"Employers want individuals who are self-motivated, are driven, and can effectively communicate this to their work groups and supervisors" (Pence & Rowe, 2012, p. 50). Projects assigned by teachers or bosses can seem monumental, but by breaking them down into individual parts they can be managed to completion. There are many jobs…

A joint learning activity in process control is presented, in the context of a distance collaboration between engineering and technical-level students, in a similar fashion as current practices in the industry involving distance coordination and troubleshooting. The necessary infrastructure and the setup used are first detailed, followed by a…

The Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department at The Ohio State University in collaboration with the University Center for the Advancement of Teaching developed the Chemical Engineering Mentored Teaching Experience. The Mentored Teaching Experience is an elective for Ph.D. students interested in pursuing faculty careers. Participants are…

This paper reports on an action research project undertaken with the primary aim of investigating the extent to which situations that evoke a sense of wonder can promote scientific inquiry. Given the intense interest, curiosity, and wonder that some students had begun to develop after seeing the film "The Prestige", a science teacher…

Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through…

Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through…

Focuses on how three-dimensional graphical and interactive features of computer-based instruction can enhance learning and support human cognition during technical training of equipment procedures. Presents guidelines for using three-dimensional interactive graphics to teach equipment procedures based on studies of the effects of graphics, motion,…

Until recently, computer-aided drafting and design (CAD) systems were almost exclusively operated on mainframes or minicomputers and their cost prohibited many schools from offering CAD instruction. Today, many powerful personal computers are capable of performing the high-speed calculation and analysis required by the CAD application; however,…

The High Technology Center at Francis Tuttle Vo-Tech Center in Oklahoma City conducted an 18-month demonstration program, beginning in January 1989, to train or retrain average workers, unemployed because of cutbacks in their field or lack of marketable skills, for careers in high technology. The High Technology Center offered adults training in…

Workers must be retrained to fill the new jobs created by technology. Twenty-one occupations expected to become increasingly important are described. Competent teachers must be attracted to vocational education, and teaching methods must be updated. Education must equip people to change. (RM)

Training of vocational education teachers should be closely linked to the industries in which the teachers are preparing to instruct students. A teacher training program in Taiwan has been designed with the cooperation of the metals manufacturing industry. In this four-year program, students are assigned to the industry to learn the product…

Discusses a program in which research groups consisting of faculty, undergraduate students, and graduate students worked on projects in computer graphics, automatic-code generation, or computer-aided instruction. Cites several positive outcomes for students when research is made relevant to the technical subject studied. (RT)

This publication is a curriculum guide for the installation of solar equipment. It is divided into the three major areas of general knowledge, technical design, and installation/maintenance. Associated is a list of relevant and prerequisite competencies identified as appropriate toward student interest groups of technician, installer,…

This guide, which was developed for Idaho middle and junior high school teachers, provides a framework for developing hands-on curricula that will acquaint students with concepts and activities common to a wide range of occupations. Presented after a brief introduction explaining the rationale for a curriculum based on career pathways are a…