GRAND RAPIDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE Program of Study HVAC Technology 2012

Transcription

1 GRAND RAPIDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE Program of Study HVAC Technology

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents... 2 Introduction... 3 Purpose... 3 Team Members... 3 Step 1 Intake and Assessment... 4 Step 2 Academic Standards..4 Step 3 Occupational/Technical Standards... 5 Step 4 Curriculum Crosswalk Step 5 Align Standards to College Coursework 6 Step 6 Program of Study Step 7 External Certifications Earned... 7 CONCLUSION... 9 Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Appendix D Appendix E Appendix F Appendix G Appendix H Appendix J Appendix K

3 INTRODUCTION A program of study is the evaluation of an existing program that takes into account the requirements to be accepted into the school, the requirements to enter the program, and the resulting transition of the graduating student into the workforce and/or transfer institution. The sequence of the program should offer the incoming student the best possible conditions for success. TEAM MEMBERS Donald Steeby: HVAC Professor Ronald Stevenson: HVAC Professor Bruce Morrison: Institutional Research and Planning PURPOSE The purpose of the study is to examine those attributes which will provide students entering the HVAC Technology program at Grand Rapids Community College the greatest opportunity for success. This study will examine the aspects of the program that will include: intake & assessment, curriculum, and articulation. Students who have had training in other secondary schools, and/or previous workforce experience will have access to advanced credit for previous learning. The program goals will lead the student to a career in the HVAC industry, or to a baccalaureate degreed program at a partnering university. In addition, the program of study will attempt to determine whether the student s reading, writing and mathematics levels at the time of acceptance will have a major impact on the overall success while in the program. 3

4 STEP 1 INTAKE AND ASSESSMENT TO ENTER THE HVAC TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM AT GRCC Grand Rapids Community College is an open enrollment college. Enrollment into the HVAC program is open to high school graduates and GED recipients. Some students take specific HVAC courses on a personal interest basis and these students may appear in the data presented. A prospective student must complete an application to GRCC. Applications are available online and on campus. The student population in the HVAC program at GRCC is mainly divided into three groups: 1) Students who have recently graduated from High School and are beginning their college careers, 2) Students who are gainfully employed and wish to enhance their skills in HVAC, and 3) Students who are displaced workers, whose jobs were shipped overseas. Each type of student brings different entry level skills and experiences into the classroom. It is difficult to assess the skill levels of each individual student; therefore the curriculum is designed to be taught as if each student is at an entry level position. STEP 2 ACADEMIC STANDARDS Students are asked to submit high school transcripts and their ACT test scores, if available. General entrance requirements are: An ACT sub score of 18 or higher in each category of reading, math and English proficiency; and a high school GPA of 2.0 or higher. If a student does not meet any of these segment requirements, they will be required to take the Accuplacer placement test for that segment. A description of the Accuplacer test is listed in Appendix A. Students scoring below a specific level on the Accuplacer test in math or English will be required to take a foundation class as dictated by the test score. Currently there is no mandatory placement into foundation classes for low reading test scores; however students with low scores are encouraged to take a foundation reading class. A cut score of 18 on the ACT is sufficient as the entrance requirement into the HVAC program. The primary textbook required in the HVAC program is rated by the publisher at a tenth grade reading level. The committee evaluated the correlation between the student Accuplacer results in writing, reading, and math, and student success in the major HVAC courses. The results suggested that there is a correlation between low reading comprehension and below average grades. The greatest discrepancy between low reading scores and below average grades occurred in the following classes: ER110 Basic Refrigeration ER128 Heating and Cooling Controls ER135 Heating Theory & Application The data was taken from program majors (code 912 Associates and 924 Certificate) from winter 2009 through fall 2011 semesters. (See Appendix A for more details.) 4

5 STEP 3 OCCUPATIONAL/TECHNICAL STANDARDS In order to be successful in the HVAC field, students should possess the following skills/abilities: Understand the function of trade tools The ability to use trade tools effectively Possess a mechanical aptitude Understand how to read and interpret electrical diagrams Possess positive people skills Students who have acquired these skills before entering the program will obviously benefit from them, and having them should translate into higher grades. However, it is not necessarily mandatory for a student to possess these skills before entering the program, and some would argue that it is the role of the instructor to teach these skills as part of the curriculum. In addition, we could find no evidence of any other HVAC program that makes these skills mandatory at the time of entry. STEP 4 CURRICULUM CROSSWALK A crosswalk of classes was developed that outlined the following three areas: 1) The high school program without career center HVAC classes (Appendix B), 2) The high school program with career center HVAC classes (Appendix C) and 3) A transfer track program for students intending to transfer to a Baccalaureate program (Appendix D). These were developed to guide students at all phases of their career path. The HVAC program at GRCC is a part of the Kent Metropolitan Articulation Project (KMAP). Area schools can offer articulated credit if a student meets the criteria set forth by GRCC. The HVAC program offers articulated credit for three classes: ER110 Basic Refrigeration, ER135 Heating Theory & Application, and ER136 Air Conditioning Theory, for a total of six credits. The secondary instructor completes the Student Achievement Recording Process (SARP) form (see Appendix E, F and G); indicating the student has met the objectives of the course. GRCC grants credit based on the instructor s recommendations. The main articulation school for the HVAC program is the Kent Career Technical Center (KCTC). The committee met with the staff at the KCTC and determined that the Gap Analysis (see Appendix H) which was completed by the two schools in 2011 is up to date and accurately reflects the objectives of the two programs. 5

