Developing a Flipped Classroom Approach to Enhance Access and Improve Learning in Electro-Mechanical Technology

The nation has an expanding need for electro-mechanical technicians, who have expertise in both mechanical technology and electrical/electronic circuits. These technicians apply their knowledge and skills in many fields, from generation and transmission of power to advanced manufacturing. This proposal aims to improve the education of electro-mechanical technicians. To do so, it will develop online teaching and learning resources that support a flipped classroom experience. In flipped classrooms, students engage in more passive learning, such as listening to a lecture, before coming to class. Then, in the classroom, they are guided by the instructor to work on hands-on applications of what they learned. This project will develop teaching resources for electro-mechanical technology with input from industry and other two-year colleges. It is expected that implementing these resources in an online flipped classroom will be more effective at helping electro-mechanical technicians and instructors gain both technical knowledge and practical hands-on experience. Columbia Gorge Community College is a Hispanic-serving institution. Thus, by preparing students for well-paying, high-demand electro-mechanical technician jobs, this project can help to mitigate the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Hispanic communities the College serves.

This project leverages the results of a successful previous NSF ATE award that developed free, high-quality online resources to support flipped classroom courses for electrical engineering, industrial maintenance, and renewable energy technicians. The project has three major aims: (1) develop high-quality online learning modules that support a flipped classroom approach for teaching electro-mechanical technologies, (2) cultivate the next generation of instructors and workforce-ready technicians for high-demand fields, and (3) advance the knowledge base about use of the flipped classroom approach to enhance technician education. The flipped classroom structure and materials can be easily updated and repurposed for other technical programs, thus increasing access to technical education and decreasing cost. U.S. economic and national security depends on the industries supported by knowledgeable, skilled technicians. This project intends to train new electro-mechanical technicians and serve practicing electro-mechanical technicians who want to stay current in their jobs. This project is funded by the NSF 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.