DEVELOPMENT OF UNIVERSITY RAIL TRANSPORTATION CERTIFICATE

Transcription

1 DEVELOPMENT OF UNIVERSITY RAIL TRANSPORTATION CERTIFICATE Pasi T. Lautala, Ph.D., P.E. Director, Rail Transportation Program Michigan Tech Transportation Institute Michigan Technological University 1400 Townsend Drive Houghton, Michigan Phone: (906) Fax: (906) and Christopher Brokaw Undergraduate Research Assistant Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Michigan Technological University 1400 Townsend Drive Houghton, Michigan Phone: (906) Fax: (906) June 15, 2009 Word count: 3, Figures / 250 = 6,605

2 ABSTRACT For the past five years, Michigan Technological University has been developing railroad related activities that have recently grown into an official Rail Transportation Program (RTP). As the latest addition to its rail portfolio, Michigan Tech has developed a proposal for a multi-discipline Rail Transportation / Engineering Certificate. The certificate proposal was driven by increasing level of student request for a tangible target in railroad studies. The proposal development was guided by three criteria; 1) it could be obtained by both undergraduate and graduate students, 2) it would be available for students from various disciplines and majors, 3) it would consist of nontechnical and technical courses currently offered by Michigan Tech. One of the most critical aspects of the development was to select the courses that provide the closest alignment possible with skills and qualities considered important in the industry. To identify these courses, feedback was solicited from rail industry professionals through an on-line questionnaire which provided short descriptions of pre-selected courses and asked respondents to rank the courses based on their importance to industry. In addition to giving a short introduction to the history of the Rail Transportation Program at Michigan Tech, this paper will outline the structure and implementation plans of the Rail Transportation / Engineering Certificate and will review the results of the online industry survey. The survey results provide valuable feedback for rail industry and universities alike on the topics and skills that are considered most important in today s rail industry. Keywords: Generation change, railroad engineering education, certificate, industryuniversity cooperation

3 INTODUCTION The beginning of the 21 st century has proved to be an exciting time for railroad transportation in North America. The rejuvenation has been lead by the growth in freight rail transportation, fueled largely by the increases in domestic and global transportation needs and in energy costs. More recently, passenger rail transportation has been taken the center stage and special attention has been devoted to the future role of high-speed rail (HSR) in the U.S. Significant funds have been designated for development of HSR in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) (1) and alternative paths how to move forward have been outlined by various industry experts (2,3). The increasing attention to the development of railroad transportation is also creating demand for the next generation of educated railroad professionals. In the recently published strategic plan for HSR, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) identified lack of expertise and resources as one of the greatest challenges for progress of HSR (4). The trends of an aging workforce and on-going generation change have also been recognized as a key challenge by the freight railroad industry (5,6). Universities have noticed the increasing demand for railroad engineering and transportation education and several of them are investigating, or have established various types of railroad related activities and programs. One of the universities is Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech). The following sections describe briefly the history of the Rail Transportation Program (RTP) at Michigan Tech and the current effort to develop a Rail Transportation Certificate to the program.

4 RAIL TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM (RTP) AT MICHIGAN TECH UNIVERSITY In 2004, Michigan Tech reintroduced railroad related education in its curriculum through an international summer study in railroad engineering Summer in Finland (SIF) program. The program has been offered every year since the inception and it formed a foundation for further development of railroad activities at Tech, which culminated in the establishment of the Rail Transportation Program (RTP) in fall, 2007 (Figure 1). The current educational offerings by the university include three senior and graduate level courses in rail related topics; International Railroad Engineering taught as part of the SIF, Public Transit Planning and Engineering, and Railroad Track Engineering and Design. RTP also hosts Railroad Engineering and Activities Club (REAC) which has over 30 members and is one of the student chapters for American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Association (AREMA). On the research side, RTP has three graduate students working in externally funded research projects in rail topics. One of the highest priorities for the RTP has been to establish a close and formal relationship with railroad industry. The program has currently three partnerships with CN, CSX and Union Pacific Railroad. An industry funded Rail Transportation Education Center (CN RTEC), which will become a central location for all rail related activities, is expected to open in fall, 2009 (7). Michigan Tech is also one of the partners in the recently established Global Rail Innovation Center (GRIC), a university-industrygovernment coalition lead by IBM (8). As the latest addition to its portfolio, Michigan

