Courses aimed at non-traditional students
The FHTC Staff
Originally published 01:21 p.m., June 27, 2008
Updated 01:21 p.m., June 27, 2008
Non-traditional teaching methods and courses offered during non-traditional times are gaining popularity at Flint Hills Technical College. “We recognize that the increasing gas prices will have an impact on our students,” said Steve Loewen, dean of instructional services. “We are creating courses and programs online so that our students don’t have to travel to campus to complete their training.
The power plant technology program will be taught on-line beginning this fall. A majority of the classes will be available to students on-line with minimal on-campus attendance. Students gain technical knowledge that prepares them for advanced training and qualification at nuclear, fossil fuel and other types of electrical power generating facilities. Courses include physics, work performance and industrial safety, tools and scaffolding, power plant equipment fundamentals, water chemistry & control properties of materials, electrical fundamentals and equipment, rigging and lift equipment, heat transfer and fluid flow, introduction to power plant systems and introduction to print reading. Edison Electric Institute industry testing for both operations and maintenance is offered on a voluntary basis.
The majority of courses in the business administrative technology program are also being offered online. Students will gain hands-on training along with work experience. Courses include software programs, 10-key calculator/keypad, accounting, office publications, office technologies & procedures, technical writing, keyboarding, supervision, transcription, Microsoft Office certification and records control. Specialized training includes administrative assistant, legal assistant/paralegal, medical transcription, financial assistant, Microsoft Office user specialist, and medical billing & coding.
In addition to online classes, programs are also being offered in the late afternoon or evening to accommodate full-time employees who need additional training. Depending on the demand, classes can also be offered throughout the year at a variety of times to meet student’s needs.
The machine tool technology program is offering two evening courses for students that have completed the machine tool technology technical certificate or for employees that have one year of training working in the machining field. Conversational Lathe Programming will be taught on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 8 p.m. starting September 15 and ending Oct. 8 and an Introduction to Mastercam 2-D class will be offered Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 8 p.m. beginning Oct. 20 and ending Nov. 12. Each class is two credit hours.
The conversational lathe programming class will include operation and programming of a conversational Mazak lathe. Students will learn to home the machine, do preventive maintenance, set zero, set tool length, and program at the work center with the Mazak conversational programming package. In Introduction into MasterCam 2-D students will use MasterCam computer-aided programming to generate programs for the Haas milling center and the Mitsubishi milling center. Students will learn to develop setup sheets, tool sheets, and the ability to produce a program that future operators can run and understand.
Students needing more information or needing to enroll can contact Flint Hills Technical College at 343-4600 or 800-711-6947 or visit the website at www.fhtc.edu.