DeKalb
Technical College Starts Building Automation Program
This new program offers a diploma as well as
an Associate in Applied Science degree.
The program can also be done online
.
Stephanie Brown
Student
DeKalb Technical College
I
n the Fall Quarter of 2009 DeKalb Technical College,
located in metro Atlanta accepted its first cohort of students in the
Building Automation Systems (BAS) program. This new program
offers a diploma as well as an Associate in Applied Science degree, and
can be completed online with three, multiple day visits to the college
per year. This is a very unique program in that it’s industry
specific, and the only program of its kind in the U.S.There is tremendous support from leading controls companies with
donations to the state of the art laboratory, guest lecturers from
industry, as well as a highly effective advisory board which provides
guidance for curriculum and student learning outcomes, making the
program responsive to rapid changes occurring in the field.Courses taught in the BAS program cover HVAC/R principles, commercial
HVAC/R systems, introductory control principles, AC & DC
electronics, control systems logic, networking, design, installation,
programming, commissioning, and integration methods. The
program also includes instruction on pneumatics, electric, and digital
direct controls. At the end of the program students will be able
to understand the fundamentals of controls to be able to secure entry
level positions.The program is also being offered online with short-duration trips to
Atlanta 2 or 3 times per year. It works by having live video
lectures in which students can ask questions and participate during
class. The lectures will also be recorded for further
review. The student will complete all work as required on the
syllabus. There will also a couple intensive multiple day lab
sessions in which the students will be required to come to the
campus. Once all the requirements are fulfilled a degree or
diploma is awarded. My Experience
I am one of the first students in the program and being the only female
it has been an amazing experience. I followed the traditional
educational path attaining a BS in biology then an MBA. I wanted
to learn a skill which is not usually gained in the traditional path
and I saw lots of opportunity for growth and also a way to put
everything together that I have learned in the BAS program. The
program has been enhanced since I started but I was still able to learn
the fundamentals working with various trainers and learned
troubleshooting skills while working a variety of leading controls
products. An internship is required at the end to complete the
program. I will be starting at Siemens to gain experience in the
field and put everything together. Director of Program
Brian Lovell is the director of the program and has more than 15 years
of industry experience. After being in business and seeing the
needs of the industry, the main one being not being able to find
qualified help, he had a vision to create something that would aid the
industry and also help others have successful career paths.He is also the director of the Green Technologies Academy which is an
online certificate program that looks into sustainable technologies and
LEED certification. Project Based Learning
Another
aspect of the program that makes it very unique is that the majority of
coursework is delivered using the project based learning method.
This means that the instructor provides traditional classroom
instruction on core principles and then assigns a term project for each
course in which the core principles manifest themselves in a real,
operable device or system. The students are assigned to teams for
a division of labor similar to how real-world projects are
completed. These typically include a project manager, engineering
team, technical team, quality control team, logistics team, marketing
team, and other teams necessary to complete the task. One of our
projects consisted of designing, installing, and commissioning a
controls system throughout our building. We also designed and
built an 8-bit adding machine using relay logic and pilot lights which
is currently used in the program by subsequent cohorts for
troubleshooting. After completing the project we presented it to
other students, administrators, and industry representatives to develop
our communication skills.We collaborate with a two year college as well as a four year college
to work on projects as well. They bring the theory to the project
and we deliver the technical skills. We will be designing and
installing a water harvesting system for our building as well as
installing solar panels. This is also part of the Green
Technologies Academy which includes the BAS program. There is a
National Science Foundation grant that is currently pending that will
greatly enhance these joint projects. We also have a stimulus
grant that we will be utilizing to reach our goals of becoming LEED
certified. Summary
I have had a very positive experience in this nascent program and it
continues to improve in a ‘closed-loop’ fashion due to constant
industry feedback and guidance. I highly recommend it to anyone
interested in learning more about the industry and also for learning
about sustainable concepts in the Green Technologies Academy.I can be contacted for any questions at jukorra@yahoo.com
. Brian Lovell can be contacted at lovellb@dekalbtech.edu
. Website Links
http://www.dekalbtech.edu/
http://www.dekalbtech.edu/academics/program.php?id=213
(BAS Degree) http://www.dekalbtech.edu/academics/program.php?id=212
(BAS Diploma) http://www.dekalbtech.edu/academics/program.php?id=226
(Sustainable Technologies Certificate) Note:
A
word of caution to those who may be interested in the program... We are
changing over from a quarter to a semester system in the Fall of
2011. As part of this conversion, the BAS program has been
enhanced and courses have been modified. I say this because the
DeKalb Tech. website doesn't reflect these changes as yet, so anyone
interested should contact the school, and/or me, directly.
Brian J. Lovell
Director - Sustainable Technologies Academy / Building Automation Systems
DeKalb Technical College
495 N. Indian Creek Drive
Clarkston, GA 30021
404-297-9522 ext. 1265
770-815-7671 (cell)
footer
[Home Page]
[The
Automator]
[About]
[
Subscribe
]
[Contact
Us]