Program Review Update 2013-14
Air Conditioning/HVAC
(Report Due: October 15, 2014)
Program Description (source: Faculty)INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY INCLUDES AIR CONDITIONING AND ENERGY SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY
Air Conditioning (ACR) is the study of the Heating Air Conditioning & refrigeration systems as they relate to current industry needs. Career paths in this discipline include residential & commercial HVAC service technician, commercial refrigeration technician, facilities maintenance technician, air conditioning system sales person, air conditioning & refrigeration parts sales person, HERS inspector, building automation specialist and system designer. Even students, who choose not to major in air conditioning find that course work in the field can improve their ability to solve complex problems, improve diagnostic skills and research complex problems. College of the Desert’s air conditioning curriculum includes course offerings that provide a general overview of the discipline as well as specific courses in refrigerant management, heating, electrical, energy conservation, system design and facilities maintenance. The College also offers a Certificate of Achievement for students who want to improve their skillset at an existing job, choose to continue towards an Associate of Science degree, or go directly to entry-level jobs in various aspects of the air conditioning and refrigeration industry. Past recipients of the air conditioning certificate have obtained positions as service technicians, service advisors, HERS raters, and facilities maintenance technicians. Many graduates are now business owners in these fields. In addition, required courses listed in the program are derived from the collaboration and dedicated efforts of members of a Technical Advisory Committee and other individuals’ experiences in the specific occupational areas.
ENERGY SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY (ESYS) An overview of our current power generation infrastructure, methods of power generation and these areas will be supported by the fundamentals of the power industry including safety practices, power industry economics and the future of the power industry. Courses in development will also including solar and wind power generation both residential and non-residential. Studies of net zero building practices and current Title 24 standards will be introduced. Fundamental skills related to entry level jobs in the power industry will be included in the ESYS coursework. Communication and employability skills will be introduced to provide the student with additional “soft-skill” workforce training. Students who have taken courses in air conditioning, Building Inspection Technology, Applied Construction Technology and Architecture will have the opportunity to add energy related courses to their knowledge base.
Students Served (source: Faculty)
INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY
AIR CONDITIONING(ACR)
· The ACR program serves a diverse community whose needs are:
· Skills improvement, career advancement, entry level employment and general interest.
· The ACR learning community ranges in age from 18 to 65+ with learning skills ranging from minimal to advanced and with a large percentage of English as a Second Language learners. Often these learners are returning to formal education after a long break from prior formal education or from unsatisfactory experiences with secondary education.
ENERGY SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY (ESYS)
· The ESYS program Serves a diverse community whose needs are:
· Skills improvement, career advancement, entry level employment and general interest.
· The ESYS learning community ranges in age from 18 to 65+ with learning skills ranging from minimal to advanced and with a large percentage of English as a Second Language learners. Often these learners are returning to formal education after a long break from prior formal education or from unsatisfactory experiences with secondary education.
Discipline/Program Learning Outcomes (source: Curriculum Specialist)
Upon completing a certificate or associates degree, students in the CTE PROGRAM will be able to:
· Fulfill the requirements for an entry- level position in their field.
· Apply critical thinking skills to execute daily duties in their area of employment.
· Apply critical thinking skills to research, evaluate, analyze and synthesize information.
· Demonstrate the skills and aptitude necessary to pass certification exams in their field.
· Exhibit effective written, oral communication and interpersonal skills.
Course Level Assessment Completed (source: Faculty & OAC Coordinator)
(See Appendix G of Academic PR)
See page 7
Changes Implemented as a Result of the Assessments (source: Faculty utilizing OASR form)
Courses taught by multiple instructors continue to be coordinated to provide for uniform presentation and subject matter coverage.
Program Requirements from outside agencies (source: Faculty working with Dean)
1. Near term goal of linking curriculum to Industry Certification may require changes quickly.
Student Success Data (source: Office of Institutional Research)
Courses: ACR / 2010_11 / 2011_12 / 2012_13 / 2013_14
Student Success Rate: / 78.1% / 75.8% / 80.2% / 79.3%
Retention Rate: / 92.1% / 94.0% / 88.9% / 87.8%
Note: Success rate is the percent of students who earned a grade of A, B, C, or Cr/P in course out of total enrolled in course at census. Retention rate is the percent of students retained in course until the end of the term out of total enrolled in course at census.
