Articulation of Curriculum Across Universities, Community Colleges, and Adult and Career Centers to Meet the Emerging Industry Requirements in Clean and Alternative Energy

In August of 2009 The University of Toledo was awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Partnership for Innovation Grant (PFI) to provide support to develop courses, certification programs, stackable certificates, and associate degree programs throughout Ohio in advanced renewable energy (solar energy, wind energy, and advanced nuclear energy). The purpose of the project is to increase the number of individuals who have the skills to enter the growing renewable energy industry thus making Ohio a more attractive place for these industries. Another project goal is to provide a pathway for students who complete certificates and courses at the state’s community and technical colleges to transfer credit into university baccalaureate programs and to increase the number of individuals in the state with college degrees. As the project unfolded it was discovered that courses and programs with identical titles but quite different content were being developed by different institutions throughout Ohio. This would mean that a student completing courses or graduating from one institution with courses or a degree in solar energy, for example, may have mastery of different topics than a student with the same titled course or program at another institution. Also, if courses or programs are different then students seeking to transfer to other institutions may need to take additional hours of coursework. To address this problem, the project leaders approached the Ohio Board of Regents (OBOR) to help develop transfer assurance guidelines (TAGS) for advanced renewable energy. These TAGS guarantee the transfer of courses between state-supported higher education institutions in Ohio. The Ohio Revised Code calls for the OBOR to establish criteria, policies and procedures that enable students to transfer credit bearing courses without unnecessary duplication or institutional barriers. The Articulation and Transfer Office of the OBOR agreed to work with the NSF grant investigators to create statewide agreements for renewable energy programs including courses in wind, solar, and nuclear. The first step in this process was the distribution of 157 surveys to determine course offerings. The confirmation of a high level of activity throughout the state warranted bringing together faculty content experts from two and four year institutions to review program requirements and course content which could align with third party industry standards such as The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP). TAGs were established in alternative and renewable energy programs including coursework in an Introduction to Alternative Energy, Solar Energy, and Wind Energy. The project shows how community colleges and universities can work together under a statewide system to develop consistent courses and programs in an area with immerse industry interest to provide opportunities for students while building a statewide technical workforce. This paper will present results of the statewide survey and course alignment process as well as discuss the issues and challenges in an ambitious articulation project for a newly emerging technical area. The paper will also discuss how industries provided input during the alignment of objectives and expected course and program outcomes.