Wireless Communications Model Program Development

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Wireless Communications Model Program Development
Mid-Atlantic Institute for Telecommunications
Technologies

• Michael Qaissaunee
• Mohammad Shanehsaz

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Agenda

• Preliminaries
• Progress/ Status Report
• Future / Ongoing Work
• The Future of MAITT

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Preliminaries

• Welcome and Introductions
• Introduce MAITT Core Team
• Review MAITT Goal Objectives

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Project Goal
The goal of this ATE project is the modification
of an existing Electronics Engineering Technology
AAS Degree Program to include Wireless
Communications, the development and
implementation of a new Wireless Communications
AAS and credit certificate programs with multiple
entry and exit points to prepare technicians for
the wireless communications industry. The
project components will include curriculum
development and adaptation and program
development, professional development for high
school and community college faculty, and
development of a 222 articulation, in wireless
communications. As a part of a network of
regional partners under the direction of NCTT,
the ATE project will serve as the focal point for
regional dissemination and training to regional
business and industry, through the development of
materials and faculty for business and industry
training.
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Objectives

1. Create education and training programs in
   wireless communications leading students to AAS
   degrees, certificates, and occupational
   competencies through curriculum development and
   adaptation, and integration of work relevant,
   industry driven curricula that integrates best
   practices in IT education with industry skills
   standards and certifications.
2. To contribute to program improvement and
   implementation at partner institutions through
   collaboration and professional development
   activities. Professional development activities,
   for credit when appropriate, will serve to
   improve, expand and maintain the technical and
   pedagogical skills of teaching faculty from
   community colleges and high schools.

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Objectives

1. Increase the number of students who seek
   employment or continued education in wireless
   communications by creation of multiple pathways
   with a variety of exit and entry points. A key
   means of facilitating student recruitment will be
   the development of regional corporate
   relationships.

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Progress/ Status Report

• Partnerships
• Curriculum - Articulation
• Skills Standards
• Professional Development
• Dissemination
• Innovations

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Building Partnerships NCTT and Other Partners

• NWCET, National Workforce Center for Emerging
  Technologies, Bellevue, WA
• NJCATE, New Jersey Center for Advanced
  Technological Center, Edison, NJ
• Collins County Community College, Frisco, TX
• Cuyamaca College, El Cajon, CA
• Gateway Community College, North Haven, CT
• Midlands Technical College, Columbia, SC
• NJIT, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark,
  NJ
• Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ
• High Technology High School, Lincroft, NJ
• Communications High School, Wall, NJ

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The mission of the NCTT is to provide
appropriately skilled technicians and
technologists with a primary focus on Connecting
Technologies1 as workforce for ICT (Information
and Communications Technologies) business,
industry and ICT users.
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Building Partnerships

• Wireless Networking Communications Group
  (WNCG), University of Texas at Austin (Ted
  Rappaport)
• Cal (IT)² California Institute for
  Telecommunications and Information Technology at
  the University of California at San Diego
• New Jersey Technology Council
• National Information Assurance Training and
  Education Center (NIATEC) (Corey Schou)
• Polytechnic University (Nassir Memon)

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Building Partnerships

• Atlantic Coast Communications
• Wireless Valley Communication
• National Instruments
• Emona Technologies
• Cisco
• Microsoft
• Publishers
• ICT Enabled Industries examples Biotechnology,
  Retail, Health Care

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Curriculum

• 4 Courses Approved (others in various stages)
• 2-Year Program (See document MAITT
  Curriculum.doc)
• 1-Year Certificates and Letters of Achievement
• Wireless
• Security

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• Market Relevant
• Modular
• Competency Based
• Work Based Learning Units
• Integration of "Soft Skills"
• Teamwork
• Problem Solving
• Leadership
• Communications
• Life Long Learning

• Well Articulated with BS Degree Programs
• Industry Driven
• Integrate "Best Practices"
• Industry Skill Standards
• Industry Certifications

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ICT Skill Standards

• National Skill Standards Development NSSB
  Information Communications Technology (ICT)
  Voluntary Partnership
• Database Development and Administration
• Web Development
• Technical Writing
• Network Infrastructure
• Network Devices
• Programming
• Digital Media

