Submitted by Cartmell Warrington, Interim Applied Technologies Department Chair
Looking Back:
Goals and Outcomes:
- Revamping Electrical Technology program – during AY 2012/2013, an administrative decision was made to not accept new students into the AAS Electrical Technology – Telecommunications program in Fall 2013 in order to fully assess and revamp this program. The department was informed to not proceed with implementing changes recommended in last year’s program review during AY 2012-2013 and, instead, hold on those recommendations as part of a full assessment.
- Changing the programming language in Comp Sci 1 from Java to C++ - Completed. - The change worked very well. The transition from C++ in Comp Sci 1 to Java in Comp Sci 2 was successful.
- Virtualization was added to our Operating Systems class as a pilot program and produced a 20 page lab on the topic that went very well. Applied for and received grant implementing the Open Stack Cloud System, as a result.
- Continue entering programming contests – Participated in a Regional college level contest for the first time.
- Expand use of Linux - now using Linux in the following classes: Network Security, Assembler Language, Comp Sci 1, Database Management and System Design.
College Goal #1 - To provide high quality academic courses and programs that prepare a diverse student population to achieve its educational, employment and enrichment goals.
Curriculum Work
As stated in the previous years above, Virtualization Technology is a desirable skill in the industry environment. Providing our students with experience in installing and configuring this desired skill will place them in a stronger position in the job market.
- Added two projects to the Electronics program. One that would demonstrate a Bio-Medical application and the other which would demonstrate Alternate Energy through a Photovoltaic system.
- Prompted by the Math Department’s proposed course renumbering for Introduction to Statistics, the Applied Tech department affirmed that, for the AAS CIT Networking degree program, MAT 121 – College Algebra and MAT 122 – College Trigonometry are the appropriate courses and that MAT 125 – Introduction to Statistics should not be a math course that fulfills the math requirements of the degree. This change proceeded through the Curriculum Committee process in Spring 2013.
- CSC 101 Computer Science 1 – the programming language in this course was changed to C++. Java will still be taught in CSC 102, Computer Science 2. C++ provides the foundation for students to study / learn other programming languages later in their academic course sequence.
- CIT and EET 230 – Departmental Internships – to clarify the parameters of internships in the department, a meeting was held and the following rules were set forth: A student must be on-site for a minimum, but not limited to, 80 hours. The student must complete his Internship over a minimum period of 10 weeks.
- Maintained open labs for students, not just for our department, but for the entire campus. (BT 115, 113, 121, 251, and 357). This provides students who require additional time to complete their work the necessary lab space, as well as access to the software. Some of the other departments that made use of our labs were Nursing, Biology, Criminal Justice, Financial Aid, Engineering, Information Technology and CAPE, as well as Math last summer.
- For the second year in a row, a SUNY Orange student transferred to SUNY Potsdam into the CS-Leap program (full tuition scholarship and stipend)
- 2012 - Matt Hunger
- 2013 - Edward Pryor
- Clubs
- Computer Club – active
- International Club - Active
- Martial Arts Club – active
- Computer/Math Club – active
- 3 programming contests:
- 1. Local SUNY Orange contest (sponsored and run by the Mathematics and Computer Science Club) - 6 teams participating
- 2. Pace University - 2 year schools only. SUNY Orange’s team placed second. (April 2013)
- 3. Siena College - CCSCNE Contest - 4 year colleges 18th out of 33 (only 3, 2-year schools participating) (April 2013)
- Department Chair provided an Advising Guide for Applied Technologies programs to the Advising Center to help ensure that students’ courses are properly sequenced when they are advised.
- Students continue to be encouraged to meet with their advisor each semester to be sure they are on track with their program (even if they register on-line).
College Goal #2 - To engage learners in an environment that develops their knowledge and skills in critical thinking, information and technology literacy, effective communication and enhances their awareness of civic responsibility and cultural diversity.
