New Horizon Center for Transportation Technology

According to Bryan Aldbrecht, President of Gateway Technical College and the visionary behind the development of this amazing facility, the Horizon Center is:

"A world-class facility with unique conferencing capabilities, a technology infrastructure that is completely wireless and interactive with the worldwide web and an educational environment that is truly a model for the future."

Every student has their own wireless laptop computer and they can tap into the wireless network anywhere in the building. Technology is everywhere in the building, even if it can’t be seen. Instructors use it in many different ways to deliver a highly qualified, diversified education at the Horizon Center. Students can use their laptops in any part of the building to work their way through lessons, answer questions on simulator modules or do their homework. Instructors can pose questions at anytime in their lectures and have students respond within seconds using handheld remote response keypads. All the student’s responses are collected and stored in a central student database that can be accessed by the instructor for review and reporting.

At Gateway they have focussed on the development of “Smart Classrooms”. These combine new technology with old-fashioned hands-on learning. Two first floor classrooms offer a hands-on opportunity to learn from vehicle parts and systems put onto stands and rolled into the classroom. The second floor classroom combines the smart classroom with an LJ Autolab. This is our “Diagnostics Lab” and it is fully equipped with a complete range of Snap-on diagnostics tools and equipment. Students are able to work on the various Autolab units after they have followed a lecture given by the Instructor. Using their laptop computers, each student is able to follow an individualized program of instruction in a particular topic area such as OBDII diagnostics. The system has the ability to automatically insert faults into the panel trainers. This allows the student to use the appropriate snap-on test meter or scanner to diagnose the fault.

At Gateway Technical College they have one aim, to provide their students with the knowledge and skills needed to become one of the next generation of highly skilled auto technicians needed by the US auto industry. The key to developing a career in this new high-tech area is the ability to quickly and correctly diagnose faults in complex automotive systems. They partner with industry leaders Snap-on Tools in this area and are able to provide their students with access to the state-of-the-art test, measurement and diagnostic systems produced by Snap-on. Lead Instructor, and one of the first Auto Instructors in the Country to gain the new Snap-on certifications in diagnostics, Robert D Braun told us more.

"Our LJ Autolab represents the next generation of automotive training and complements our Snap-on facilities by providing students with an opportunity to use industry-standard equipment as part of their diagnostics training. We even have a resource area that supports general automotive systems training. This is available on a drop-in basis to Gateway students or to people already working in the automotive field who require a skills-update program.

To ensure that students have the required underpinning knowledge and basic skills in system test and measurement, we have created a unique automotive training facility. Using the latest computer-based learning materials, linked to computer simulations and real auto component trainers, we are able to deliver top-notch instruction within a three-tier framework for student learning:

• Lecture – learn through instructor presented lectures
• Simulation – learn through the trainer in the smart classroom
• Hands-on – apply what they’ve learned in the lab

The materials we have from LJ make this possible, without us having to do a lot of work. All the Autolab curriculum materials are computer-based and they enable paperless delivery and management of the learning. They even have the hands-on component that helps the students develop their practical diagnostics skills before they move out into the shop areas where they work on live vehicles.

There is nothing else like this. It really is at the cutting edge of automotive instruction. We also have an Internet-based component that allows students to access the materials on an anytime anywhere basis."

It’s not just the Instructors who are excited by the possibilities offered at Gateway, student Alex Diaz told us: "Its totally different here, we’ve got computers and all these trainers and tools like the Snap-on meters and scanners. It’s an excellent way to learn and is much better than just reading books. We have our own laptops so I can go home and study, so when I come in here I can get 100%!"

For students like Alex, the program at Gateway provides excellent opportunities. This unique facility gives the young people of south eastern Wisconsin access to a unique learning experience: one that will help them become the next generation of auto-technician capable of working on the very latest generation of state-of–the-art computer controlled vehicles.