6 STEP 5 ALIGN STANDARDS TO COLLEGE COURSEWORK Upon completing the curriculum crosswalk and gap analysis, it was suggested that an additional course, ER121 Metallic Joining Techniques should be added to the articulation agreement. An additional SARP form will need to be created to articulate the objectives of the class. Students from the KCTC have two years in which they can apply for the articulated credit. It is highly recommended that they apply for the credit upon their high school graduation. More information can be obtained through the GRCC website at STEP 6 PROGRAM OF STUDY Following is the sequence of instruction for the HVAC Program at GRCC: First Year Contact First Semester Credits Hours EL 144 Basic Electricity and Electronics OR EG 110 Industrial Graphics with CAD ER 110 Basic Refrigeration ER 111 Refrigeration Applications ER 121 Metallic and Nonmetallic Joining Techniques ER 221 Duct Construction and Design ER 275 Commercial Refrigeration MN 116 Basic Welding Second Semester ER 128 Heating and Cooling Controls ER 135 Heating Theory ER 136 Air Conditioning Theory ER 174 HVACR Blueprint Reading and Design ER 230 HVACR Electronic Controls ER 246 Mechanical Codes ER 276 Advanced Air Conditioning Refrigeration and Heating Second Year Contact Third Semester Credits Hours BA 101 Business and Technical English 1 or EN 100 College Writing* OR EN 101 English Composition 1 CO 101 Introduction to Computer Applications EL 162 Control Systems TE 103 Technical Mathematics or MA 107 Intermediate Algebra Lab Science 6

7 (TE 114, PH 115, or PH 125) Fourth Semester BA 102 Business and Technical English 2 or EN 102 English Composition 2 ER 250 Basic Boiler Operation WE Wellness PS 110 Survey of American Government COM 135 Interpersonal Communication or Humanities Elective In addition to this sequence of study, following are the co-curricular activities and extra-curricular activities and experiences that provide students preparation for a career in HVAC: 1. Class sponsored field trips to HVAC related sites 2. Guest lecturers who are currently employed in the HVAC industry 3. Attending meetings of local HVAC chapter organizations such as Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) 4. Potential work-study and job shadowing opportunities with local HVAC contractors STEP 7 EXTERNAL CERTIFICATIONS EARNED The most visible certification available in the HVAC industry is the EPA 608 Refrigerant Handling Certification. Most employers require this certification for all entry level employees. GRCC offers testing for this certification to all students enrolled in the HVAC program at the end of every fall and winter semester. Another opportunity offered to all students is in completing the Industry Competency Exams at the end of both fall and winter semesters. These exams are sanctioned by AHRI and are given in the areas of Commercial Refrigeration, Residential Heating & Cooling, and Light Commercial Heating & Cooling. Although not mandatory, completion of these exams proves to be a resume builder. The completion of the HVAC program at GRCC also results in transfer opportunities as follows: GRCC TRANSFER OPPORTUNITIES AS PART OF THE PROGRAM OF STUDY Graduates of the GRCC HVAC Technology program have the opportunity to transfer to other institutions to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree. It is important for students to identify their intension to transfer into such a program as early as possible so that their advisor can help them schedule the proper classes that meet the transferring institutions requirements. It is also very important for the student to apply for entrance into the Bachelor s Degree program by February 15 th for admittance into the upcoming fall semester. The main transfer program listed below is the HVAC Engineering Technology Program from Ferris State University. (See Appendix J for more information on this program.) 7

8 GRCC HVAC Technology FSU HVAC Engineering Technology Associate degree in HVAC Technology Minimum 3.0 overall GPA Math TE 103 and TE104 MA 107 and MA108 LAB SCIENCE TE114 PH 125 HUMANITIES COM 131 ENGLISH RECOMMENDED EN 101 AND EN102 ADDED DR258 TE114 CULTURAL ENRICHMENT ELECTIVE SOCIAL AWARENESS ELECTIVE FSU CLASSES AT GRCC ENG 311 8

9 CONCLUSION The program of study was very informative to the committee. With regard to our studying the relationship between low reading comprehension scores and below average grades, it is suggested that entry level requirements be reviewed and that foundation reading courses be recommended if scores reflect this requirement. Furthermore, the HVAC department would consider partnering with the English and Math departments to conduct testing for math and reading comprehension levels for incoming students. The HVAC department firmly believes that proficiency in these areas will lead to more successful student outcomes. The timeline for implementation of this process should begin in FY As a result of this research and planning, the HVAC program faculty was able to make personal contact with our skill center partners and initiate a plan to increase the number of articulated courses to the secondary schools by adding ER121 Metallic Joining Techniques. This will help to eliminate some of the barriers to completion. We are planning on reviewing this articulation process beginning next year. The program of study will be reviewed by the administration of the college. A presentation of the study will be shared with the HVAC advisory committee next year. The program of study will serve as a guideline as the HVAC faculty undertakes a curriculum revision during the next two years in consultation with the advisory committee. The faculty will continue to monitor student success in the HVAC program, including follow up with transfer students in Baccalaureate programs. 9