ACCESSIBILITY OF OFFERINGS
- Department has an Angel shell for all courses
- As stated in other areas of this document, the Applied Technology Dept. makes every effort to foster an atmosphere of collaboration with other departments. It is hopeful in the future that we will be able to offer courses that are co-taught with other disciplines.
- Critical thinking skills, as well as information literacy, are being infused into all courses. It is still recommended to include Technical Writing in other programs that currently don’t require such a course.
College Goal #3 - To establish public and private partnerships and provide programs and services that support and serve our county’s educational, economic, civic and cultural needs.
- CIT 212 Systems Design – as a class project, a student, Rixhers AJazi, created a Web Application for Financial Aid to assist in tracking and counseling students. This is currently being implemented and used within the Financial Aid office. The student’s capabilities in creating this application are a direct result of the changes made to the CIT Program.
COLLABORATION & PARTNERSHIPS
- Worked with Rob Honders, Chris Rigby and Cartmell Warrington on data logging for micro hydroelectric plant (work still in progress)
- Continued working on Solar Bus Stop project with Pam etc.
- Working relationships with outside industry
- Time Warner Cable
- Orange Regional medical Center
- Crystal Run Medical Center
- Frontier Communications
- Various small businesses for our internship program
- Loan of labs to other departments:
- Biology
- Nursing
- Diagnostic Imaging
- Criminal Justice
- Financial Aid
- Engineering
- Information Technology Services
- Math (Summer 2012)
- CAPE
- Hudson Valley Consortium
- Christopher Rigby and Cartmell Warrington participated in the CCSAB at SUNY New Paltz
- Applied Technology Dept. made their labs available to Middletown ATF for training with Criminal Justice Department.
College Goal #4 - To promote student growth and development by providing comprehensive and innovative academic and support services.
- CIT 118 Operating Systems - We Implemented a small OpenStack "Cloud" Pilot / Test Environment which currently has 3 nodes and is already used in CIT118 (Operating Systems) to discuss Virtualization.
- C. Rigby and C. Warrington applied for and were granted an IITG Grant ($20,000) in Cloud Computing in order to introduce Virtualization via an OpenStack "Cloud" System to SUNY Orange Applied Technologies Students. This will allow the department to expand this technology into other courses.
- Encouraged student team work e.g. in CIT 112 Computer Hardware a& Software, students were teamed up by the instructor. In the past, lab-based assignments were done on an individual basis.
- Faculty generous with time for students e.g. Instructors held study sessions and instructors remain in labs after class to provide extra help to students.
- Because students in Applied Technologies programs are in cohorts who have block schedules, students tend to be free simultaneously. This facilitates group study and advising during such free hours.
TECHNOLOGY
- Upgraded EnCase from Version 6 to Version 7
- Anticipated during summer 2013, upgrade BT 113 and 115 computers.
- A three-year replacement plan is recommended for computers in our labs, but sometimes this has stretched to 4-5 years.
- All courses have, at minimum, WebO Angel shells
College Goal #5 - To offer opportunities to learn with a dedicated and diverse faculty and staff who value excellence in teaching, service to students, creative collaboration and continuous improvement.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
- Chris Rigby and Cartmell Warrington continue to work with Arlin Bartlett and Robert Honders on an external project to monitor hydro-electric generators. The project intends to eventually involve students in producing a database and web-based front-end for the data collected.
- Chris Rigby – continued to work for On Demand Books, a technology startup that produces the Espresso Book Machine. Provided programming and database expertise for their search engine and content management systems.
- Arlin Bartlett continues to work with Pam Rice on the sustainable bus stop (Architecture and Electrical Technology)
- Cartmell Warrington is working on his PhD
- Dr. Thomas Giorgianni obtained his PhD
- Chris Rigby attended the CCSCNE (Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges NorthEast) Conferene Siena College, Loudonville, NY April 12-13, 2013
- Arlin Bartlett participated in the Information Management General Education Assessment 2012-2013. His students’ research papers will be part of this study.
College Goal # 6 - To build and maintain safe, accessible and sustainable facilities that support the learning environment.
