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TMCNet: New Technology Courses Offered at OJC This Fall

[August 17, 2010]

New Technology Courses Offered at OJC This Fall

(Targeted News Service Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) LA JUNTA, Colo., Aug. 16 -- Otero Junior College issued the following news release: Otero Junior College will be offering a number of new programs and courses this fall that will lead the way to new technology careers.


New to the college this fall will be Mechanical Graphics and Design, a program of study that builds foundational design skills for a broad range of industrial careers. At the core of the program will be training in the latest 3-D CADD SolidWorks software program. According to Ralph Newby, instructor for the program, SolidWorks is the premier design software being utilized today by industry to design and develop products and machines.

Newby explained that students can complete a one-year certificate program in Mechanical Graphics and Design by taking two classes during Fall Semester and two classes during Spring Semester. They can return for a second year to earn an Advanced Mechanical Graphics and Design certificate.

"The method of instructional delivery for this program is going to be in a unique format that we hope will allow people who are working to have the opportunity to enroll in the program without missing too much work. Students will not attend class in a traditional setting; instead, they will have access to an open lab where they can come and go during the day with full access to the instructor. Students will also have the opportunity to load the SolidWorks software program on their home computers and utilize training videos at home or in our open lab," explained Newby.

Newby stressed that the program is not a self-study program; rather it allows students to work at their own pace under the direction of the instructor, with specific goals and schedules that must be met.

As students complete their first semester of training and start to become proficient with the operation of SolidWorks, they will then have the opportunity to convert their computer generated designs to computer code. The code, Computer Numerical Control (CNC), is the interface that provides instructions for numerous industrial machines such as plasma cutters, routers and mills.

"Before we send the design code to our CNC mill or router for production of the actual object, we will first print out a 3-D prototype of the design on a specialized 3-D printer," said Newby. "The resulting object will be made of a hard material that will look and function just like the final product. This will give students an opportunity to see if their design works as it was intended to work or if there are design flaws that can be corrected." Not only will students at OJC be able to enroll in the program, students from La Junta High School and Crowley County High School will also have an opportunity to enroll in the program.

Another high demand field in technology is computer networking, maintenance and security. To help train technicians in that field, OJC will be offering Intro to Networking, Computer Networking Lab, Microcomputer Hardware, and Network Security Fundamentals this fall. These courses will apply to the Computer and Network Technician Certificate.

"Computer and network technicians are expected to be among the fastest growing occupations," said Newby. In order to maintain a competitive edge and operate more cost effective, businesses will continue to demand computer networking professionals who are knowledgeable in the latest technologies." Also available in the technology area are Web Development courses. The courses offered this fall includes: Web Editing Tools, Digital Art Foundations, Computer Science (Java programming) and Introduction to E-Commerce. This course of study provides tools used for designing and building web pages that are easy to use and have a pleasing look. The student will develop web pages using a web page development program.

Introduction to E-Commerce is another technology course offered this fall that will provide an introduction to electronic commerce, the business trend of the future. The course will cover the definition of e-commerce, technology and software requirements, security issues, electronic payment and marketing strategies. The course will also focus on what to expect when creating a dot com as well as the business-to-business use of e-commerce.

For the first time, Macintosh (MAC) computers will make an appearance at OJC. Mark Allen, IT director at OJC, will be teaching Introduction to Multimedia, utilizing MAC computers. This course will introduce the types of equipment and technical considerations used in multimedia productions and the multimedia professions. The course focuses on current types of equipment such as scanners, printers, digital cameras and computers. Students gain hands-on experience in how the technology is utilized for input and output in production and design projects. An overview of software and basic design principles will also be explored.

Introduction to PC Applications is still a popular course, and will once again be offered this fall. This course introduces basic computer terminology, file management, and PC system components. The course will provide an overview of office application software including word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and presentation graphics. Students will also gain experience using a web browser to access the Internet.

Fall Semester at OJC begins on Monday, August 23. For more information about any of the technology programs and courses at OJC, or to enroll, contact the OJC Student Services Center at 719-384-6831 or contact Ralph Newby, at 719-384-6853.

TNSC-PreetiSi 97 100817-mv45-2957260 61MarlynVitin (c) 2010 Targeted News Service

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