I have received several emails in the past 6 months looking for information on going back to college to complete a BA or BS degree, so I decided to post some basics.

First, there two major things you should know:

1. no college must accept any other college’s credits–it is up to each college to set their own criteria; and
2. most colleges don’t accept many credits 10 or more years old.

Several students (and staff) have most recently been taking classes at St. Mary’s (private colleges traditionally accept more credits than public colleges and are easier to get into). I transferred my tech college credits from Dunwoody (it was a diploma at that time) to Metropolitan State University. They were big into non-traditional students at that point in time. They still have a portion of the college that is pro-nontraditional, so that may be worth checking out. Your best bet is to search each college’s web site for non-traditional options, such as CLEP testing, Dantes testing (also known as DSST), Credit for life experience, etc. My husband earned most of his AS and BS degrees by these methods through Thomas Edison State College in New Jersey, but he took tests and a few courses at Metro State. Thomas Edison ‘banks’ credits, so you can earn credits numerous ways. The nice thing about testing is you only need to pass the test (many times 60% will do) to earn the credit for a course.

There are numerous online options. Virtual colleges such as Capella (my alma mater–in Minneapolis) and the University of Phoenix have been offering programs online a long time. In my experience, virtual colleges do it better than brick and mortar colleges simply because it is their specialty, but they are more expensive. You really must be able to motivate and manage yourself, and enjoy reading and writing to do well in an online class. I love learning that way, but many people do not. This site may be helpful: http://www.educationforadults.com/.

If you want to get a degree in engineering or architecture and have been working in that arena since graduating from NTI, be prepared to sell your past NTI education and your on-the-job knowledge to someone at the college you want to attend. Most 4-year programs in these fields are very particular about the classes students need and very distrusting of 2-year programs. Come prepared with a transcript, course descriptions, samples of your work, tests and a cross-referenced list that matches NTI courses with their’s. You need to convince them of course redundancy. If you are sure you know GD&T, for example, and they are still not convinced, ask to test out. Push as far as you can (in a professional manner of course) for the most credits you can get.

Another option is to become certified in your field. Some colleges recognize professional certifications and give college credit. You can become a certified drafter through ADDA. If you are in manufacturing or engineering, consider the Certified Manufacturing Technologist – CMfgT, the Certified Manufacturing Engineer – CMfgE, or the Certified Engineering Manager – CEM all available through SME.

These are a few options. If you have had success using any of these options or others, please share your wisdom by posting a reply to this message.

PT or FT Drafting/Design Instructors needed…

NTI is seeking instructors to facilitate continued growth generated by the demand for our graduates. We are in immediate need of experienced CADD users (AutoCad, Revit, SolidWorks, ProE) to facilitate workshops for HS students on Fridays, and will need by October 2007 (at the latest) a full-time architectural instructor and a full-time an engineering instructor to teach theory and lab classes, and write curriculum.

Applicants must have an AAS/AS in drafting/design, 3+ years exp in the field, strong CADD skills & proven communication skills. Management experience and a BA/BS are preferred.

Drafting/Design professionals who transition into teaching with the greatest success are those who are looking for something different, know their craft very well, have a breadth of experience, communicate very well, and want to share what they have learned with others.

Please email your resume with a cover letter explaining why you are interested in such a position to anelson at nti.edu.

Most students entering or graduating from high school have taken few if any courses in technology education, but they should!

Technology education is the study of the human ability to create and use tools to shape the natural environment to meet their needs (Wikipedia). Technology Education has evolved from Industrial Arts and Manual Training. Industrial Arts programs were also known as “shop classes”. Today, technology education students generally work in labs and perform laboratory-type activities, such as developing solar-powered race cars or designing bridges. It is problem-based learning that utilizes math, science and technology principles. Studies Involve:

* Designing, developing, and utilizing technological systems
* Open-ended, problem-based design activities
* Cognitive, manipulative, and effective learning strategies
* Applying technological knowledge and processes to real world experiences using up-to-date resources
* Working individually as well as in a team to solve problems

Although organizations such as the ITEA (International Technology Education Association), NASA, and the National Science Foundation are pushing for more hands-on, technology education courses to be integrated into the ‘normal’ high school curriculum, it is not occuring. If they do exist, they are electives that compete with the required curriculum.

