Enhancing The Pre Engineering Curriculum A Multi Partner Initiative

Abstract

This paper describes a project involving a major research university and fifteen secondary and post-secondary schools to develop and implement a career cluster program for the Research, Development and Technical Services career major. This Engineering Science Technology Tech-Prep grant, sponsored by the New Jersey Department of Education, has three main career goals for this project. These goals include preparing a skilled workforce that meets industry and educational standards in the fields of engineering, science and technology, establishing a consortium to improve training opportunities for students and teachers, and improving and expanding articulation between the secondary and postsecondary providers of education and training. The methodology of the project is to develop a local consortium of comprehensive schools, county vocational schools, two-year colleges, four-year colleges and research universities, and the R&D industrial base to ensure that New Jersey's youth are adequately prepared for entrance into two-year and four-year engineering, science and technology degree programs. The ultimate goal is to prepare these students for careers in engineering, science and technology, through the use of articulated curricula during grades 11 (high school) through junior year (college).

Community College/University Articulation A Programmatic Approach In Engineering And Technology

“…To obtain a 4-year degree in one of the many technical fields, students typically choose one of two options; matriculation directly into a University, or into a Community College followed by transfer to a 4-year school. The transfer process is gaining a wide recognition, especially as the students and their families examine cost and accessibility issues associated with higher education [1][2][3][4][5]. While the route to transfer is difficult in any major, the difficulty is increased in a vertically structured curriculum like Engineering and Technology.…”

“…The articulation issue is complex, since one is dealing with numerous programs, disciplines, and Community Colleges, each of which has a constituent group that must be supported [1,3]. The NIU College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, and specifically, the NIU Department of Technology has determined that due to the wide range of skills and needs, students need the ability to choose the level of technology which is appropriate.…”