Electronics Technician distance education program

The Electronics Technician (ET) distance education program was developed in 1997 by Dr. Colin Simpson, an electronics professor at George Brown College in Toronto, Canada. Since then, the award-winning [ [http://www.accc.ca/ftp/pubs/CollegeCanada/CollegeCanada-v3-3.pdf ACCC document with article about the Electronics Technician distance education program] ] program has grown to become the largest of its kind in the world. With over 10,000 students studying electronics at a distance, the ET distance education program has effectively broken down the barriers that prevent students from accessing technical course material on-line. Of note is that the program has broken the gender barrier in the study of electronics. Typically, less than 2% of students who study electronics in Colleges and Universities are female. In ET distance education program almost 20% of the student’s are female, which has been attributed to the accessibility of the learning material and the non-threatening environment [ [http://best.me.berkeley.edu/~aagogino/fie95/FIE95.4a2.1.agogino.html A. Agogino, University of California at Berkeley, Improving retention of under-represented engineers] ] in which it is delivered.

The ET distance education program is delivered in an asynchronous format and allows the student to determine the time required to complete the program. Due to the empirical nature of electronics curriculum, and the high level of integration of lab simulation software, students are able to successfully complete the course material with a minimum amount of interaction with faculty and staff at the College. A state-of-the-art on-line student support center for the program was funded by a $1 million grant from the Government of Ontario [ [http://www.georgebrown.ca/Marketing/CCN/CCN-2003/CCN_April-15-03.pdf TVOntario grant announcement] ] . As a result of this highly interactive learning center, the program enjoys one of the lowest attrition rates of any distance education program.

The ET distance education program covers an introductory curriculum in electronics equivalent to a two year college associate degree. Contents of the program includes Current, Voltage, Resistance, Ohm's Law, Parallel and Series Circuits, Magnetism, AC/DC Circuits Capacitance, Inductance, Transformers, Resonance, Filters, control relays, relay logic, Transistors, Semiconductors, Amplifiers, Op Amps and Digital electronics. The interactive multimedia program presents twenty-three modules of interactive curriculum using text, video, 2D and 3D animations, photos, audio clips and interactive electronic circuit simulation using CircuitLogix.

The electronics industry has undergone radical changes in the early 21st century. Many traditional manufacturing jobs have been displaced and companies that have been slow to automate have largely disappeared. It has also created a tremendous demand for people skilled in electronics design, maintenance, and troubleshooting. Modern electronics troubleshooting is more likely to require a signal analyzer than a soldering iron, and replacing printed circuit boards instead of individual components.

New technologies such as wireless have created hundreds of thousands of electronics jobs worldwide. Companies in North America continue to automate their manufacturing facilities at an unprecedented rate. Anyone planning their future in electronics can look forward to a wide variety of job opportunities, and the education provided by ET distance education program will prepare them to work in this interesting, challenging, and rewarding field.

References

External links

* [http://www.ETcourse.com Electronics Technician distance education program website - www.ETcourse.com]
* [http://www.CircuitLogix.com CircuitLogix website - www.CircuitLogix.com]