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Strategic Alliance
Experts in the development and use of
industry-based skills standards and certifications
Innovators in assessment content, design,
delivery and measurement
Knowledge leader in the telecommunication and
convergence fields
The TECHwize Solution for Network Technicians
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Maintaining, Sustaining Creating a Highly
Skilled, Adaptable Workforce
TECHwize
The Problem
Skill gaps within the workforce are difficult to
identify and articulate.
The Solution
Current hiring practices are not based on
systematic identification of skill gaps.
Existing assessment solutions are static and do
not keep pace with the information
communication industries.
Convergence staffing strategy is not in sync with
required workforce skills and knowledge need for
effective execution.
Content in current training and certifying
methods is rooted in job roles vs. work and
tasks linked to the job.
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Maintaining, Sustaining Creating a Highly
Skilled, Adaptable Workforce
The Results
Skill gaps within the workforce are easy to
identify and articulate
The Solution
Current hiring practices are based on systematic
identification of skill gaps
TECHwize DEVICEwize TECHNIwize
Existing assessment solutions are not static and
keep pace with the information communication
industries
Convergence staffing strategy is in sync with
required workforce skills and knowledge needed
for effective execution
Content in current training and certifying
methods is rooted in work and tasks linked to the
job vs. job roles
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The TECHwize Solution
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Professional Development

• Intro to Wireless, Security, and Telecomm HTHS
• 2 Summer Workshops (HS/ College)
• Wireless Training BATEC
• Wireless Security NCTT

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Dissemination

• Salt Lake City, Utah
• Tampa, Florida
• Beijing, China
• Washington, DC
• Santa Fe, New Mexico

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NCCT Open Source Model The National Center for
Telecommunications Technologies (NCTT) Consortium
has established an open source distribution and
development method for Information and
Communications Technology (ICT) curriculum,
lecture and laboratory content. The open source
distribution and development process of faculty
review, redistribution has been adopted as a
means of dynamically and rapidly distributing
classroom and laboratory materials with a focus
on interoperability, innovation, rapid evolution
and low cost academic solutions. The method will
be a way for faculty to benefit, especially from
the specialized instructional materials that come
out of the community development process.
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Future / Ongoing Work

• Curriculum
• Partnerships
• Dissemination
• Additional Funding

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The Future of MAITT

• National Center for Wireless
• Convergence and the Convergence Technician
• Other Funding
• National Center for Wireless
• HP Wireless Classroom
• NSF STEP
• The Future of Wireless
• MIMO - 802.11n
• WiMax/Wireless MANs
• 4G Cellular
• Ultra Wide Band
• Wireless Sensors
• Mesh Networks
• Other Related and Emerging Technologies
• Nanotechnology
• Biotechnology
• MEMS
• Cyber Security/ IA

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Opportunities
Key Takeaways!

• 1.9 billion mobile connections by 2008 (Ovum
  2003)
• 1.25 million subscribers per week sign up in
  China every week (Vision Gain, 2003)
• 100 million Java enabled handsets in 2003,
  growing to 878M by 2007 (Arc, 2002)
• 64 million US homes on broadband by end of 2003
  (strategy Analytics Global, 2003)
• Data usage growing from 16 of ARPU to 49 in
  2006 (Yankee, 2002)
• Steady adoption of VoIP 66 growth of IP PBX
  systems in 2003 (IDC, 2003)

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Key Takeaways!
Observations

• Most selling/buying is now solution
  selling/buying of hardware/software bundles
• Big cost is now management and operation and no
  longer the hardware/software costs
• 90 of most ICT budgets is management and
  operation hardware/software purchasing is
  approx 10
• As applications mature and technologies converge
  developers will be pushed further away from the
  network and hardware/OS pieces. This will happen
  especially with Database, Web, Technical Writing,
  Programming and Digital Media concentrations.
• Full function and features of emerging OSs and
  Applications now require/will require network
  connectivity.
• Devices/OS will still work without connectivity
  but with limited functionality
• Regardless of application the role of the
  Infrastructure Technician will continue to change
  and grow as connectivity becomes mission critical.

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Key Takeaways!
Where Every Company is Going
Network Computing
Attack Cost and Complexity Accelerate Service
Deployment Unleash Mobility with Security
Wireless/IT/Connectivity

• Academic institutions need to make
  Wireless/IT/Connectivity a key focus for the
  future of the US economic development
• Community colleges, universities, and high
  schools will need to work more closely to ensure
  a sufficient number of experts in the workforce
• That is what we are beginning to do through
  Partnerships and Collaboration