Here is the outcome of the survey I posted to the ETD
Listserv in November. This is my
analysis and understanding.
The percentage totals for some questions do not add up to
100% because not all participants answered all questions and/or in many cases
participants selected two or more choices.
The comments to the last question are particularly
interesting and telling. Worth a read.
1.
How is your ET program doing today?
a.
Doing well and growing. 36%
b.
Healthy but flat with no growth. 41%
c.
In decline.
Losing enrollment. 10.2%
d.
Recently closed. 10.2%
This is positive news. 77% of
programs are doing OK and some growing.
The growth has more to do with local jobs and related activity. And aggressive recruiting efforts really
help. All this is in contrast to the
status of things several years ago.
There has been some improvement.
Still, I hate to see programs closing but often little can be done if
there is no jobs market for the graduates.
It’s a local problem.
2.
What factors contribute to the status of your
program?
a.
Local industry needs. 43.6%
b.
Job growth 18%
c.
Lack of jobs 12.8%
d.
Interest in new programs. 30.6%
e.
Other.
What?
a. Quality of program
and efficacy of our recruiting efforts.
b. Transfer to university.
c. Poor students.
d. Students do not
have the skills to survive the program.
e. Declining
enrollment.
f.
Only one instructor.
g. Active recruiting.
h. Students don’t know
what electronics is any more and what you can do with it.
Clearly
local industry needs are the clues to a healthy program. Develop local companies as partners and your
program can prosper. Note the 30.6%
interest in new programs. New offerings
that match job needs are a positive step to healthy program growth.
3.
What new courses or programs have you added
lately?
a.
None 23%
b.
Alternative energy (solar, wind, etc.)33.3%
c.
Electric utility 10.2%
d.
Wireless/communications 2.5%
e.
Biomedical 10.2%
f.
Other.
What?
a. BSEET
b. Networking (2)
c. Computer forensics
d. 2nd
microcontroller course
e. Arduino course (a
type of micro)
f.
EE Engineering
g. Industrial
electronics
h. Robotics (2)
i.
Data acquisition
j.
Electric/mechanical drives
k. Nanotechnology (2)
l.
Industrial maintenance.
Alternative energy programs have attracted some new enrollments in the
past several years. It is an interesting
and exciting field. Many of these new
programs came about with grant funding to support the green energy
movement. Unfortunately, as most schools
have learned, there are few if any jobs available in this field. Some do exist but in areas were the need and
availability of techs is greatest. Wind
farms find it hard to find workers but few are willing to do the tower climbing
needed in most cases. And only affluent sunny
areas can afford solar. Another field
with this problem is nanotechnology.
Grants are available to fund some courses but where are the jobs? It is OK to take the grant money and build
some courses or a program but just remember there may be no real jobs
available. Maybe in the future.
My experience shows that jobs do exist in industry and in
networking. And a second micro course is
a great idea.
4.
Have you heard of the system approach to
teaching electronics? If so what are
your thoughts?
a.
Have heard of it. 46.3%
b. Considering
it. 18%
c.
Plan to incorporate. 15.4%
d.
Have not heard about it. 7.7%
e.
Do not plan to incorporate. 5.1%
f.
Need more information. 7.7%
g. NOTES: Already using. Have used it for 20 years. Already doing it. Not entirely sold. Not sure yet.
The system approach has been around for five to eight years now and it
is surprising to see so many who have not heard of it. The majority have heard of it and some are
already using it. It is the way of the
industry at least for technicians and AAS graduates. Some do not agree with its premises but I
doubt they know the real truth about what goes on in the modern industry. Others are open minded and still willing to
evaluate the concept. If you have not
seen MATEC’s www.esyst.org website, take a look to get the full
explanation.
5.
What factors most influence what you teach or
how you update your courses and curriculum?
a.
Industry input. 77%
b.
What other schools are doing. 7.7%
c.
What the textbooks include. 18%
d.
Clearly visible industry trends. 49%
e.
Research. 5.1%
f.
Other.
What? Time available in curriculum. Advisory board. (2)
I was happy to see that 77% use industry input to help decide what to
teach. How much of this is real and not
lip service I do not know. I have seen
advisory boards recommend changes then after the meeting all is forgotten and the
status quo is preserved. In any case, it
is always a good idea to defer to local industry ideas and suggestions. Then actually implement the changes.
One problem I have seen is that some local industry representatives see
the faculty as the experts in knowing what to teach. In my experience, the faculty is competent
but not in tune with the real world of work and current technology and needed
skills.
I should have asked how faculty learns of the “clearly visible industry
trends”.
6.
Do you use a standard textbook?
a.
Yes 92.3%
b.
No. 2.5%
c.
We use print hand outs and other supplements 25.6%
d.
We use an online text and references. 10.2%
No mystery here. Most do use
standard texts at least for most courses.
There were multiple comments here saying that for some courses no texts
were available so other materials are used.
Handouts and supplements are common place and no doubt consist of new
material not in the textbooks.
7.
What are your thoughts about online courses?
a.
We have them now. 56.4%
b.
Like but do not currently use. 12.8%
c.
Will eventually adopt. 5.1%
d.
Do not like them and will not use. 10.2%
e.
For future consideration. 7.7%
f.
Cannot do labs. 25.6%
This result really surprised me.
I had no idea that so many online courses were being offered. No full degrees but multiple courses are
available. And these courses are of the
hybrid variety with some conventional lab or class activity combined with
online instruction.
There is a small group of responders that are vehemently opposed to
online work. Maybe they perceive it as a
threat. Or mostly I think they have
never tried an online course. Online
instruction is the wave of the future given the high cost of education
today. Several comments related to how
online instruction was mandated at the dean level despite any opposition.
And by the way, there is a way to do labs. Most think it cannot be done but it has been
in the past. I will have a blog entry up
on this shortly. www.electronictech.blogspot.com
8.
What is currently your greatest concern or issue
today?
a. Disappearing feeder
programs.
b. Decrease in
upcoming student populations.
c. Lack of preparation
of incoming students.
d. Availability of
jobs in local area.
e. The quality of
leadership of the dean.
f.
Program deactivation.
g.
Making sure course content is applicable to current industry
requirements.
h. Maintaining current
student count.
i.
Lack of jobs
j.
Recruiting is limited to advisors without faculty input.
k. Instrumentation and
control AAS is going strong.
l.
Need new direction from outside the college. The big picture.
m. Lack of appropriate
preparation of high school students for ET program.
n. Failure of high school
teachers to push mid-tech careers.
o. The huge gap
between the standard electronics courses and reality.
p. Sufficient numbers
of qualified students.
q. Moving into a new
building. Logistical nightmare.
r.
I am training the bottom half of the high school class, need
to get the tip half involved.
s. A lot of subjects
to add with less room left in the curriculum.
t.
Finding a balance between learning and industry needs.
u. Getting the
resources to incorporate new items.
v. Maintaining program
growth.
w. Textbooks are
mostly out of date with what industry is doing.
x. State mandated
curriculum.
y. Few system approach
textbooks available.
z. Academic level and
interest of students coming into the program.
aa. What most
industries need in an electronic technologist.
bb. The crazy ideas
from politicians and administrators for future solutions of problems.
cc. Reaching out to
potential students. We have positions in
industry we cannot fill.
These comments are priceless.
They really show what is going on and what the real concerns are. The main issues are jobs, the preparation of
students for college work, enrollment maintenance and growth, and textbooks.
Lou Frenzel
Technology Editor, Electronic
Design Magazine
Adjunct Professor, Austin
Community College