- Office hours for daytime adjuncts at both Middletown and Newburgh. Provided limited office space so that these instructors could meet privately with students. All of our adjuncts are very generous with their time and often spend additional time helping the students who require additional support.
FACILITIES
- Student furniture, particularly chairs, should be reviewed every 10 years for dangerous conditions.
- There is a need for an office designated for adjuncts, with computers, so they can access their email and also for private student/adjunct sessions.
- There is a need for a study area for students, in the department, so that they are able to study together.
College Goal # 7 - To identify, secure and allocate resources that advance the strategic priorities of the College.
- Planning took place for CTYEA-funded lab replacement. Lab replacements will take place in AY 13/14.
- CIT 118 Operating Systems - We implemented a small OpenStack "Cloud" Pilot / Test Environment which currently has 3 nodes and is already used in CIT118 (Operating Systems) to discuss Virtualization. This project served as a pilot and an impetus to pursue a SUNY IITG grant.
- C. Rigby and C. Warrington applied for and were granted an IITG Grant ($20,000) in Cloud Computing in order to introduce Virtualization via an OpenStack "Cloud" System to SUNY Orange Applied Technologies Students. This will allow the department to expand this technology into other courses.
PLANNING & FUTURE DIRECTIONS
- Continue to work on course binders to ensure consistency in all sections of a course. This binder should consist of:
- Syllabus
- Assignments
- Projects
- Tests and copies of student sample tests
- Lab based courses – labs and their objectives, as well as sample student labs.
- Continue to create objectives in the labs, for all lab based courses, to enable students to gain the same learning experience, regardless of the instructor.
- Continue to collaborate with other departments, as well as external business units.
- To ensure quality, and consistency, faculty will be rotated through a variety of courses. This will ensure innovative ideas are dispersed throughout the curriculum. This will also ensure all faculty members maintain a current skill set, diversity across our curriculum and will also ensure team building and orient all faculty to a single vision for the department. It will also ensure maximization of flexibility in scheduling and teaching assignments.
- Create programming contests for high school students. This would generate interest in the program and identify potential students. This could be used as a feeder for the program.
- Create a summer technology camp for middle school students. (On the order of a Tech Prep for younger more impressionable students)
- Curriculum Changes to consider in the future:
- Electrical Technology still has a viable place in technology and there is a need to revisit and reformulate the program. This could be the program that clusters around those emerging technologies. Examples would be: renewable energy, embedded systems, remote sensing, Bio-Medical equipment applications, and robotics.
- All programs should share an integrated core curriculum for the first semester. (Example: CSC 101 Computer Science 1 (or other introduction to programming) and CIT 105 Data and Telecommunications, and CIT 100 Computer Literacy to give students a survey of Technology)
- Look into the feasibility of combining CIT – Networking and Cyber Security.
- Combine CIT 105 Data Communications and EET 104 Telecommunications 1, into the same class. Change name to Data and Telecommunications. Upgrade to a 4 credit course and include some Digital Electronics.
- Review all syllabi to ensure the proper integration into subsequent courses and the wider curriculum.
- Consider meeting with students on an advisory level during the summer to ensure students entering the programs are enrolled in all pre-requisite courses required for the second semester, to enable them to graduate in a timely fashion.
- Consider alternating courses to allow a student to complete the program during evening sessions.
- Continue to expand the use of virtualization throughout the curriculum.
- Create a group of modules that would cover a variety of emerging technologies. This would ensure students are exposed to the most current technologies. Many of these modules could be used in cross disciplinary ventures.
- Create certificates that could build on degrees and/or core semester courses. Examples:
- Information Systems (would include the business technology courses from CIT – Networking such as Management Information Systems, Systems Analysis, Systems Design, and Databases). It has been determined that one major complaint of business is a gap in the alignment between its business goals and IT goals. This certificate would help solve this problem with both a hardware and software specialty).
- Software Development - (This could include Web based languages, Android)
- Cyber Security (This would assist those students who are enrolled in the Criminal Justice Program. Likewise, it would serve our students in Cyber to take a Criminal Justice Certificate)