Narrative Interpretation (source: Faculty)
FTE's have increased with fewer sections offered leading to an assumption of increasing enrollment in each section offered. Retention rates often reflect instructors' diligence in dropping non-attending students (or not).
Resources:
Staffing (source: Research Office)FT Faculty by Load:
Narrative Interpretation (source: Faculty)The ACR & ESYS programs are training students to repair and maintain existing HVAC/R equipment. Energy efficiency and learning about renewable energy and meeting current and future HVAC/R industry needs in the Coachella Valley and California are of utmost importance. To facilitate these needs a new facility has Been constructed that is a great addition to our program however in order to grow the HVAC/R program along with adding the ESYS curriculum and to meet the needs of this industry, the existing location should be considered for expanding the program along with the purchasing of additional training equipment that is current and related to working in these industry’s today. In order to best serve our students there is a need to expand our certificate offerings to specialties in HVAC/R industry (RSES, NATE or HVAC Excellence).
Two part time instructional assistants were requested last year and only one part time instructional assistant is in the process of being hired. We will need an additional Two part time instructional assistants to help insure a safe lab environment along with assisting in lab activities, lab setup and tool/equipment tracking. Additional ACR course sections are being offered on Friday and Saturdays and the energy courses along with additional student enrollment is putting a strain on the safety element in the Lab. Average class size is now 27 with some classes at 30. When welding exercises and electrical labs are being conducted the learning environment is not as dynamic as it should be due to the need to provide a safe setting for the students. An instructional assistant needs to be involved in all sections being offered to maximize the safe hands on experience needed to master the skills our students deserve.
Additional adjunct instructors have been hired. We must recruit and hire additional adjunct faculty to teach additional offerings. Additional courses need to be created to meet the industry requirements as expressed at our last advisory board meeting. We need to have courses for Commercial Refrigeration, HERS raters both residential and non-residential, Soft Skill course, and a renaming of the current Facilities Maintenance course (that focuses on chillers) to Chillers Technologies. An actual Facilities Maintenance course must be developed that focuses specifically on actual facilities maintenance (preventive maintenance, ice machines, refrigeration, kitchen equipment, drinking fountains, PTAC units and many other aspects of a facilities maintenance employee) .
With the combining of ACR and ESYS under the Industrial Technology umbrella and working on the HVAC Excellence accreditation we will need an additional full time faculty. New certificate Development focused on the energy conservation in HVAC, HERS Raters, Commercial Refrigeration, along with a transferable industrial tech degree. This will require planning and new curriculum development. An additional full time faculty will allow the program to move to a new level and meet the need of industry as expressed at our last advisory board meeting.
Introductory courses ACR60 and ACR64 need to be offered in both fall and spring. Course offerings and schedules must be investigated that would allow students to gain employability skills in a shorter time span. A proposal of combining ACR60 & ACR61 and combining ACR64 & ACR65 are being considered - we are looking at doing this in Fall 2015
All courses are being taught with a large element of blackboard to support a better learning environment. The program will be introducing an online element to the entry level courses and a hybrid course geared toward distant learners will be introduced in the near future.
Facilities (source: Faculty)
1. List of all facilities (Please indicate if any of these were added last year):
· Applied Science AS 107 & AS 108 (spring 2015)
· ACR lab located in south 1/4 of DM building. (Current location of ACR program, this space is needed for expansion of ACR and inclusion of ESYS Program.)
· DEEC “Temporary location of ESYS program”
2. Assessment of adequacy of current facilities:
· With planned ACR program offerings and ESYS both the existing ACR Lab/Classroom and new HVAC/R lab will be required to meet program needs.
Equipment and Supplies (source: Faculty)
1. Laptop or surface pro computer is required for full time instructor to facilitate all the online elements being introduced to the program. A request for a surface pro computer is in addition to office desktop (preferred) however if that is not an option it can be instead of the desktop computer.
2. Lab equipment needs to be updated:
· There is a need to order additional trainers focused on airflow and (Home Energy Rating System) HERS training.
· The Hampden Commercial Multi-Compressor Rack Refrigeration System has been ordered.
· Additional Hampden trainers are needed to facilitate training in building automation, air distribution, and HERS related training.
