| NSF Org: |
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | May 23, 2016 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | May 23, 2016 |
| Award Number: | 1601375 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
John Jackman
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | July 1, 2016 |
| End Date: | June 30, 2020 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $618,881.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $618,881.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
4000 E 30TH AVE EUGENE OR US 97405-0640 (541)463-5853 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
4000 E 30th Ave Eugene OR US 97405-0640 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Advanced Tech Education Prog |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
The Lane Community College (LCC) Energy Management Program (EMP) has a long and rich history of preparing students for jobs in the commercial building energy efficiency workforce. While LCC EMP has produced many graduates who are employed throughout the energy efficiency industry, the projected demand for energy efficiency education continuous to grow. Further, while online degrees are fairly commonplace in many sectors of higher education, career-technical education lags behind in part due to the hands-on fieldwork requirements of such programs. Motivated by the demand for an energy management workforce, this project brings together the LCC EMP education with online education. The result being the Independent Learner Energy Education Design (ILEED) effort, which provides a scalable solution of changing the current LCC EMP traditional classroom model into an online hybrid option that expands energy efficiency educational opportunities to traditional and nontraditional students, but also a broader and more diverse population across the Pacific Northwest. This project also serves to develop, manage, and support a network of utility mentor partners that will provide the essential energy-related fieldwork at multiple remote locations. Northwest utilities and utility professional associations have agreed to provide employee-mentors for this innovative education project.
To increase participation of a wider sector of potential students, and to cover a broader geographic range, ILEED updates the existing online coursework and couples it with fieldwork experiences through local, public utilities and industry connections (similar to that of an internship or cooperative education). With this model of higher education and industry partnerships, energy management education will be available to students who are currently outside the local area. ILEED faculty will still teach and assess, but also coordinate with industry mentors so ILEED students can complete their field-work component of instruction, regardless of their geographic location. Students who participate will be able to earn a full, two-year Associate of Applied Science degree through the online offerings, or an incumbent worker could choose to take a few classes to augment their current profession (e.g., architects, engineers).
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Lane Community College (LCC) has a rich history of preparing the workforce in careers related to conservation and sustainability. In the past decade with two NSF ATE grants, LCC transitioned its traditional classroom Energy Management program into an online instructional program with hands-on lab experiences in our student's location. Recently, LCC modified this cohort model to include independent learners in a fully asynchronous, instructor-led (i.e., not real-time) online program. Launched in fall 2017 with its first group of online students, this program, the Independent Learner Energy Education Design (ILEED, provides instruction in LCC’s online Energy Management Technician program as well as Building Controls Option program. These programs coupled with fieldwork experiences facilitated by regional power utility mentors are a signature piece of this online program. In ILEED, individual learners’ study and ultimately provide critical energy-efficiency skills to their home communities.
Students complete the 2-year program and receive an Associates of Applied Science degree, A.A.S. Students then can secure a high-paying job, and help the country address critical economic, infrastructure, and demographic issues related to energy management and building controls.
The Building Controls Option shares the first-year core courses with Energy Management students. In the second year of studies, students concentrate on the systems, networks and devices that control mechanical equipment within commercial buildings.
Today's buildings are complex technological structures composed of interactive systems charged with delivering safe, healthy, and affordable physical environments. Building automation integrates these electronic and mechanical systems in order to optimize operations and create an efficient, smart, building.
Many computer programmers who are writing code for newer building automation systems excel at their craft but often have no practical knowledge of the systems they control. The Energy Management - Building Controls Option produces technicians who understand both programming and building systems.
In addition to interacting with a building automation system, the new generation of controls mechanics and managers must understand energy procurement and consumption, how buildings interact with both external and internal events, alternative energy sources and their integration into existing systems, remote services and building access, as well as how to deliver an interactive controls system that delivers value to customers.
For more information please contact:
Roger Ebbage ebbager@lanecc.edu 541-463-6160
Last Modified: 06/10/2020
Modified by: Roger Ebbage
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