Northwest Engineering and Vehicle Technology Exchange

Central Oregon Community College, Bend OR

Investigators

Abstract

The worldwide market for hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) and electric vehicle (EV) is growing steadily, with the United States taking the lead with over 500,000 HEV/EVs sold in 2013. This growth compounds when considered globally, with the forecast for the worldwide number of HEV/EVs on the in road in 2015 at 80.4 million. The west coast (Oregon, Washington and California) is the leader in HEV/EV ownership and development with nearly one-third (32.9%) of all HEV/EVs sales nationwide in these three states alone. This project at Central Oregon Community College (COCC) will prepare technicians to work in advanced HEV and EV diagnostics, maintenance, and repair. The establishment of a regional consortium, the Advanced Vehicle Training Group Northwest, will foster technology education opportunities for instructors and advanced automotive technicians across the northwest region. This collaboration will set and implement the standard for HEV/EV education. It will bring HEV/EV educational opportunities to rural students in Central Oregon, an area with a significant Latino and Native American population. This project will support student learning in science and engineering technician education by developing new curriculum aligned with Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) standards for HEV/EV certified training programs. This will add to the pedagogical knowledge in HEV/EV diagnostics, maintenance, and repair. In preparation for this effort, the college has conducted extensive research on automotive technology education gaps, has engaged in discussion with local and regional employers, has surveyed students and employers, and has investigated how other colleges statewide and nationally are addressing the HEV/EV education gap. This project will build on previously successful models for constructing alternative curricular pathways (often described as a latticed curriculum) to provide a rich tapestry of education and training opportunities for students at various stages of the employment cycle. It will also develop novel tools needed for alternative certification of skills through "open badges." This national initiative is still early in development and every implementation of the badging process in a community college will add to the collective knowledge and understanding of best practices in the use of open badges to build a new curricular framework for educators in academic and industrial communities. A comprehensive evaluation plan will measures student success by completion rates for certifications, degrees, and badges earned. Outreach activities to underserved populations will focus on strategies known to be effective in reaching such students.