Convergence Technology Curriculum: Cultural Variations on a Theme

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Convergence Technology Curriculum Cultural
Variations on a Theme

• North Texas Regional Community College
  Technology Forum
• February 17, 2006

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Convergence Technology

• 2.469 million over 4 years
• Awarded August 1, 2004

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National Science FoundationRegional Center for
Convergence Technology
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Primary Leaders of the Grant

• Collin County Community College District is the
  lead Main Convergence lab at CCCCD
• Ann Beheler, Dean of Engineering and Emerging
  Technologies Division PI
• Two partner colleges Satellite labs
• El Centro College
• Dr. Bette Plog, Co-PI
• Tarrant County College NE
• Penny Cypert, Co-PI

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Convergence Technology is

• the blending or integration of voice, video,
  data, image into one flexible network
• the bringing together of products and
  capabilities of multiple vendors so that they
  provide the services the customer wants
  (interoperability)
• Active in enterprise businesses and homes

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Convergence Technology Center Focus

• Curriculum
• Training faculty
• Case study/problem-based learning approach
• Convergence technology content
• Recruiting underserved faculty and students
• Dissemination

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• We applied for the grant to address an emerging
  need brought on by a changing business climate in
  the region

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What changed?

• Dallas portion of the DFW Metroplex lost 100,000
  jobs between 2000 and 2003 out of about 2.8
  million jobs (Center for Economic Development and
  Research Report, 2003)
• Causes
• 9/11
• Telecom layoffs
• General economic downturn similar to entire nation

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What happened to technology registrations?

• Typical anecdotal data points for CCCCD but
  representative of regional trend
• Cisco registration at CCCC in 1999 was about 750
  per semester
• Cisco registration at CCCCD in 2004 was about 200
  per semester
• Thriving Telecommunications program in 1999 had
  no graduates in 2004

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At The Same Time

• Rapid rise in home use of cable modem/xDSL
  (broadband)
• Decrease in cost of computer equipment,
  especially models aimed at the home
• Commodity type wireless equipment available at
  prices attractive to home market
• Rapid rise in telecommuting population (20 for
  Nortel, for example)
• Voice over IP gains popularity
• Fiber to the Premises grows
• Many entry-level IT jogs are off-shored
• Voice, data, and video begin co-existing over
  enterprise networks

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Home Technology Integrator

• Independent or working for a company
• Installs and integrates communications systems
  and entertainment systems in the home, including
• DSL and Cable Modem
• Wireless access WITH security
• Home entertainment systems
• Home management systems
• RFid and smart devices
• Must have great communication skills
• Likely the new entry level IT job!
• Cant be off-shored!

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Enterprise Convergence Technician

• Works in a large company handling support for
• Voice (including old telephony and Voice over IP)
• Data (like regular computer networking)
• Video and Image
• Wired, wireless, different Qualities of Service
• Must have good communication skills

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How do we know?

• National Skills Standards Skills validated and
  augmented by BI Council
• Network Infrastructure
• Network Devices
• Home Technology Integrator from CompTIA
• Additional Skills added by council, including
  employability skills

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How do we know?

• Each Skill Ranked using modified DACUM process
  called PCAL7
• Importance
• Level of knowledge needed by entry-level employee
• Amount of time spent on that skill by entry-level
  employee
• Difficulty of the skill
• Created by Brent Kesterson at Richland College

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Skills-based Curriculum

• Skills needed cross-referenced with curriculum
  from each district to identify gaps
• Courses to be used as is
• Courses to be augmented
• Courses to be created
• VoIP
• Intro to Convergence
• Courses totally focused on case-based learning

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Curriculum Built on Business Demand

• Local Business Industry Advisory council
  initially supported the concept of Convergence
  Technician
• Informal survey of only 9 businesses indicated
  job demand of 600-1000 jobs for convergence
  technicians over the next 2-4 years
• Informal survey of BI Advisory council outlined
  the initial broad curriculum

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Convergence Technician Survey Updated 9/05

• Does entry-level Convergence Technician add value
  to your company
• 67 yes
• 33 no
• Do you employ people with CT skills
• 71 yes
• 29 no
• How many CT in your company
• Home market 1511
• Enterprise market - 633

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Convergence Technician Survey

• Where companies recruit (all that apply)
• 10 - Normal job applicant pool
• 9 - 4-year colleges and universities
• 7 - From within company
• 6 - From 2-year colleges
• 5 From technical institutes
• 5 From military training with degree

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Convergence Technician Survey