5 Tech is developing a proposal for a multi-discipline Rail Transportation Certificate, discussed in more detail in the following sections. CERTIFICATES Certificates are typically composed of a body of courses that provide students with knowledge of a disciplinary or interdisciplinary subfield. Certificates can be targeted to the undergraduate, graduate, or post-graduate students (such as industry professionals), or to a combination of them, and they allow departments to offer curricular options not offered as a minor or a concentration within a major (9). The key requirement is typically a successful completion of a specified number of credit hours which may vary from program to program. An example of current railroad related certificate program is Michigan State University s Certificate Course in Railway Operations Management. This program is mainly targeted to the post-graduate railroad employees that have demonstrated potential for professional growth and increased management capabilities (10). Michigan Tech Rail Transportation / Engineering Certificate Proposal For the past six months, Michigan Tech has been developing a proposal for a multidiscipline Rail Transportation / Engineering Certificate. The certificate proposal was motivated by increasing level of student requests to have a tangible target in rail related studies. Four principles were defined to guide the development of the certificate. 1. The certificate should be attainable by students from multiple departments (initial proposal concentrates on civil, electrical and mechanical engineering majors).

6 2. The certificate should consist of a combination of technical courses (some of which should be discipline specific), and of non-technical courses that cover important non-engineering skills for rail industry professionals. 3. Certificate would not require development of any new courses. However, modification of existing courses could be recommended. 4. The certificate could be achieved by both undergraduate and graduate students. Figure 2 presents the structure of the certificate. The proposed certificate consists of minimum five 3-credit courses, totaling minimum 15 credits. The courses were selected based on input from industry professionals collected via an online survey. One of the courses (Introduction to Railroad Engineering or International Railroad Engineering) is compulsory for all students. In addition to the compulsory course, each student is required to take minimum of two general knowledge courses and two technical courses from their specific discipline (one predefined and one alternative). While the initial proposal concentrates on students with civil, electrical and mechanical engineering majors, it could be easily expanded to include other disciplines as demand for the Certificate increases. Even though all courses for the Certificate already exist at Michigan Tech, it is proposed that key courses are modified to include some rail transportation related topics, such as a case study or course project. These case studies could be targeted selectively by the instructors on those students working toward the Certificate. The current proposal has been reviewed internally by the faculty of involved departments. While some concern has been raised, especially in modifying the courses to

7 include rail topics, the initial feedback has been mainly positive. For the certificate to become official, it has to gain acceptance from the university senate. The objective is to have it ready for senate approval by the end of ON-LINE INDUSTRY SURVEY Objective By virtue of their lack of experience, it is difficult for students to know which classes will be most beneficial for them once they graduate. They are also unsure whether a co-op, internship, or similar program would give them the kind of real world experience that employers are looking for. The objective of this Certificate is to assist students to select the courses of the current curriculum that most adequately prepare them for a career in the rail industry. It was determined that input from industry professionals would be essential to identify those courses, as they have the most knowledge of the skills required in the industry. This input was solicited via industry-wide online survey. Survey method and target group Engineers throughout the rail industry were asked to participate in the survey, regardless of their educational background, position within their company, or any other demographic. Taking into consideration the size of the target group, anticipated high number of respondents, nationwide coverage, and short timeframe, it was determined that the most effective survey method would be to use an online survey program. Online survey format would allow for rapid collection of data, anonymity of the respondents, branching lines of questions, and efficient analysis of the survey results. The survey link

8 was distributed to employees throughout the rail industry with the assistance by the AREMA and resulted in almost 450 fully completed surveys. Survey layout The questions in the survey were divided into three sections, as presented in Figure 3. In addition, branching was used to ensure that respondents would only rate courses or topics they were familiar with. Section 1 of the survey included demographic information, such as job title/position, type of company, duration of their industry career, and their education background. The section also included a question on their personal rail related university education and a second question related to the importance of internships / co-ops, as part of the certificate. Section 2 introduced respondents to a predefined list of current courses at Michigan Tech and requested them to rate the courses based on their relevance to rail industry professionals. Supplementing a group of non-technical courses common to all disciplines, other courses were divided into subgroups by discipline (civil, electrical and mechanical engineering). The respondents were asked to rate courses only from those disciplines they were familiar with. Section 3 requested for input on important topics not covered by the predefined list of courses and encouraged for unrestricted feedback on the survey and certificate. SUMMARY OF SURVEY RESULTS Demographics of Participants The demographics of the respondents demonstrated great diversity. The respondents were from a variety of positions, including engineers (38%), management (25%), and

