| This study addressed the need for Delaware Technical and Community College (DTCC) to develop a curriculum for its Industrial Maintenance Technology program that includes skills and content for essential science and technology areas such as math, physics, electronics, mechanics, and hydraulics. This need provided the impetus for the implementation of this study.;The research questions focused on which skill and curriculum components of NSF funded programs in advanced technology education would be most helpful in developing the curriculum of the Industrial Technology program at DTCC. Twenty-six educational institutions that received NSF grants were surveyed. Eight institutions responded.;A multiple case study design was used in this study. Respondents returned requested information to the researcher concerning the design and development of their technology programs, including years of implementation, instructional methodology, curriculum content student population, assessment activities, and special strengths and weaknesses. A Secretary's Commission on Acquiring Necessary Skills (SCANS) record was used to delineate competencies that are necessary for success in the workplace. A Developing a Curriculum (DACUM) framework was used to identify content components of responding programs that were identified as being desirable for use in the DTCC Industrial Maintenance Technology Program.;A tabulation and analysis of the findings suggested that the purpose of most of the programs of the responding institutions focused on curriculum and faculty development, in addition to developing core competencies and CD-ROM modules. All respondents indicated collaboration with other colleges, high schools, and in some instances, government and industries. Math, science, quality management, manufacturing, and engineering analysis were the primary curricular emphases of the responding institutions.;An identification of the awards to institutions of higher education in the United States that were made by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 1994, 1995, and 1996 in Advanced Technological Education in engineering and manufacturing provided a foundation for this study. The purpose of the study was to identify types of programs in technology education that, although in various stages of development via grants funded by the NSF, might be useful in developing a technology program at DTCC.;The 4 programs that most frequently met the SCANS and DACUM competencies were also the ones that best addressed the needs of the DTCC Industrial Maintenance Program. As a result of this study, it was recommended that postsecondary institutions that address the skill and content related competency gaps among graduating engineers, engineering technicians, and their employers should be researched since outcome competencies regarding these programs often change; therefore, institutional content and methods need to keep pace. |
