Development And Dissemination Of A Microelectronics Laboratory Curriculum Using On Line Technology

The Arizona State University (ASU) campus at Mesa, Arizona received an Advanced Technology Education (ATE) grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a series of six laboratory curriculum modules in the area of microelectronics. The partner institutions of the ATE grant are Central Arizona College, Chandler Gilbert Community College, Mesa Community College and the Maricopa Advanced Technology Education Center (MATEC). MATEC is a NSF funded center for Advanced Technology Education. The laboratory curriculum development efforts include both lower and upper division courses, which have laboratory activities integrated into the course. The instructional materials developed utilize the Microelectronics Teaching Factory (MTF) as the laboratory of choice. The MTF is located on the ASU campus at Mesa, Arizona. The curriculum uses a modular design, and is competency based, and industry validated with the goal of producing work ready graduates. The intent of this paper is to cover the underpinning philosophy of the module development effort designed to maximize the effectiveness of the development and delivery of a laboratory curriculum for Microelectronics. The paper describes the in depth process involved in this effort by taking one module as an example to illustrate the salient features of this approach. In addition, a distinctive delivery tool that is developed under this project will be discussed to explain how remotely situated students in two-year institutions will get access to the material prior to their arrival to the MTF at ASU campus in Mesa, Arizona. Based on the learning that has taken place so far, the paper will cover in detail the effectiveness of development process and dissemination of the microelectronics laboratory curriculum material.