| NSF Org: |
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | July 23, 2013 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | July 24, 2015 |
| Award Number: | 1303832 |
| Award Instrument: | Continuing Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Heather Watson
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education EHR Direct For Education and Human Resources |
| Start Date: | August 1, 2013 |
| End Date: | July 31, 2018 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $899,997.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $899,997.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2014 = $300,000.00 FY 2015 = $300,000.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
1250 Turner Street Auburn ME US 04210-6498 (207)755-5357 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
1250 Turner St. Auburn ME US 04210-6498 |
| Primary Place of Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Advanced Tech Education Prog |
| Primary Program Source: |
0414 NSF Education & Human Resource 0415 NSF Education & Human Resource |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
Central Maine Technical College and stakeholders from the manufacturing sector of the New England region are creating a Regional Advanced Machining Partnership (RAMP) to: 1) develop an advanced machining certificate; 2) provide faculty development in advanced machining; and 3) disseminate proven practices for student recruitment. The project builds on a successful prior ATE project in which the PIs developed a Virtual Ideation Platform (VIP) that enables faculty and their students to design and develop product concepts and the requisite curricula virtually over the internet. The certificate being created is highly modularized, transportable and meeting NIMS certification. This curriculum can be nested within the Manufacturing Institute's Skill Standard Certification endorsed by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). The program supports multiple points of entry and exit, and creates additional pathways through articulation with other technology programs.
The project contributes to the development of a competent workforce for the manufacturing industry by providing the technical skills that the students need to succeed and by creating a partnership model that can be replicated in other parts of the country. The project has a strong focus on recruitment and retention of underrepresented students including women, which contributes to the diversity of the workforce.
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.
Stakeholders from New England created the Regional Advanced Machining Partnership (RAMP) to provide educators and industry personnel with the skills needed for advanced Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) machining, programming and metrology. Major results from the RAMP project evolved from the three major goals: (1) develop a for-credit Advanced Machining Certificate that includes advanced machining, programming and metrology in support of advanced manufacturing careers; (2) provide professional development for faculty and industry personnel in the region using blended learning; and (3) support student recruitment and retention, targeting underrepresented students. Exacerbated by an aging industrial and educational workforce, the rapid assimilation of advanced machining technologies is now critical to compete globally. The advanced machining curricula was developed to meet that critical need.
Intellectual Merit – The RAMP team included a regional network of educators and industry representatives to help achieve its goals and to ensure sustainability. Building on a strong two-year precision machining program, the Central Maine Community College (CMCC) faculty members along with key community college and industry partners developed advanced certificate in machining, metrology and programming. Highly modularized and transportable, this certificate evolved over the course of the project. The competency based, flipped classroom concept is providing opportunities for the workforce to access advanced coursework and enabling companies to upgrade the skills of their workers. These hybrid classes make extensive use of online content (including video) for demonstration purposes. This allows students taking the advanced courses the flexibility to work while taking classes, giving them the opportunity to apply what they are learning.
Supporting multiple points of entry and exit, pathways were created between technology programs from secondary levels to university. The development of the courses using competency based methods enable synchronous and asynchronous curriculum delivery. This is essential because as faculty members retire, personnel changes, and technology advances, workers still need to upgrade their skills. The development of the curriculum and the partnership developed with the Gene Haas Foundation have made the CMCC Precision Machining Program one of the largest advanced machining partnerships on the East Coast.
Broader Impact - There are two facets to RAMP’s broader impact: the team’s ability to get the proper educational resources to regional educators and the workforce for advanced certification; and the ability to disseminate and offer both proven and promising practices for student recruitment and retention. The CMCC campus is a residential campus with dormitories where they can house participants for synchronous course offerings. Asynchronous and synchronous curriculum delivery enables ongoing pedagogical and technical support that ensures success, broader impact and sustainability. This curriculum can be easily modularized for greater flexibility by instructors at the high school and college levels. The advanced skills offered with this curriculum are preparing students to enter the workplace at higher levels of competence, and able to program complex 3-D machines. This competency based model allows students to know and understand where they are in the learning process at all times and gives them the flexibility to schedule time on equipment to complete projects and minimize their time away from work.
A national manufacturer of machine tools recognized the curriculum developed by the RAMP project and named CMCC the Northeast Training Center for the Haas Technical Education Center (HTEC) Network (http://www.cmcchtec.org/). This network of precision-machining educators is funded by the Gene Haas Foundation to support technical education at all levels. The foundation supports instructors attending high-skills attainment classes with scholarships and promotes classes through its network. The partnership ensures sustainability of the RAMP project and provides national dissemination of the curriculum through the network.
Last Modified: 09/04/2018
Modified by: Diane Dostie
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