Appendix Appendix A Selected Case Studies: Summaries . — The following section includes summaries of five heavily industrialized areas of southeastern case studies of instructional programs designed to Michigan. develop skills that are presently associated with ● Instruction~ deliverers. —The case studies in- the use of programmable automation (PA). These clude programs operated by primary schools, five are part of a group of 14 such studies devel- high schools, community colleges, universi- oped for OTA. Instructional activities described ties, and 4-year colleges, a union/management- in the case studies summarized here include: 1) a operated training center, and industries that robotics and computer-aided drafting program for produce and use PA equipment. high school students, operated by the Oakland ● Type of programmable automation train- County School System in southeastern Michigan; ing.—Programs chosen provide instruction in 2) the undergraduate and graduate degree pro- computer-aided drafting and design systems, grams in Engineering Technology offered by Brig- robots, programmable controllers, computer- ham Young University, Provo, Utah; 3) CADAM ized numerically controlled machines, auto- Inc. ’s* customer training in computer-aided de- mated vision systems for factory inspection, sign; 4) the International Brotherhood of Electri- automated materials-handling systems, spe- cal Workers’ programmable controller training sys- cialized semiconductor fabrication equipment, tem; and 5) the “CAD/CAM” operator training and CAD and CAM networking systems. In program based in Glendale, Calif. (representative addition, university programs addressing the of efforts characterized by strong industry, educa- systems approach to computer-integrated tion, and government cooperation). The five stud- manufacturing education, plus in-plant pro- ies were selected for inclusion to illustrate PA- grams stressing the systems approach for related instruction of various types and levels of managers, are included. sophistication, as well as to highlight programs ● occupational categories of trainess–Pro- operating in different geographic areas, grams covered in the case study series ad- dress the needs of current or potential person- case Study Research Methodology nel in the following occupational categories: machine operators; electrical, mechanical, and Case study research began in July 1982 and other maintenance personnel; welders; electri- ended in June 1983. The initial objective of the re- cal and electronics technicians; robotics tech- search project was to identify and contact a nicians; mechanical designers and detailers; selected sample of institutions, organizations, and printed circuit designers; electrical drafters agencies known to offer or have the potential to and designers; numerical control programmers; offer programs designed to prepare individuals for general-purpose programmers; integrated cir- jobs in computer-automated factory environ- cuit designers; piping designers and drafters; ments. Approximately 300 individuals repre- manufacturing engineers; design engineers; senting industry, educational institutions, govern- systems engineers; research and development ment agencies, professional associations, training personnel; shop-floor supervisors; managers; and/or education associations, technical societies, and executives. and community organizations were contacted in ● Size of institution or organization.—Compa- the first stage of the research. This was augmented nies included range in size from firms employ- by a literature search. A sample of 100 training ing under 170 individuals to multinational cor- or education programs was identified, from which porations employing hundreds of thousands 20 were chosen to be the subjects of 14 case of people. In terms of the size of the organiza- studies. tion served by a single training division, the The following selection criteria were developed: largest is 42,000. The educational institutions ● Gegraphical spread. — Programs were chosen range in size from 2,500 to 34,000 students. from all four quadrants of the country, with ● Funding source. –Both public and private in- a concentration of four programs from the stitutions and organizations are covered. Ma- jor public funding sources include Federal, *C AI)A M Inc. is a subsidiary of the Lockheed Corp. State, and local government organizations. 401 402 ● Computerized Manufacturing Automation: Employment, Education, and the Workplace —— .—— —— —— — ——- — — — — .— The union/management-sponsored training cessful programs in the metalworking in- program is supported by regular contribu- dustry. tions from union members and by manage- Additionally, some programs were chosen be- ment subsidy. cause they demonstrated cooperation among ed- Industrial sector. — Programs covered ad- ucational institutions, industries, and (in one in- dressed the following industrial sectors: trans- stance) State and local government participation. portation equipment (including auto and com- Two questionnaires-one for companies and one mercial aircraft); electrical and electronic for educational institutions-were designed for use devices and machinery; nonelectrical machin- during onsite interviews (lasting 2 to 5 days each) ery; and programmable equipment producers. conducted for each case study. Attempts were also made to identify suc- Appendix A —Selecfed Case Studies: Summaries 403 — Case Study 1 Oakland County Vocational Education Centers: Robotics and Computer-Aided Drafting For High School Students Background/Summary Oakland Schools also provides an additional aid to vocational progaming in both the local districts The Oakland County Intermediate School Dis- and the regional centers: curriculum specialists on trict covers approximately 900 square miles to the the vocational education staff at the Oakland north and west of Detroit. The intermediate dis- County Service Center assist instructors in apply- trict is comprised of 28 constituent school districts ing current instructional technology, in keeping and includes most of Oakland County and small program content up to date, in obtaining funds proportions of the adjacent counties of Macomb, and equipment, and in maintaining contact with Wayne, Livingston, Tenessee, Lapeer, and Wash- local industries. tenaw.* The approximately 211,000 children in the In the summer of 1982, the Pontiac Center of- district live in communities of widely disparate fered a special 4-week introductory robotics pro- economic status: some are among the wealthiest gram for incoming juniors and seniors. The inten- in the country, while others have disproportionate sive 64-hour course was a demonstration program numbers of families on State and Federal aid.** designed to test the feasibility of teaching robotics In 1982, Pontiac, the largest constituent school and other “high tech” courses in the centers’ reg- district, had an unemployment rate of over 20 ular school-year and summer offerings. As a result percent. of the successful summer program, robotics and In 1967, voters in the intermediate district computer-aided drafting are now taught in a num- passed a half-mill levy to pay the construction ber of regular courses in three of the area centers. costs for four area vocational education centers, The centers have approached the teaching of in- one in each quarter of the county. The four cen- tegrated manufacturing skill in a variety of ways: ters—operated under contract to Oakland Schools 1) teachers at the Pontiac Center have designed by the constituent districts of Pontiac, Royal Oak, a semester-long course in robotics offered for the Walled Lake, and Clarkston-offer programs in 32 first time in January 1983; 2) the Royal Oak Center occupational areas. Three 2½ hour sessions— has obtained two computer-aided drafting stations morning, early afternoon, and late afternoon—are for use in mechanical and architectural drafting offered for high school students, who spend the re- courses, and instructors there are using homemade mainder of their school day at the “home’ high robots to teach basic robotics principles in fluid schools; and the centers all operate evening classes power and electronics courses; and 3) the Walled for adults. The flexible vocational instruction of- Lake Center also has a CAD system for use in its fered at the centers complements the vocational drafting program, and instructors are now using education provided at high schools that operate the Mini-Mover “teach robot”* from the Pontiac individual vocational programs. The centers also summer course to teach electronics, welding, in- provide basic-through-advanced instruction for dustrial design and machine-shop students the students from schools that have no vocational pro- fundamentals of robotics as these relate to the grams of their own. Students who participate in students’ core disciplines. a full 2-year course of study at a center get 900 hours of combined classroom and laboratory in- Summer Robotics Program North East struction in a specific vocational area.*** Oakland Vocational Education Center —-. *This is Oakland Schools, a brochure published by the Oakland In- (Pontiac, Mich.) termediate District, explains that “in Michigan, every local school dis- trict is a part of an intermediate district; there is no exempt territory. Planning and Development.–The summer ro- The intermediate school district is a regional educational service agency botics demonstration program was conceived dur- created by State law to carry out certain legal functions