9 executives (15%). The largest group worked for engineering consultants (40%), followed by Class I railroads (28%) and other employer categories (25%). The most unbalanced statistic was the work experience, with over 75% having worked more that 10 years in the rail industry. Over 50% of the respondents had earned a Bachelor s Degree, 25% had a Master s Degree, and the rest ranged from high school to PhDs. Civil engineers were the most represented discipline (55%), followed by variety of majors listed in the other category (30%), and electrical engineering (11%). Personal Education and Internships The respondents were asked, if they would have taken a course in rail transportation while in the university, if one had been offered. Over 40% responded definitely and additional 50% responded probably or maybe (Figure 4). Respondents were also asked, if an internship or co-op should be mandatory or recommended for students taking this Certificate. 95% of respondents considered either internship or co-op an important piece of the certificate. The majority of them (65%) responded that one of the other should be recommended (not required) and the remaining 30% would have gone even step further and made them a requirement for the program (Figure 5). Rating the Courses Based on the short descriptions collected from the university course catalogs, each course was rated on a scale of 1 to 5, based on how beneficial the subject matter would be to a new graduate entering the rail industry. The results were broken down by demographics to analyze, if different groups of respondents favored different courses. While the scores

10 varied significantly from one group to the next, their top picks were consistent. The low standard deviation demonstrated that there was high consensus among respondents on the most important courses. The course names and overall ratings are presented in Table 1, including ranking and the standard deviation within each discipline. The ratings divided between different employer groups are presented in Figures 6-9. When interpreting the results, it should be noted that 1) the rating was done purely based on the short course descriptions and that 2) respondents were instructed to rate the general courses and those discipline specific courses that they had knowledge or expertise on. As a summary, the most valuable course under General category was considered to be Project Management (average ranking 4.01), followed by Project Planning and Management for Engineers (3.77) and Business Problem Solving (3.73). The three highest rated civil engineering courses were Railroad Track Engineering and Design (average ranking 4.38), Transportation Engineering (3.98), and Construction Project Management (3.87). In mechanical engineering, Failure of Material in Mechanics (average ranking 3.88) was clearly rated the highest, followed by Mechanical Vibrations (3.00) and Dynamic Measurements and Signal Analysis (2.99). In electrical engineering, the variation between ratings was much smaller than in other disciplines. Electric Circuits were rated the highest (3.32), followed by Electric Energy Systems (3.30) and Optical Communications (3.25). Feedback and Comments The third and final section included three open-ended questions. The first question asked respondents to highlight other important topics that were not covered by the listed courses. The responses included a wide array of topics, ranging from differences between

11 highway and railway bridge designs to the different regulatory bodies and actual day-byday operations of a rail company. These responses are beneficial in the future, as additional courses in railroad topics are considered by the Michigan Tech. The second question asked respondents to name one course they wish they had taken while at the university. Approximately 60% of the responses identified topics in their specific disciplines (civil, electrical, or mechanical). The remaining 40% mainly identified topics or courses listed in the previous question. A summary of the most common responses for questions one and two is provided in Table 2. The final question asked for comments on the survey and general comments about the rail certificate. The responses were generally positive and encouraged Michigan Tech to continue the development of certificate and railroad education. Many comments reiterated the answers from previous questions, but respondents also indicated a strong need for hands-on training, field trips, and real-world experience, as part of the educational activities. CONCLUSIONS AND NEXT STEPS With the increasing interest toward railroad transportation in the U.S., it is essential that interest students have opportunities to study railroad related topics as part of their university education. A multidiscipline Railroad Engineering / Transportation Certificate program is proposed at the Michigan Tech University to expand the educational activities, to acknowledge the progress of those students with an extended interest to the field, and to allow them to leave with a tangible outcome of their effort. The certificate proposal has been received positively by the involved departments, although some concerns have been raised regarding the potential modifications to existing courses.

