Tempe, Arizona - July 10th, 2003, the National Science Foundation's Advanced Technological Education Program awarded a $900,000 grant over three years to the Maricopa Community Colleges to enhance technician education and training in the field of electronics. Participating companies and organizations in the project include Intel, Texas Instruments, the American Electronics Association and Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International.

Tom McGlew, MATEC - WRE Project Lead

Linda Smarzik, Austin Community College - WRE Co-Principal Investigator
Michael Wilson, Austin Community College - Electronics Faculty
Laura Marmolejo, Austin Community College - Electronics Faculty
Lou Frenzel, Austin Community College - Project Manager
Jesus Casas, Austin Community College - Electronics Faculty

Joe Neglia, Mesa Community College - WRE Co-Principal Investigator

Carlos Nunez Noriega, Glendale Community College - WRE Co-Principal Investigator
Ui Luu, Glendale Community College - Electronics Faculty

Shay Johnson, MATEC - Instructional Technology Developer, Website Master
Phyllis Cooke, MATEC - Instructional Developer
Michael Lesiecki, MATEC - Emerging Electronics Curriculum Task Force
Leslie Jabara, MATEC - Workshops
Bianca Sola-Perkins, MATEC - Administration Support
Susan Haag, External Evaluator

Purpose of WRE
As the fast-paced field of electronics has advanced, community colleges have had to struggle to keep their curricula up to date. Sometimes it seems like a losing battle to faculty, especially those who carry a large teaching load. The technology moves so fast that many current technological applications and new electronic components, equipment, and methods are simply unavailable in standard textbooks, says Lou Frenzel, electronics instructor at Austin Community College and author of 18 electronics books and numerous articles. After completing a comprehensive review of electronics curriculum and surveying industry subject matter experts, Frenzel concluded there are significant gaps in textbooks that may prevent students from gaining key knowledge and skills required by industry employers. Frenzel explains that instructors lack time, funding, and incentive to revise curricula on their own. Meanwhile, industry wants graduates who are well grounded in the latest technological developments.

The WRE Solution
WRE is designing and developing instructional modules that may be used independently or integrated with current electronics curricula in college programs. The modules address those topics, knowledge, and skills that have not been sufficiently covered by even the most popular electronics textbooks but are considered essential to technicians in today’s industry. WRE modules are to be delivered to students and faculty via Internet, thus providing 24-7 access to cutting-edge electronics with the widest distribution possible. On-line modules will provide instructor-led learning activities, self-paced study, guidance and specifications for lab experiments, performance assessments, and optional learning opportunities such as Internet research, collaborative projects, and peer-assessment. Although many activities will provide for exploratory learning and self-guided achievement, performance assessments will be based on measurable learning objectives that reflect specific competencies of electronics technicians. This blended pedagogical model will ensure achievement of essential learning elements within each topic area while enabling students to expand their knowledge and skills beyond stated performance objectives.

WRE will also offer workshops to help bring electronics faculty up to date with new industry standards and best practices and to introduce a variety of technology-supported teaching strategies. Workshops will introduce the WRE modular format and systematic methods for integrating the modules into existing courses and programs. Technical topics will be covered in detail to reveal new industry needs for technician competency. Strategies for teaching and learner-centered approaches using the blended model will be presented, explained, and practiced by attendees to demonstrate advantages to student learning and to teaching within applied technical domains.

The WRE Team
The Maricopa Advanced Technology Education Center (MATEC), a member of the Academic Affairs Division of Maricopa Community Colleges, has assembled a team which includes: University and Community College Leaders along with senior electronics faculty from each of the participating college. This team will be further expanded to include industry experts from leading electronics companies nationwide and additional electronics faculty who will serve on the Emerging Electronics Curriculum Task Force (EECTF). The EECTF will evaluate WRE instructional modules, validate technical curricula, and update content material in parallel with technology advancement to maintain WRE’s currency with electronics industry standards. The overall goal of WRE is to help the American electronics workforce enhance and maintain its competitive edge in the rapidly advancing field of electronics.

For information on the benefits of WRE to you and how to become a WRE Member, WRE Associate, or WRE Affiliate, please click on “WRE Participants“ at the top of this page.