CA2VES – Center for Aviation and Automotive Technology Education using Virtual E-Schools

EducateWorkforce.com Enhances the Talent Pipeline

Through its online learning platform, EducateWorkforce.com, CA2VES has impacted more than 1,500 students nationally. Recent research studies indicate that CA2VES’s digital learning tools positively impact student learning.

As of April 2015, the platform supported 140 virtual reality (VR) modules and digital learning tools used by students in 23 states. This reach has sparked partnerships with ATE centers, such as CAAT and FLATE, to create and disseminate high-impact VR modules and courses for two-year colleges. The capacity to create, disseminate, and research the effectiveness of VR on technician education sets CA2VES apart as a resource that two-year college faculty can explore to equip their students.

CA2VES Seeks to Redefine Advanced Technological Education

Since the center’s origination, CA2VES has built a network of 150+ collaborators spanning education, industry, and government who have helped it pioneer the use of VR in technician education. The center’s inhouse experts have worked with industry and two-year colleges to design, develop, and implement high-end VR to support technician education needs. These VR simulations can be accessed 24-7 through CA2VES’s online platform, EducateWorkforce.com. Students experience hands-on interaction with virtual equipment without the cost of physical equipment. Additionally, CA2VES engages in rigorous, evidence-based research about the impact of VR in technician education and the use of materials by affiliates.

CA2VES’s leaders realize the importance of a diverse, qualified workforce. Consequently, the center pursues efforts to develop an advanced manufacturing talent
pipeline through sustainable pathways and outreach campaigns that reach underserved populations. Combining outreach initiatives and the research and development of VR learning tools helps the center’s personnel understand the broader impacts of innovations in teaching and learning, as well as technology integration and workforce development. Based on their findings, CA2VES and its partners intend to redefine advanced technological education.