12 An online survey of industry representatives was conducted as part of the certificate development process to identify the courses currently offered at Michigan Tech University that align most closely with skills needed in railroad industry. Over 450 industry professionals completed the survey and the results provide excellent guidance to the selection of most appropriate courses to the certificate. The survey also provided invaluable industry feedback and proved to be a valuable tool in recognizing the wide range of background and education of the current employees in the railroad industry. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors would like to thank the AREMA staff and members of Committee 24 Education and Training for their assistance in distributing the survey to the industry professionals. The authors would also like to thank all the respondents for sharing their experience and expertise in this important topic. REFERENCES 1. Federal Railroad Administration. Vision of High-Speed Rail in America Web Site. Accessed June 7, Hanford, D.J., An 'ethical' high-speed rail-based intermodal transportation system needed ASAP, ITI's Carmichael says, Progressive Railroading Daily News, June 4, Accessed June 7, OneRail Coalition. A Letter to Governors. March 19, Accessed June 7, 2009.

13 4. Federal Railroad Administration, Vision for High Speed Rail in America High Speed Rail Strategic Plan, April, Accessed June 7, Sokulski, G. S. Are we ready? Railway Track & Structures, Vol. 100, No. 5, 2004, pp Hansen, P. A. Those Who Can Teach - Whether the collar is blue or white, the person wearing it needs to be well trained. Trains, Vol. 65, No. 5, 2005, pp Donovan, J., CN Donates $250,000 to Michigan Tech's Rail Transportation Program, Michigan Tech Daily News, April 21, Accessed June 7, Donovan, J., Michigan Tech Partners With IBM in Global Rail Innovation Center, Michigan Tech Daily News, June 11, Accessed June 12, Michigan Technological University, Academic Programs Certificates Web Site, Accessed June 12, Michigan State University, Rail Education Web Site, Accessed June 12, 2009.

14 LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1. Average Rating of Each Course, on a Scale 1 to 5 TABLE 2. Summary of Responses to Open-Ended Questions on Important Topics

15 TABLE 1. Average Rating of Each Course, on a Scale 1 to 5 Course Average Standard Rank Rating* Deviation BA Business Problem Solving BA Project Management BA Organizational Behavior BA Leadership Development BA Business Communication BA Managing Change in Organizations BA Human Resource Management CE Intro to Consulting Engineering EC Economic Decision Analysis HU Technical and Scientific Communication SSE Project Planning and Mgmt for Eng CE Fundamentals of Construction Engineering CE Transportation Engineering CE Estimating, Planning and Control of Construction 5 Projects CE Geosynthetics Engineering CE Public Transit Planning and Engineering CE Railroad Track Engineering and Design CMG Construction Project Management SU Route and Construction Surveying MEEM Mechanical Vibrations MEEM Failure of Material in Mechanics MEEM Internal Combustion Engines I MEEM Combustion & Air Pollution MEEM Advanced Machining Processes MEEM Dynamic Measurements and Signal Analysis MEEM Linear Systems Theory EE Electric Circuits EE Electric Energy Systems EE Power System Analysis EE Electronic Applications EE Communication Theory EE Digital Signal Processing EE Classical Control Systems EE Optical Communication (1 = Not Important... 2 = Somewhat important... 3 = Important... 4 = Very important... 5 = Extremely Important)

16 TABLE 2. Summary of Responses to Open-Ended Questions on Important Topics Questions: 1) Describe one topic or area not covered by the above classes that would be important for rail professionals to understand. 2) Describe one class you wish you could have taken that would have helped you the most in your career. Number of Responses Topics 116 Engineering: Structures and bridges: most CE s learn to design highway bridges, which are inadequate for rail, use AREMA guidelines instead of AASHTO Rail geometry, alignment, curves, slopes, banks Maintenance, corrosion, inspection, material science (fatigue, failure), including timber bridges Open channel hydraulics, hydrology, drainage and culverts Soils, foundations, ballast Signals, communication, fail-safe circuitry, both digital and analog signals (old systems still used) Track-train dynamics, wheel-rail interaction under various conditions 36 Legal/Regulatory/Permits: FRA regulations AREMA guidelines Environmental permitting OSHA and safety The difference between public and private rails, land, projects, etc 34 Business: The economics of rail, compared to other modes, the importance of intermodal How to work with unions, from the perspective of an employer Work ethic: working nights and weekends to finish a project, the trains must run 24/7. Time management: don t delay the next train, dollars spent to prevent dollars lost Teamwork, managing people 44 Railroad Operations: Railroad operations, day-to-day activities, what it s really like Rail infrastructure, including the parts of the system and how they interact History and future of the railroad Interaction between different disciplines, organizations, companies The difference between light rail, freight, passenger rail, etc.

