Recent advances in laboratory automation and digitization require a teaching strategy for undergraduate students that is inclusive of skills in these areas so that students can be prepared to work within the modern laboratory. Future scientists will need training in coding, microcontrollers, on-demand manufacturing, and robotics. With this in…

The automated water filtration design challenge integrates computer programming and basic electronics concepts through the SIMILAR systems engineering design process. The SIMILAR systems design process is to state the problem, investigate alternatives, model the system, integrate the system, launch the system, assess performance, and reevaluate…

Contribution: Prior studies indicate that students experimenting with characterization of optical planar waveguides use expensive ready-made prism couplers without clear understanding about construction of the entire optical measurement system. This paper presents a cost-effective modified bright-mode prism coupler that helps students learn…

This training module on the troubleshooting of an electromechanical system, The Westinghouse Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) controlling a pneumatic robot, is used for a troubleshooting unit in an electromechanical systems/robotics and automation systems course. In this unit, students locate and repair a defect in a PLC-operated machine. The…

While the computer is commonly viewed as a tool for simplifying and enriching lives, many individuals react to this technology with feelings of anxiety, paranoia, and alienation. These reactions may have potentially serious career and educational consequences. Fear of computers reflects a generalized fear of current technology and is most…

A do-it-yourself laboratory course in automated systems designed at the University of Florida is described. Using a working model of a warehouse interfaced with a minicomputer as a working laboratory, the student gains hands-on experience in operations programing and applications of scheduling, materials handling, and heuristic optimization. (BT)

The six new robotics and automated systems specialty courses developed by the Robotics/Automated Systems Technician (RAST) project are described in this publication. Course titles are Fundamentals of Robotics and Automated Systems, Automated Systems and Support Components, Controllers for Robots and Automated Systems, Robotics and Automated…

Discusses various aspects of the automated office and urges business communication faculty to include such information in their classes. (AEA)

This curriculum guide is the third of a four-volume set that is intended to improve career and vocational guidance services to Spanish-speaking students in grades 9 through 12. The first section outlines the goal and objectives of the materials. The remaining four sections consist of English and Spanish translations of activities and handouts on…

This curriculum guide provides ideas for implementing technology education in grades 7-12. It assumes a basic understanding of the four clusters of manufacturing, construction, communications, and power/transportation and is meant to supplement and reorganize this approach with up-to-date information and activities. One way to present a variety of…

These materials were developed for a seven-unit secondary or postsecondary education course on programmable logic controllers (PLCs) that treats most of the skills needed to work effectively with PLCs as programming skills. The seven units of the course cover the following topics: fundamentals of programmable logic controllers; contracts, timers,…

The project described in this report was conducted at the Community College of Luzerne County (Pennsylvania) to develop, in conjunction with area vocational-technical schools, the second year of a competency-based curriculum in automated systems/robotics technology. During the project, a task force of teachers from the area schools and the college…

Describes how to generate automated classroom resources from the Internet. Topics covered include viewing animated satellite weather images using file transfer protocol (FTP); sources of images on the Internet; shareware available for viewing images; software for automating image retrieval; procedures for animating satellite images; and storing…

This course is the second of seven in the Information Systems curriculum. The purpose of the course is to build on the skills acquired in the prerequisite course, Computer Business Applications I, through the manipulation of word processing, spreadsheet, database management, and graphics software. An overview of the course sets forth the condition…

This course is the fifth of seven in the Information Systems curriculum. The purpose of the course is to build on skills acquired in the earlier courses. It reviews the importance of information to management and the organization and information systems concepts within an office. These components are provided for each task area: behavioral…