Alignment to the Ohio Manufacturing Competency Model
The skills and key competencies found in Embedded Systems and SMART Design course are strongly aligned with the Ohio Manufacturing Competency Model, especially the Electrical/Electronics strand, which focuses on technical competencies for designing, building, analyzing, and documenting electrical systems, PCBs, and embedded devices for manufacturing contexts.
Comparison Table
Performance Indicators Alignment
Create and Fabricate a Functional PCB: The Ohio standards expect students to design, construct, assemble, and test PCBs using CAM and EDA software and practical fabrication methods.
Implement Embedded Programming: Embedded programming and system integration directly map to the Digital Electronics strand, focusing on microcontroller architectures, coding, and logic functions.
Integrate Sensors and Actuators: Standards require learners to combine components per diagrams, flowcharts, and schematics to enable system functionality and data collection.
Generate Design Documentation: Documentation protocols, digital recordkeeping, and reflection are core to Ohio’s model, ensuring designs are reproducible, reviewable, and improve learning.
Skills Learned Alignment
Electrical CAD/PCB Design: Emphasizes use of EDA tools, safe component layout, wiring standards, and compliance with industry documentation and testing procedures.
Microcontroller Integration and Debugging: Ohio standards require system integration knowledge, schematic reading, pin and wiring assignment, and reliability testing.
Embedded Programming Fundamentals: Learners must understand microcontroller memory, programming environments, protocol literacy, and board-level communication.
Debugging and Documentation: The standards prioritize system-level debugging (both hardware and software), along with thorough documentation and design rationale for professional communication.
Ohio Model Key Themes for Electronics
Strand 2 (Electrical/Electronics): Circuit design, analysis, simulation, troubleshooting, fabrication, protection, and documentation.
Strand 5 (Design & Development): Schematic capture, board fabrication, and reporting processes.
Knowledge & Information: Digital documentation, communications, design records, and technical reflection.
Every listed electronics and embedded systems skill, competency, and performance indicator directly reflects a required technical content area in the Ohio Manufacturing Competency Model—providing learners with validated, employer-driven expertise for careers in advanced electronics and manufacturing.