17 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1. Development of rail transportation activities at Michigan Tech University FIGURE 2. Proposed Rail Transportation / Engineering Certificate Courses and Structure FIGURE 3. Branching of the On-Line Industry Survey FIGURE 4: Summary of Responses (%) Would You Have Taken Courses in Rail Transportation at Your University if They Had Been Available? FIGURE 5: Summary of Responses (%) Should a Rail Industry Internship (During the Summer, ~ 2-3 Months Long) or a co-op (During a Semester, ~ 4 Months Long) be Part of This Certificate? FIGURE 6. Average Ratings Divided Between Employer Groups General Courses FIGURE 7. Average Ratings Divided Between Employer Groups Civil Engineering Courses FIGURE 8. Average Ratings Divided Between Employer Groups Mechanical Engineering Courses FIGURE 9. Average Ratings Divided Between Employer Groups Electrical Engineering Courses

18 FIGURE 1. Development of rail transportation activities at Michigan Tech University Rail Transportation Certificate Required Course CE Introduction to Railroad Engineering or CE International Railroad Engineering Degree-specific Courses CE Fundamentals of Construction Eng. CE Transportation Eng. CE Railroad Track Eng. and Design CMG Construction Project Management General Knowledge Courses BA Business Problem Solving BA Project Management BA Business Communication HU Technical and Scientific Communication SSE Project Planning and Management MEEM Mechanical Vibrations MEEM Failure of Material in Mechanics MEEM Combustion & Air Pollution MEEM Dynamic Measurements and Signal Analysis EE Electric Circuits EE Electric Energy Systems EE Communication Theory EE Optical Communication FIGURE 2. Proposed Rail Transportation / Engineering Certificate Courses and Structure

19 General Questions, Demographics, etc Rate the General Education courses. Are you familiar with Civil Engineering courses? Yes Rate the Civil Engineering courses. No Are you familiar with Mechanical Engineering courses? Yes Rate the Mechanical Engineering courses. No Are you familiar with Electrical Engineering courses? Yes Rate the Electrical Engineering courses. No Feedback questions. FIGURE 3. Branching of the On-Line Industry Survey FIGURE 4: Summary of Responses (%) Would You Have Taken Courses in Rail Transportation at Your University if They Had Been Available?

20 FIGURE 5: Summary of Responses (%) Should a Rail Industry Internship (During the Summer, ~ 2-3 Months Long) or a co-op (During a Semester, ~ 4 Months Long) be Part of This Certificate?

21 BA Business Problem Solving BA Project Management BA Organizational Behavior BA Leadership Development BA Business Communication BA Managing Change in Organizations BA Human Resource Management CE Intro to Consulting Engineering EC Economic Decision Analysis HU Technical and Scientific Comm SSE Project Planning and Mgmt for Eng Class 1 Consultants Contractor/other FIGURE 6. Average Ratings Divided Between Employer Groups General Courses

22 CE Fundamentals of Construction Engineering CE Transportation Engineering CE Estimating, Planning and Control of Construction Projects CE Geosynthetics Engineering CE Public Transit Planning and Engineering CE Railroad Track Engineering and Design CMG Construction Project Management SU Route and Construction Surveying Class 1 Consultants Contractor/other FIGURE 7. Average Ratings Divided Between Employer Groups Civil Engineering Courses

23 MEEM Mechanical Vibrations MEEM Failure of Material in Mechanics MEEM Internal Combustion Engines I MEEM Combustion & Air Pollution MEEM Advanced Machining Processes MEEM Dynamic Measurements and Signal Analysis MEEM Linear Systems Theory Class 1 Consultants Contractor/other FIGURE 8. Average Ratings Divided Between Employer Groups Mechanical Engineering Courses

24 EE Electric Circuits EE Electric Energy Systems EE Power System Analysis 1 EE Electronic Applications EE Communication Theory EE Digital Signal Processing EE Classical Control Systems EE Optical Communication Class 1 Consultants Contractor/other FIGURE 9. Average Ratings Divided Between Employer Groups Electrical Engineering Courses