The Design Of An Abet Accredited Laser Technology Program And Its Relationships With Engineering Programs

An ABET accredited laser technology program was designed for an AAS degree curriculum as well as for a smooth transition to a 4-yr engineering program. Important issues such as calculus preparation, instruction level, and student mindset, were addressed in a flexible AAS program supplemented with graphical programming, e-portfolio student mentoring, internet assisted instruction and look-ahead capability for upper division courses. The teaching of graphical programming is conducted in LabVIEW, and data analysis is performed using Excel. The goal of e-portfolio student mentoring is to have an early focus on student mindsets. Internet assisted instruction is used for developing self-learning skills. The use of Schaum’s engineering and technology series enables look-ahead capabilities for upper division courses in a cost effective way. Costs effectiveness is important as most students in our community college work to pay for their college expenses. The laboratory exercises are supplemented with numerical simulation in analogy to practical situations where there are no closed form mathematical expressions. The numerical simulation also has the advantage of setting the student's attitude to understand the difficulties of the associated inverse problems, which usually are the problems that demand attention in the upper division courses as well as in a workplace. With input from the program advisory board, the program is designed to enrich a student's life-long learning experience and keep abreast of new developments in laser technology. The laser program design could also be extended to other technologies with similar principles. Articulation issues with a BS degree program were also discussed.