The Energy Technician Education Project was a multifaceted project addressing AAS and AS degrees in Engineering, articulation between educational programs in Engineering related fields, student internships, faculty development and a youth program. The intent of the faculty and youth programs was to create a pipeline for students to enter into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). A series of focus groups with energy companies (coal, uranium, coal bed methane, and oil), supporting industries (Engineering firms), and state agencies (DEQ) determined a baseline of information for the workforce needs. Jobs available in the field and the knowledge, skills and abilities for the jobs were ascertained.

Two AAS programs were redesigned to better prepare students for entry into the work force; an Environmental Engineering Technician program with an emphasis on field-based support for engineers and a Computer Aided Design program with emphasis on computer support for engineers. Important finding from the focus groups was the number of shared skills and abilities between the various job titles, like communication, planning, and team work. It was learned that breadth of skills dramatically increases employ-ability, especially with the changing economy. The two programs were structured to accommodate those points. The programs shared a core of courses and were structured so students can earn both degrees with an additional 15-16 credit hours completing their first degree. Original intent was for the AAS programs to bridge into the Engineering AS program, which transfers to the University of Wyoming Engineering program. Some AS student have found the AAS programs attractive for providing more immediate skills for employment and to strengthen their skills for the Engineering program. Students in the programs were able to participate in internship. Each internship was set with specific learning outcomes and the interns were evaluated on their general work performance (e.g. reliability, motivation, team-work) and the completion of the learning outcomes. Structure of the programs and the forms used for the internships can be found on the project's web site http://www.sheridan.edu/site/energy-education/academic-programs/.

Teachers Workshops included a 5-day tour through northern/northeastern Wyoming which featured its geology and energy-industry sites and was followed by a 3-day intensive curriculum development session. The field trip was guided by a geology instructor who described the unique Wyoming geology related to the energy resources available. The site visits included coal mines, coal-fired power plants, uranium mines and processing plants, coal bed methane fields, oil extraction fields including an oil mining site, and rare earth mineral mining (which is necessary for renewable energy.) An instructional designer assisted teachers in developing lesson plans from their fieldtrip experience. The workshops filled with teachers from every region of the US and Wyoming and they each brought different perspectives to the workshops. Teachers shared perspectives of energy issues and policies from their areas and became aware of the diverse energy resources in Wyoming. The lesson plans developed reflect how the teachers were able to take what they learned about Wyoming's resources and energy in general and apply it to lessons that their students could related to, whether it be in Georgia, Texas or elsewhere. Several themes that emerged for lessons include comparisons of renewable and non-renewable energy sources, energy use awareness, and comparison of use of different fuels, such as...

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