Program Challenges (source: Faculty working with Dean)
· Install equipment security system to include inventory and active theft reduction measures which will include security cameras, fence slats in new chain-link fence and completely shaded area for outdoor lab. Trainers and equipment will be stored in outdoor lab so they need to be protected from theft and the weather.
· Increase number of graduates, both certificate and degree.
· Track placement and wages.
Still no formal mechanism in place to track placement and wages on a CTE-wide basis.
· Engage community and local industry.
· Improve utility of lab space.(rolling trainers, mobile work benches and elimination of worn out and antiquated equipment will aid in quick lab set up and safety)
· Offer coordinated scheduling for better retention, Completion and graduation opportunities. ( offer entry level courses Fall & Spring)
· Program needs national accreditation.(HVAC Excellence or Nate) HVAC Excellence is being explored. Work continues in gaining sufficient equipment, instructor certification and student testing to qualify for application.
· Offer entry level courses in a hybrid model lecture online and lab face to face.
Report on completion of program objectives last year (objectives were specified on PRU two years ago) Other Program Accomplishments (source: Faculty)
· We continue to update the refrigeration side of the Air Conditioning/HVACR program by adding additional refrigeration training equipment.
· We continue to purchase new training equipment.
· Students will be able to complete the certificate curriculum in one academic year (9 courses)
· New zone trainer is being redesigned with student involvement and completion of trainer is scheduled to be accomplished by the end of fall 2015.
· High efficiency Maytag equipment has been ordered and a trainer using this equipment will be assembled and used for the spring semester.
Current Program Objectives (taken from last year’s PRU)
1. Add additional courses for advanced refrigeration.
2. Add additional courses focused on Energy Consulting, Title 24 and HERS rater entry level training.
3. Create additional industry recognized certifications.
4. Obtain new high efficiency equipment for lab.
5. Offer introductory classes ACR-060 and ACR-064 in both the Fall and Spring semesters.
6. Work with K12 partners to establish feeder programs to support Pathways Development
Program Objectives for next year (source: Faculty, working with Dean as needed)
1. Offer new entry level courses focused on entry level Energy related jobs in HVAC.
2. Create new certificate for industrial tech combining existing Air Conditioning, Building Inspection Technology, Applied Construction Technology and Architecture and Energy Systems coursework.
3. Create new Industrial Tech A.S. Degree by combining existing Air Conditioning, Building Inspection Technology, Applied Construction Technology and Architecture and Energy Systems coursework. (look at possible Transfer degree)
1 Program Review Update 2014
1 Program Review Update 2014
PROGRAM REVIEW UPDATE ADDENDUM
Program Name: Air Conditioning and Refrigeration / Energy Systems
1. Staff Needs
NEW OR REPLACEMENT STAFF (Administrator, Faculty or Classified) [1]
List Staff Positions Needed for the upcoming Academic Year.Please justify and explain each faculty request based on rubric criteria for your college. Place titles on list in order (rank) or importance. / Indicate
New (N) or Replacement (R) / Annual TCP*
1. Air Conditioning and Refrigeration / Energy Systems FT tenure Track Faculty.
Reason: with the expansion of the ACR program and the addition of the ESYS program the addition of a full time faculty is required to be able to facilitate and develop new courses that will provide student with expanded opportunities in the HVAC and Energy consulting energy. / N / $70,000
2. Part-time lab assistant (36hrs per week)
Reason: We will be running classes 6 days a week, most days 9:30am-10:20pm. There is no supervision of tool room and most classes have 25 – 30 students in the lab. Safety is extremely important and the lab assistant would help in creating a safer lab. / N / $35,000
3. Part-time lab assistant (36hrs per week)
Reason: We will be running classes 6 days a week, most days 9:30am-10:20pm. There is no supervision of tool room and most classes have 25 – 30 students in the lab. Safety is extremely important and the lab assistant would help in creating a safer lab. / N / $35,000
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* TCP = “Total Cost of Position” for one year is the cost of an average salary plus benefits for an individual. New positions (not replacement positions) also require space and equipment. Please speak with your college Business Officer to obtain accurate cost estimates. Please be sure to add related office space, equipment and other needs for new positions to the appropriate form and mention the link to the position. Please complete this form for “New” Classified Staff only. All replacement staff must be filled per Article I, Section C of the California School Employees Association (CSEA) contract.