Every year the list of required classes grows larger and funding for all courses seems to dwindle. Technology education classes often have material costs associated with them, so they tend to be one of the first electives cut. When the University first required a second langauage, for example, we watched technology education and “shop” classes get replaced by language classes at nearly every high school in the state. (Drafting, even though it is a language known world-wide, didn’t count as a language.)

It makes me wonder, what would happen if technology education classes were required in high school and our electives were reading, writing and arithmetic? Tell me what you think?

John Hartman, A.S., B.S., M.S.
Northwest Technical Institute

Second semester engineering students had the task of designing a kid’s car. The car had to weigh under 40 lbs, use purchased parts where possible, and have an organic skin (created using surfacing). The five designs, all in SolidWorks, were very different, and I believe should be shared. So, I am asking these students to share their designs here.

NTI grads end up going places and do things they never would have imagined. Paul Christensen, for example, who graduated from NTI when it was located in St. Louis Park became an instructor here for many years—he and I started teaching here at about the same time. He is now an engineering design consultant in Atlanta. Craig Hedstrom, who graduated about 15 years back hasn’t touched a CAD system in years. He’s been too busy managing projects for Honeywell.

We all have our stories to tell, how our lives have changed, where our ambitions have taken us. If you are interested in telling your story graduates, please do so by commenting to this blog.

As we listen to the political debate this fall it is difficult not to get caught up in the emotion that follows the poll results, the television and radio commercials, and now the debates.

Eventually, conservative, liberal and independent all starts to sound the same. Why must it all occupy so much of our time and our media?

Maybe the answer is because we are a democracy and maybe I will take the time today to thank God I am alive, filled with grace and that I live in a country that allows me to hear this healthy debate.

How does education play into all of this? Perhaps we should all remind ourselves that if we work in education that we not only have the right to express our opinions, we have the obligation to urge our students to enjoy and participate in the debate, no matter which side of the pendulum we swing too.

September 17^th was constitution day. A day when most educational institutions spend some time conveying the importance and the gift we all received on this day.

No matter how much we argue about the details of its meaning today, in the opinion of many, the Constitution signed in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787 represents the greatest expression of statesmanship and compromise ever written. In just four hand-written pages, the Constitution gives us no less than the owners’ manual to the greatest form of government the world has ever known.

The Federal Convention convened in the State House (Independence Hall) in Philadelphia on May 14, 1787, to revise the Articles of Confederation. Because the delegations from only two states were at first present, the members adjourned from day to day until a quorum of seven states was obtained on May 25. Through discussion and debate it became clear by mid-June that, rather than amend the existing Articles, the Convention would draft an entirely new frame of government. All through the summer, in closed sessions, the delegates debated, and redrafted the articles of the new Constitution. Among the chief points at issue were how much power to allow the central government, how many representatives in Congress to allow each state, and how these representatives should be elected–directly by the people or by the state legislators. The work of many minds, the Constitution stands as a model of cooperative statesmanship and the art of compromise.

Let’s take a few more moments as we head into this frenzy of modern day politics to appreciate our gift and get involved. You might just make history.

Keith A. Fossen
President NTI

Starting this Fall, we will be offering graduates free email for 5 years or until we reach capacity, which ever is the later. We will use this email address to communicate job postings, gather and share graduate statistics, gather and share programmatic feedback, and spread the latest news. Past graduates can request this service by contacting Amy Nelson. We need your first and last name, and month and year of graduation to set up an account.

I have interviewed numerous times–at least a dozen times that I remember. Some of the interviews were excellent (the interviewer made me want to work there), while others were bad (the interviewer had no idea how to interview). This promped the development of a tutorial many years ago, one I recently updated. It covers only the basics:http://www.nti.edu/Interviewing/

Although this tutorial is meant for interviewers, it can also help interviewees understand the types of questions interviewers may ask, as well as those that are illegal to ask.

Happy interviewing!