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The Architectural Engineering Technology Applied Research Assistant Program at the Bluefield State College Center for Applied Research and Technology

Bluefield State College Center for Applied Research and Technology

Donald G. Bury, and Bruce V. Mutter dbury@bluefieldstate.edu bmutter@bluefieldstate.edu

Abstract

The paper highlights the development of the Bluefield State College (BSC), Center for Applied Research and Technology (CART), Applied Research Assistant (ARA) program to provide teams of Architectural Engineering Technology (ARET) students with in-house internship experience. The primary goal of the a ARA Program is to provide valuable real project work experiences to students, while allowing professionals to obtain specific limited services at substantially reduced costs, while freeing their staff to perform more complex activities in the office. The ARA Program was designed to provide a wide range of services to local professionals and businesses in the region. Anticipated services that will be available include; architectural design and drafting, graphic services, existing conditions drawings for building renovations, "as-built" drawings for completed projects, and product research. These services are intended to provide assistance in short duration projects, under the direct supervision of architects, professional engineers and industrial managers.

As identified in the ARET Department's TAC-ABET Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP), program outcomes have been devised to describe what graduates of a degree program will be able to demonstrate and know when they graduate. The skills and abilities identified in the program outcomes are measures of the quality of the program and can have a significant impact on the validity of the degree. Professional experience through an internship program, whether conducted in an office or through a program such as this, can enhance a student's understanding of the career field and practice, ultimately creating a better quality student. The process of obtaining professional internships in a rural area is significantly more difficult than in larger urban areas. Economic conditions in the state and region have magnified this problem. The initial contacts with professional offices and industries in the region have identified several companies who are interested in contracting for the services provided in this program.

The research will analyze the levels of student capability to provide independent and supervised services. Cost analysis will include contractile agreements; hourly rates and contract amounts. Initial projects have experienced success by improving some aspects of a companies operation. Companies will also benefit from access to an excited student labor pool.

Proceedings of the 2005 American Society of Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2005, American Society of Engineering Education

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Bury, D., & Mutter, B. (2005, June), The Architectural Engineering Technology Applied Research Assistant Program At The Bluefield State College Center For Applied Research And Technology Paper presented at 2005 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon. 10.18260/1-2--14860