Progress continues within the biomedical equipment technology department at Texas State Technical College. Equipment is being shuffled around. Classrooms are being remodeled and changed. Classes are being aligned and changed. In short, times are tough. Hopefully, the dawn comes soon. I sometimes get a bit frustrated.
Let me explain. Somewhere, someone had a vision about a year or so ago and set the wheels of change in motion. First, the Waco campus library was permanently closed last year. The thought was that none of the students use it. So, it was converted to classroom and lab space. I have since heard many students complain about not having a library on campus. They say the only place they can study is in their cars. Quiet space is at a premium around here.
True, not many students check out books to read (or so I thought) and many periodicals are online. However, many of them used the library and some have asked about the copies of TechNation and other periodicals that we keep in our department. They like the print!
Next, our building is being renovated. All of our equipment is being shuffled around and the temporary labs we are using do not have enough electrical outlets (one on each wall). This was not well thought out. To make things worse, the boiler is out and has been for a month. We are using rental heaters in the classrooms. Good thing subfreezing days are not that frequent in Texas. Since the current labs are temporary, not much effort is being made to correct the conditions.
During renovations, recruiting is more difficult. Potential students coming through to tour the program are not impressed with the lack of organization and seeing equipment stacked in various places. It sort of reminds people of a warehouse. I am sure we have lost potential students because of the chaos.
The vision is that there will be many more customized laboratories for our program and more newer equipment. I have heard the plans, and that part is definitely exciting. Getting there is the tough part. Delays in construction because of weather, lack of workers and unforeseen circumstances all have me wondering if the vision will still be achieved by the projected completion date. Like any “well-planned” project, I doubt it. But the goal, is for everything to be in place by the end of 2024.
Classes between campuses are being aligned so that each class is exactly the same at both campuses. That seems like a good idea except that not all of the equipment is the same and not every instructor wants to use the same exact material. However, in the end, this will probably make it easier for everyone. I am hoping the content becomes more stringent and not watered down so that one size fits all. However, I miss being able to change content on the fly as situations and conditions change without having to go through three layers of approval.
I miss the direct involvement we as faculty had with students during the advisement process. Every semester, students sat down with advisors who were faculty members in the department and planned their next semester or even their next couple of semesters. We knew their progress and their daily life challenges because we worked with them every day. Now, we have a separate department for advising.
We have always had a career services department here at the school, but most of the placement takes place through the department since faculty members usually have more contacts in the industry. We will continue to help students with placement.
Lastly, recruiting has always been an issue. In the past, our department took part in “road shows” where different programs at the college would set up in high schools around the state. That seemed to work well, and we gained many students from the road shows. At the present time, we are a bit undermanned in the department and the road shows have been discontinued for. Hopefully, we can get something similar going again soon.
All in all, the future is still bright. The temporary problems are just lasting much longer than I would like. On the bright side, we have two new faculty members directly from the field who are going to be superstars. They are enthusiastic, very knowledgeable and the students love them.
On a separate note, I have recently accepted a part-time, remote position with Texas A&M-Commerce as an adjunct faculty member in their competency-based Organizational Leadership Program. This program, and others in that department, will provide our students and other biomeds working in the field, an excellent opportunity to continue their education and earn a four-year degree remotely, while continuing to work and earn experience. Many of their credits from TSTC will transfer easily. Check them out at: tamuc.edu/college-of-innovation-and-design/#tamuc-section-74622.