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Session 2793

Technology Awareness Program: Adventures in Wireless Telecommunications

Jeff Fant, Telecommunications Professor Collin County Community College, McKinney, Texas

Abstract

The current paper describes a program to integrate Secondary with Post-Secondary Education in the fields of Math and Science and increase the quantity and quality of individuals entering into the High Tech Workforce. Components include curriculum development and instruction by community college telecommunications professors, corporate sponsorship and mentors, as well as support from the American Radio Relay League, local ham radio clubs, and local radio-controlled aircraft organizations. The TAP Program includes workshops for training teachers in wireless telecommunications and summer camps for middle school (grades 7-9) students with game-based activities that teach the fundamental technologies that will prepare them to enter further studies in Residential Broadband Wireless, Voice over IP · TCP/IP Wireless Networks, and Voice, Video and Data Integration. Plans also include transmissions to and from the International Space Station and other projects coordinated with the help of NASA. Background: The U.S. Census Bureau reveals that less than twenty percent of all new jobs created in the twenty-first century will require a four-year degree or higher. Greater than eighty percent will require different post-secondary training. There are presently over 346,000 technology positions unfilled today due to a lack of technically skilled labor in the United States. The US economy is expected to produce 95,000 additional technical positions each year for the next eight years.

According to the US Labor Department the average income in the United States for Information Technology (IT) core positions is approximately double non-IT core positions. It is estimated that there will be six high-paying technician positions created in America for each engineering position that is filled. Surveys show that few secondary level students are familiar with the term: Engineering Technology. Less than three percent of high school students in Collin County would identify CCCC with the term: Engineering Technology.

Efforts to recruit students to CCCC’s division of Engineering Technology have not brought in the desired number of students to this major. We need to implement a technology awareness program.

Proceedings of the 2001 American Society for Engineering Education Annual conference & Exposition Copyright 2001, American Society for Engineering Education

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Fant, J. (2001, June), Tap: Technology Awareness Program Adventures In Wireless Telecommunications Paper presented at 2001 Annual Conference, Albuquerque, New Mexico. 10.18260/1-2--9847