NSF Award
2203196
Many industries use new alloys and components that operate at high temperatures, stresses, and pressures. Computerized mechanized welding and cutting machines weld and cut 300 percent faster than manual methods. Automated electronics enable the welding and cutting processes to be more precise, as well as offering the potential to control and document the entire process. The fabrication and joining industry is rapidly adopting these new computerized technologies and advanced processes. As a result, a growing need exists for welding technicians who have more extensive knowledge of metallurgy, nondestructive examination, quality control, computerized data acquisition, and technical writing and reporting. In collaboration with industry partners, this project at Central Arizona College aims to develop curricula and associated materials for an advanced fabrication and joining program to prepare Advanced Welding Processes Technicians. It will include higher-level education and training not offered by most community college welding programs. Since the college is a both an Hispanic Serving Institution and a rural community college, this project will strive to encourage students from minority backgrounds to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) credentials. The curriculum, STEM content, and project-based learning exercises will be shared with the National Center for Welding Education and Training, the seven Hispanic Serving Institutions participating in the Science Foundation of Arizona Kick Starter project, and other community colleges. The welding programs at community colleges involved in the Science Foundation of Arizona will provide feedback on the effectiveness of the new curriculum and associated materials. This feedback will support the effort of the college to create quality learning products that foster student learning and help meet the country?s need for personnel with advanced fabrication and joining skills.<br/><br/>Developing curriculum and associated materials in advanced fabrication and joining processes is the first step in meeting the need for fabricators and welders with additional knowledge of data acquisition, metallurgy, and quality control land welding codes to ensure quality welds. Six new courses will be developed that will form a core advanced certificate, and four additional courses will be developed for the advanced processes technician specialization. The ten courses will be field-tested in the classroom during the second half of the three-year project, with at least ten students in the first cohort. Feedback from the students, their instructors, and industry partners will guide subsequent improvements to the curriculum. Students in the college certificate and associate degree welding programs, incumbent workers who need advanced skills, and students from other community college welding programs will be recruited to the program. The project will create project-based learning exercises and contextualized STEM content for the program. These practices are research-validated best practices for teaching technical and science-based skills to learners, especially those from traditionally under-represented and disadvantaged backgrounds,. Project-based learning provides contextualized, authentic experiences (i.e. experiences that mimic what workers do in their jobs) that help students master challenging STEM concepts and processes. This approach makes the science more understandable for students because it places the material in a real-world context (such as a welding shop) and often builds on content students have already mastered. In this way, students can discover meaningful relationships between academic theory and practical, real world applications.<br/><br/>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.
