The professor pinches and swipes the air in his office as he demonstrates the augmented reality headset.
The headset overlays an iridescent digital model of a building created by students of professor Emrah Kazan, associate professor of construction management technology, in the air above his desk. The extremely detailed model, which contains everything from furniture to texturing to plumbing, can be rotated and resized by the wearer of the headset.
The HoloLens headset is one of the digital technology tools students learn to use in the virtual design and construction certificate program.
This certificate program is one of the many added last fall to MCCC.
The ten new programs include certificates and degrees. The new associate degree programs are paralegal, data analytics, digital media marketing and communication, health sciences, health sciences psychology track and health sciences sociology track, according to MCCC’s website. It says the new certificate programs are construction management technology: virtual design and construction, digital media marketing and communication, emergency medical technician, and mechatronics.
Annee Marshall, a student in the paralegal program, said she was in the medical field and wanted to change careers at the beginning of 2024. She said she has always loved law and the legal industry; she knew she would both love and be good at it.
“I researched, you know, what colleges had the paralegal program and realizing that Monroe had just opened their paralegal program, I figured that it couldn’t be more of a perfect opportunity,” Marshall said. “Just, that was like my sign, like you know, I’m going to go and register for classes, so that’s what I did.”
Gage Blaisdell, another paralegal student, said he chose paralegal after looking at all of MCCC’s available programs. He said he liked the idea of studying law.
Blaisdell said he enjoys the ethical standards of the law industry.
Blaisdell said, “I like the idea of helping people doing stuff that is very complicated.”
Amanda Gregory, associate professor of paralegal, said the paralegal program is an associate degree program that will lead graduates to be job ready for the role of a paralegal or other paralegal related professions like legal assistant, legal researcher, or working for an insurance company.
Gregory said one of the reasons the paralegal program was created is because there is a large need for paralegals in the area. She said well-qualified paralegals are incredibly valuable.
She said the paralegal program has the potential to be engaged with and give back to the community.
“Once the program is fully up and running, we’re planning to start some volunteer programs that will directly benefit individuals in the community who need access to our services,” she said.
She said the program is a great opportunity for students who want to enter a career path that has some demand.
Beverly Tomek, dean of Humanities/Social Sciences and interim dean of Business, said data analytics is a growing field, which is related to computer science, and involves the analysis of information. She said the data analytics program teaches students to use information correctly to solve problems.
Tomek said the digital media degree and certificate programs combine communication skills and business studies to learn how to market things.
The health sciences associate of applied science degree program gives students a foundation in basic and health-related sciences, which can be useful for students working toward acceptance into a limited enrollment program or who want to transfer to a four-year college which offers a bachelor’s degree in applied health sciences, according to MCCC’s website.
It says the health sciences sociology track and psychology track transfer pathways are for students who want to transfer to a four-year college for a bachelor’s in health sciences with a concentration in one of the tracks.
Kazan said the digital design and construction certificate program prepares students for the new trends in construction.
He said they completely build a structure in a digital environment, including architecture, interior design, mechanical, electrical, structural and plumbing.
He said the course on building information modeling is what makes the certificate eligible.
Kazan said building information modeling has become a norm in the construction industry. He said, while blueprints are flat 2D drawings, in building information modeling everything is not only 2D but also 3D.
He said one of the technologies virtual design and construction students learn to use, HoloLens, allows students to see every aspect of a model before construction begins. He said they can view the model at a 1-to-1 scale allowing them to see exactly what it looks like on the construction site.
He said the virtual design side of the certificate is designing models and the construction side is checking all construction related issues, like structural conflict, using the design model. Kazan said this allows them to fix problems before they happen, preventing scheduling delays and cost overruns.
He said the goal of the certificate is to familiarize students with as many applicable technologies as possible, so they will be ready for employment when they graduate.
Kazan said it is a synchronous program which means its courses are available online but meet at regular times.
The emergency medical technician certificate program was made to prepare students to give care to patients in emergency situations through a comprehensive program of four courses, according to MCCC’s website.
Martin Dubois, professor of mechanical engineering technology, demonstrated a robotic arm which had been programmed by two students to rearrange small white pegs in slots on a black rectangular prism.
Dubois said mechatronics is a combination of two disciplines: electrical and mechanical.
“Robots are really the ultimate mechatronics because they have all the electronics in them and all the mechanical,” he said.
Dubois said mechatronics is mainly about machinery controls and systems controls; building, operating and maintaining them.
He said part of the reason the mechatronics certificate was created was to give apprentices the opportunity for a college certificate.
President Kojo Quartey said MCCC assesses the need for new programs in the community. He said MCCC also evaluates the interest among high school students and adults in entering a field.
“We survey how many jobs are available and how many also are contemplating going into that particular field,” Quartey said. “So on the basis of that we try to match them up.”
Grace Yackee, vice president of Instruction, said via email, input from faculty and program advisory committees made up of stakeholders including students, employers, and four-year colleges and universities help determine MCCC’s programming.
She said program and course activation go through MCCC’s Curriculum Committee, which is composed of faculty voting members and administrators. Finally, she said, all new programming is screened through MCCC’s institutional accrediting body, the Higher Learning Commission.
As far as future programs go, Yackee said MCCC is exploring an online health information management program. She said aviation and drone technology is also being considered, especially in relation to MCCC’s ag business/ag operations, criminal justice and surveying technology programming.
