Industry 4.0 technology subject-matter-experts, business representatives, and instructional designers. Three questions were addressed through the multi-session seminar series: What technologies are currently and/or anticipated to be adopted by regional/state employers? How is industry applying this technology? And, how can higher education translate the skillsets of these technologies into new and existing certificate, technical diploma, and associate degree programs to produce graduates trained to meet the changing needs of industry? Activities included hiring an Event Coordinator; refining topics and identifying experts in cybersecurity, additive manufacturing, AR/VR, and 3-D printing to speak; delivering the seminar series in a virtual platform; and disseminating results. In total the Seminar Series impacted 202 unique participants. post-secondary faculty (83), members of industry (89), and 13 speakers subject-matter-experts as speakers.

Intellectual Merit. The future of manufacturing and employer economic competitiveness is dependent on the use of technologies that bridge the mechanical and digital worlds on the manufacturing floor. The concepts of Industry 4.0 were first introduced less than a decade ago and are quickly making waves across manufacturing, creating skills gaps not only among the incumbent workforce but also in higher education where instructor advanced education and real world experiences pre-date this arrival. New strategies are needed to address this knowledge gap and produce rigorous curricular updates to ensure industry has the IT and manufacturing skillsets needed to operate in this smart environment. The Industry 4.0 Seminar Series conference and meetings project created a support ecosystem consisting of instructors, industry, and subject-matter-experts who collectively learned, shared, and applied the gained knowledge to identify the need for a short-term credentialled certificate in Cybersecurity and a one credit 3-D printing course to address the current workforce needs of manufacturers in Northeast Wisconsin.

Broader Impacts. The need to train technicians to support Industry 4.0 technology enhancements continues to be a priority, related to Industry 4.0, of global executives and leaders. Given the position of Wisconsin being the number one state in the nation for the highest manufacturing job concentration and the vital role manufacturing plays across the nation and world, the Industry 4.0 Seminar Series project established a model for creating dialogue around adapting post-secondary program content to upskill technicians that can be implemented in manufacturing-dominate regions of the nation, as well as in non-manufacturing industry sectors, such as transportation and logistics, building design, energy, healthcare, and public safety, where Industry 4.0 technologies are increasingly being adopted. NWTC has a strong history of collaboration with the 15 colleges in the Wisconsin Technical College System and is an Achieving the Dream Leader College, providing platforms for statewide and national dissemination. Project partner NEWMA provides access to national and international stages for audiences concerned about developing and growing industry sector partnerships. Additionally, the College has been able to leverage the  Workforce Advancement Training Grant opportunities from the Wisconsin Technical College System to offer seminars dealing with AR/VR Cybersecurity in Industry.


Last Modified: 07/11/2023
Modified by: Jill Thiede

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