• Minimum education and work experience
  qualifications required for entry-level CT (all
  that apply)
• 9 2-yr degree with prior work experience
• 9 Prior work experience with no degree
• 8 Bachelors degree with prior experience
• 5 Bachelors degree with no experience
• 4 2-yr degree with no experience
• 4 Military experience with no degree
• 3 Military experience with degree

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Convergence Technician Survey

• Number of CTs hired in past year 37
• No. of CTs with 2-year degree to be hired in
  next
• Month to 1 yr - 63
• 1-2 yrs 225
• 2-3 yrs 534
• 3-5 yrs 825

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Convergence Technician Survey

• No. of CTs with certificate to be hired in next
• Month to 1 yr - 22
• 1-2 yrs 70
• 2-3 yrs 144
• 3-5 yrs 243

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Convergence Technician Survey

• Classification for 2-year degreed CT
• 57 hourly
• 48 salaried
• Pay range for CT with 2-yr degree
• Yearly 25,000 - 55,000

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Convergence Technician Survey

• Classification for CT with certificate
• 68 hourly
• 32 salaried
• Pay range for CT with 2-yr degree
• Yearly 18,000 - 50,000

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Convergence Technician Survey

• Should curriculum include internship or co-op
  component?
• Yes 90
• No 10
• No. of employees in your company
• Less than 10 19
• Between 11 and 50 10
• Between 51 and 100 10
• Between 101 and 500 14
• More than 500 48

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How are these courses different from regular
lecture/lab courses?

• Focus on broad knowledge across telephony and
  data networking, including security from the
  beginning, not at the end of the course of study
• Focus on hands-on case studies/problem-based
  learning to hone skills in linking devices and
  systems from different manufacturers together to
  solve the customers problem
• Focus on solving business problems

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Status on Curriculum

• Created based on skills gap analysis completed by
  faculty from all three districts
• Initial degree patterns reviewed by BI and
  approved by the state for all three districts
• AAS degree and certificates in the three
  districts are different, but similar
• Skills being reviewed by joint faculty committee
• Courses for Convergence, VoIP, and HTI being
  created according to format used for TX
  curriculum development

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Convergence Technology Center Results to date

• Professional Development for CC Faculty
• Working Connections IT Faculty Development
  Institute May 16-20, 2005
• CaseFiles
• Recruitment Events for Students
• Latte nights, Pizza nights, Summer workshops, HS
  Science Fair, TechDay, Dev. Ed recruitment, etc.
• Recruitment Events for Faculty
• HS Science Fair
• One and two-day workshops

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More results

• Voice over IP module created for inclusion in
  Network courses
• Lunch n Learns in Convergence Lab
• New Courses Complete and Piloted
• Intro to Convergence Course
• VoIP Course
• HTI

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Next steps - Mentoring

• Mentee college criteria for selection being
  finalized, but preliminarily will include
• Ability to secure sufficient equipment for a lab
• Committed faculty ready to spearhead the program,
  attend training, set up labs, and work with CTC
  mentor faculty
• Willingness to create or utilize appropriate
  business advisory council to validate skills list
• Ability to determine gaps in current curriculum
• Commitment to develop certificate(s) and degree
  based on the validated skills

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Next steps - Mentoring

• Mentor college will provide
• An equipment list
• A mentor faculty member to work with the mentee
  college personnel to provide advice in
  implementing the program
• Training for faculty from the mentee college
  through Working Connections
• Initial skills listing (as validated in DFW)

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Next steps - Mentoring

• Mentor college will provide
• Facilitation in validating skills list regionally
• Sample degree plans and certificates
• Recruitment event samples
• Syllabi, Learning Activities Plans, Assessment
  plans for Convergence, VoIP, and HTI classes
• A PI or Co-PI will be the administrative point
  of contact

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Next steps

• Working Connections July 17-21, 2006
• More Case Studies
• Certificates approved
• Internship model/implementation
• More recruitment of all kinds

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Ultimately, how do we know the effort was worth
it?

• Short-term - registration in convergence and
  convergence-related courses is up
• Longer term
• Students new to the program complete the AAS and
  go to work or transfer to university programs
• Retrained students complete courses they need to
  add skills to their repertoires
• Employers are satisfied with the students work
• Instruments being developed to track these
  statistics

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Questions and Answers

• We want to be a resource for you
• Contact Information
• Ann Beheler abeheler_at_ccccd.edu
• Dr. Bette Plog bplog_at_dcccd.edu
• Penny Cypert penny.cypert_at_tccd.net

This material is based upon work supported by the
National Science Foundation under Grant No.
0202408 and0402356 Any opinions, findings, and
conclusions or recommendations expressed in this
material are those of the author(s) and do not
necessarily reflect the views of the National
Science Foundation