| NSF Org: |
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education |
| Recipient: |
|
| Initial Amendment Date: | August 2, 2011 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | July 2, 2013 |
| Award Number: | 1104190 |
| Award Instrument: | Continuing Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Yvette Weatherton
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | August 1, 2011 |
| End Date: | July 31, 2015 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $809,474.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $809,474.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2012 = $281,578.00 FY 2013 = $246,345.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
|
| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
1851 DICKSON RD GOOCHLAND VA US 23063 (804)523-5814 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
|
| Primary Place of Performance: |
1851 DICKSON RD GOOCHLAND VA US 23063 |
| Primary Place of Performance Congressional District: |
|
| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
|
| Parent UEI: |
|
| NSF Program(s): | Advanced Tech Education Prog |
| Primary Program Source: |
04001213DB NSF Education & Human Resource 04001314DB NSF Education & Human Resource |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
|
| Program Element Code(s): |
|
| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
Advanced vehicle control systems are becoming more sophisticated on today's vehicles for both safety and propulsion. This results in an increasing demand for highly skilled automotive technicians to maintain and repair these complex systems. Currently, training for testing and repair of these systems is limited to manufacturer and dealer channels. A large unmet demand in the secondary repair market exists. J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College (JSRCC) in collaboration with City College of San Francisco, Southside Virginia Community College and James Madison University will develop three courses in advanced vehicle control systems including laboratory exercises, pilot the courses in traditional class format, and refine, convert and deliver them in distance learning format. The project will also provide students with applied research experience and disseminate the results nationwide.
The broader impacts of this project include developing course and laboratory materials that can be adopted by other institutions, spurring the training of advanced vehicle control technologies in two-year schools nationwide, and addressing the unmet demand for high-tech automotive technicians. The project plans to host statewide conference to demonstrate the programs and laboratories in Virginia and California. A national web-based symposium will also be developed to facilitate the dissemination of the project results. Presentations will be given in regional and national conferences.
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.
Advanced vehicle control systems are becoming standard on today’s vehicles. There is a growing national need for highly skilled technicians to maintain these complex systems. These new systems consist of modular components with complex diagnostic procedures, thereby changing the repair and testing methods required to service the vehicles. Unfortunately, education in these methods is currently limited to manufacturer and dealer channels. Hence, there is a large, unaddressed demand in the secondary repair market.
During the early stages of this project two critical elements were identified: 1.) the safety and advanced electronic systems of today’s vehicles present significant challenges for entry level automotive technology students, and 2.) the traditional delivery of automotive education in semester long sessions
presented barriers to student learning and mastery.
Addressing these critical elements required adaptations to the original schedule so that specialty training aids could be designed and constructed for hands-on instruction. The instructional delivery of this material was modified so that foundational content was presented through two online courses with a separate hands-on lab oriented course. Coincidentally, this delivery model replicated what many automotive manufacturers use for their in-service technicians.
Based on the experience grained through this project and the feedback from industry, further modification to the delivery methodology needs to occur. The instructional delivery modification needs to focus on deconstructing the sixteen (16) week, three to four credit hour course into smaller duration units equivalent to one to two credit hour course values. This change would provide more flexibility for students working in the automotive industry while providing more focused instruction and assessment connections.
Last Modified: 07/30/2015
Modified by: Kelly Schwendeman
Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.
