TTC Hohenwald
The
Tennessee Technology
Center at Hohenwald is one of 26 such centers spread throughout the state
of Tennessee. Situated in the high rolling hills of western-middle Tennessee,
about eighty miles southwest of Nashville, TTC Hohenwald serves a largely rural
population. TTC Hohenwald may be in a rural setting, but it is close to a
variety of manufacturing operations, including such industries as BellSouth,
Nortel, Dell, Johnson Controls, Accuride, and Saturn Corporation. For this
reason, there is quite a demand for the type of technical training offered by
TTC Hohenwald.
Mark
McDougal, the Electronics Technology instructor at TTC Hohenwald, has been
using the Nida CAI training system since 1996. He has been innovative in his
approach to training, with successful results. The list of students waiting to
get into his program offers proof that the successes of his students have been
noticed. According to McDougal, TTC Hohenwald has a simple philosophy: "We
strive to give the student customers a chance at a better life through
training. To accomplish this goal, we try to provide the training they need,
when they need it, where they need it, and in a way that ensures success. For
the students to be successful, the training content must not be compromised.
With our firm belief that a properly implemented "hands-on" experience provides
the best education possible, we have found the Nida training system to be an
efficient method of training delivery."
Enter Distance Education
Given the geography of the region, the diversity of the student population and the large agricultural base, there are several reasons why many students have difficulty attending class on a fixed, rigid schedule, particularly during the summer months. Nida's DE Pro has provided an interesting solution to some of the problems faced by TTC Hohenwald students.
DE Pro is being used for special industry training, allowing students who are already employed to spend more time on the job. These students, as well as ones involved in agriculture, are able to do a lot of their school work at home, reducing the likelihood that they will drop out of the class. This is of particular importance to students who are farming during the summer months. Since these students can only be in class a limited amount of time, they need to optimize the efficiency of their time on the task of training. DE Pro allows them to complete much of the study of theoretical concepts away from the classroom while allowing them to prepare for the hands-on work that can only be done with a Nida trainer and experiment cards. This is much like studying the theory behind a concept in physics or chemistry prior to going to the lab. Students are thus able to progress in their studies even when they can't attend class due to work-related conflicts. This delivery method also helps the school because enrollments can be maintained through the summer months and with fewer night class meetings.
Many other types of students have requested that they also be allowed to use DE Pro. TTC Hohenwald is currently exploring the possibility of providing local high school students the opportunity to take higher level mathematics classes in the DE Pro format. In school districts where the number of students wishing to take these classes doesn't justify the cost of a full-time instructor, DE Pro may offer a solution.
Although special industry classes have been conducted using the remote software license arrangement, and the homework disk option, DE Pro is preferred. Its implementation is simple since it isn't necessary to do all the "housekeeping" involved with these other distance education methods.
DE Pro is not replacing traditional technical training at TTC Hohenwald; it is facilitating its delivery to non-traditional students who are restricted by time or location. McDougal says, "We have only started to explore the possibilities of using DE Pro. It's a learning process, and that means we may not always get it right, but with enough thought and effort, it will be a winning proposition for our student customers."
Contributed by Steve Walls, Reletech