Advisory Committee Program Evaluation
2005 - 2006
A. CURRICULUM/INSTRUCTION
- Are the courses in the curriculum appropriate for an entry-level position in the practice setting of today?
- Do we need to add any courses/topics to the curriculum? If yes, which courses/topics should be included? Give rationale.
- Do we need to delete any courses/topics from the curriculum? If yes, which courses/topics should be deleted?
- Are the admissions criteria appropriate for this program? If no, explain:
- Are the enrollments/graduations adequate to meet the community needs in this area? If no, explain.
- Are there instructional strategies/activities that you would recommend for this program? If yes, what?
YES. A 2-year associate degree in Engineering Technology can only prepare a student to enter the modern work place. Graduating students must demonstrate an ability to adapt and learn new challenges. Employers are looking for candidates who can become proficient CAD Designers in a minimum amount of time.
NO. The current EGT associate degree curriculum requires 74 credit hours, and includes the following components:
25 credit hours of Arts & Sciences courses.
10 credit hours of basic Engineering Technology courses.
14 credit hours of Technical Drafting courses per ANSI standards.
9 credit hours of CAD software courses.
12 credit hours of Engineering Design courses.
3 credit hours of Technical Elective courses.
1 credit hours of an EGT Capstone course in tandem with the MET program.
Note that EGT 245 ( the CATIA V5 ) course is not part of the associate degree, but is part of a new certificate – CCD6. This course was added in the Fall of 2005 in order to meet a local market nitch in CAD software.
Some EGT programs have a course on Descriptive Geometry. At GTC, EGT 127 is the course on Descriptive Geometry. There will be a re-evaluation of the need for this course as we go through the upcoming DACUM process.
YES. New students are required to test into READING 031 and MATH 101 as pre-requisites for taking EGT 110. Up until a few years ago, the test score requirement for Math was even lower, and we often would end up with students in the class who could not do the basic math concepts involved with EGT 110. This led to difficulty for the EGT 110 instructor, causing the class to bog down instead of moving ahead. The change of the math test score to the level of MATH 101 has resulted in a better experience for both the instructor and the students in EGT 110. Also, for an EGT student to move beyond EGT 110, they must successfully pass MATH 101 and move into MATH 110.
NO. At the present time, there are more new job openings in CAD & Drafting in the Upstate area then there are EGT graduates from GTC. This has not always been the case. Only a few short years ago new job growth was sluggish. However, local and national economic growth has fueled new CAD & Drafting jobs in the local area. More EGT graduates are needed to fill this need.
The EGT program is currently mid-way through an effort to leverage computers, software and technology in order to put specific curriculum on-line, and offer courses in a hybrid format to students who traditionally attend classes on the Barton campus. This project should not be a substitute for personal instructor-based teaching or lecturing.
The EGT program attained national accreditation from TAC of ABET back in 2004. The continuous quality improvement process currently in place must continue.
The EGT faculty must strive to maintain a level of technology in the curriculum that is current with what is going on in local industry. This is where the Advisory Committee can provide useful information.
The Capstone Project Course ( EGT 240 ) has been a great benefit to EGT students for the 3 years this new course has been in place.
Please continue to promote student communication skills, especially in the area of presentations of project work using the Microsoft Office suite of products.
B. EQUIPMENT/FACILITIES
- Is the equipment used in this program adequate to train graduates for entry-level positions? If no, what additional equipment would enhance this program?
- The computer lab in room 422 is one year old.
- The computer lab in room 432 is two years old.
- The computer lab in room 423 is 4 years old.
- The computers in room 422 and 432 are in great shape to support the current CAD software of AutoCAD, Solid Works and CATIA V5.
- The computers in room 423 are quickly nearing the end of their useful life for the EGT program. There will come a time soon when both AutoCAD and Solid Works will not run on the computers in room 423, due to the new releases of the software, which will require more hard disk space and more RAM. The Advisory Committee recommends that the EGT department purchase 12 new computers for room 423 (Xeon processor, CD writer, 1.0+ gig ram, 80+ gig hard drive, or at least what we have in room 432).
- The EGT Department received a basic entry-level 3-D printer from 3D Systems during the Spring semester as a gift when the company re-located to South Carolina . This machine will help the program, but it is very limited in what it can do in the area of rapid prototyping; non-the-less, this technology should be introduced to students at some point in the curriculum.
- If the EGT program is going to become fully computer and internet based, the department is going to need access to a new “server” which has the capability to store the library of engineering and design educational videos.
- The EGT program needs a d igital camera with minimum 5.0 mega pixels.
- Measurement equipment for student instruction (equipment usually found in a metrology lab at a local industrial company).
- Is there adequate space allocated for instruction in this program? If no, what changes would you recommend?
At this time, YES.
C. FACULTY
- Are the credentials, education, and experience appropriate for the faculty in this program? If no, identify the courses/workshops or experience that the faculty member(s) in this program need.
YES. Both the full-time faculty and the adjunct instructors have the credentials, education and experience appropriate for the EGT program. However, participation in professional seminars and training is required for the full-time faculty to remain up to date in the field. The college must provide the time and funding to attend such events, if the EGT program is to remain relevant in the field and to remain accredited by TAC of ABET. Please do not cut the budget for travel and educational seminars.
D. CONTINUING EDUCATION
- Are Continuing Education offerings by this department meeting community needs? If not, please explain.
- Do you have suggestions for Continuing Education programs? Please describe.
YES. Currently there are several CE offerings relating to the EGT program listed in the catalog for the Buck Mickell Center . CE courses have been held in the EGT classrooms just about every semester over the past few years. The new EGT web site ( www.egt-gtc.com) has a page on Continuing Education and lists several course opportunities for the public to consider.
Several companies in the Upstate do a large portion of their employee training “on-line”. Greenville Tech could be a provider of “on-line” training for some of these companies. This type of training sponsored by the Buck Mickell Center may already be going on, but there are many opportunities in the Manufacturing & Engineering areas.
E. GENERAL
- What are the major strengths of the program?
- The faculty is well qualified and has good engineering backgrounds. This is true for both the full timers and the adjunct faculty.
- The faculty and the Advisory Committee are committed to a long term continuous improvement process that not only includes ABET, but also the use of emerging technology to leverage benefits for students and other stakeholders of the program.
- What recommendations can you make which would help with marketing/recruitment for this program?
- Establish strategic partnerships with local industry, so that employers come to the program with new opportunities for education, training and student job placement.
- Take the foundation established in the Dual Credit program and expand it to other locations wherever possible. Use the benefits of the new EGT web site and Web-CT effort to offer career center instructors tools and services that would benefit their high school classes. That way, the career center instructor will view the EGT program as a partner in educating their students and preparing them for college and career choices.
The major strengths of the EGT program area as follows:
Mickey Dorsey |
5/31/06 |
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ADVISORY COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSON |
DATE |