Computer Integrated Technology and Its Influence on Engineering Technology Programs.

Traditional electronics engineering technology (EET) graduates have a broad and general background in EET, but they encounter difficulty when faced with the modern computerized working environment. The EET curriculum trains students to be broad-spectrum, general electronic technicians rather than specialized ones. EET graduates are competing in the job market with graduates from industrial technology programs who have an associate degree and training that emphasizes computer electronics technology and related topics. Traditional EET program graduates can be upgraded to a level of competence in networking through specialized computer-integrated technology (CIT) training in an additional summer quarter after receiving a traditional associate degree in EET. These graduates can take elective courses in the EET curriculum that are oriented toward the CIT area. Courses would meet the prerequisites in this area of specialized training. The student who wished to enter the CIT certificate program would take two pre-CIT courses in place of the two standard EET electives and new courses from the CIT curriculum. In addition, part of the material covered in the CIT area of study would overlap with existing EET courses. (Four figures are appended.) (YLB)