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1. (Mt) – Lab Planning and Management 1 page Summary (TEE)
3 Facilities Planning Keeping up with technological advances in an occupational training
program is not a matter of choice for instructors and ad- ministrators. It is a necessity!
Educational/ training institutions can not prepare per- sons for today’s jobs with
yesterday’s in- struments, equipment, and facilities. *From the occupational/technical point
of view, keeping the lab up to date is the re- sponsibility of the person most knowledge- able
in the occupational specialty—the in- structor. From a realistic perspective, the instructor’s
influence in gaining adminis- trative approval for modernization projects requiring financial
resources appears lim- ited. However, active, functioning occupa- tional advisory
committees, representing business and industry expertise as well as the tax-paying citizens,
have great power with school governing boards and adminis- trations. It is highly beneficial
for instruc- tors to play active roles in their instruc- tional program’s advisory committees,
so- licit their suggestions regarding the ade- quacy of the occupational program, and enlist
their support for needed facility changes. At some time, most instructors of occu- pational
subjects become involved in labo- ratory planning. Such involvement ranges from
alterations of existing facilities to assistance in planning new laboratories To Q become
effective members of a laboratory planning team, instructors must understand educational
specifications, the laws gov- erning public school buildings, and mod- ern trends and
practices in educational fa- cility construction. This chapter will pro- vide an overview of the
essential elements of facility planning, and should assist sub- ject-matter experts and
occupational in- structors in developing an optimum facility for learning and skill
development. Strategy for Galning Administrative Approval of Facility Modernization
Preliminary Assessment. Any plan for changing an existing lab should be pre- ceded by an
assessment of the existing facility, the physical environment and equipment needed to
conduct the occupa- tional program, including 1. Conformity to local, state, and fed- eral
health and safety regula- tions 2. Provisions for exhaust, ventila- tion, acoustics, and
illumination 3. Logical arrangement for instruc- tion and lab management 26 Managing the
Occupational Education Laboratory t I I 4. Facility accessibility for handi- capped students 5.
Storage space for equipment, in- structional materials, and sup- plies 6. Safe traffic-flow
patterns 7. Similarity to labs/work stations found in the occupations repre- sented 8.
Equipment and supplies adequate for the tasks identified for the program 9. Elimination of
sex and race bias 10. Availability of appropriate in- structional materials 11. Sound and light
control for use of multimedia 12. Space for instructor work center 13. Locker space for all
students 14. Utility connections (adequate power, water, gas, etc.) The preliminary

2. assessment of the exist- ing facility should lead to a memorandum from the instructor to the
department head or other immediate supervisor with a sketch or floor plan of the proposed
changes. The memo should include an outline of the changes, their justification, and a
request for administration reactions concerning their feasibility. It is usually the depart-
ment head’s responsibility to communicate such requests from the faculty to princi- pals,
deans, or directors. Needless to say, clear-cut well written communications from the faculty
are essential. Without sufficient justification it is difficult for a department head to promote
a facility improvement plan. Initial discussions with supervisors and administrators
regarding the proposed changes may be helpful, but such discus- sions do not eliminate the
need for written justification of the plan. Copies of the memorandum of justification are
transmit- ted by the administration to other depart- ments and personnel who may be
affected in some manner by the proposed facility changes. The administration will closely
scrutinize those aspects of the plan that may have adverse consequences on other
instructional programs or are in conflict with the institution’s philosophy or operat- ing
policies. Lack of funds or funding sources can obviously also be a serious obstacle. The
proposed facility changes may also affect the institution’s maintenance department (plant
operations) in numerous ways, such as work schedules, skilled worker availability, utility
(power, com- pressed air, gas, water, etc.) limitations, budget constraints, and engineering
prob- lems. Formal Improvement Plan Re- quest. Based on the responses of admin- istrators
and the affected departments, in- structors modify their initial moderniza- tion plans. The
revised plan takes into con- sideration the concerns and objections raised during the
preliminary assessment phase. In addition to the above, the formal improvement-plan
request must address any other factors not dealt with in the prelimi- nary plan. Essentially,
the instructor takes a very close, second look at his plan, and makes certain that the
proposed facility revision will bring about genuine improve- ment in his/her instructional
program. The following facilities checklist should be help- ful at this stage: 1. Adequate
space for anticipated number of students 2. Sufficient space between work stations and
equipment 3. Adequate traffic lanes 4. Adequate areas for both group and individualized
instruction 5. Appropriate instructional re- source center 6. Appropriate assembly or fabri-
cation areas 7. Ancillary outdoor areas 8. Sufficient number of work sta- tions 9. Chalkboard
10. Bulletin board 11. Display area 12. Nonbearing-wall partitions 13. Storage space for
supplies 14. Storage space for instruments, tools, and portable equipment I Q a Facilities
Planning 27 15. Adequate acoustic control 16. Adequate illumination for pro- jected
activities 17. Adequate ventilation for pro- jected activities 18. Appropriate flooring for pro-
jected activities 19. Adequate cleanup, sanitation, and waste disposal facilities 20. Adequate
utility connections (electricity, gas, compressed air, water, etc.) 21. Instructor’s work and
study area 22. Provision for use of multimedia 23. Provisions for handicapped stu- dents 24.
Overall safe environment. The references and readings at the end of this chapter represent a
high degree of ex- pertise in various phases of facility plan- ning. Those desiring more
detailed informa- tion on selected facilities-planning topics should consult these sources
from such re- search organizations as The Center for Vo- cational and Technical Education
(now The Center for Education and Training for Em- ployment), The Ohio State
University;Edu- cational Facilities Laboratories, Inc., New York; and the Bureau of Research

3. and De- velopment, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. tively inactive, short
time periods are rec- ommended. For example, a presentation on the Occupational Safety
and Health Act to several classes is a reaction learning activ- ity involving a large number of
students. Small-group discussions, not exceeding 15 persons, characterize interaction
learning. The learners participate as both speakers and listeners. Student laboratory
activities fall into the category of action learning and may be planned for groups or
individuals. The tendency in many occupational edu- cation programs is to concentrate on
action learning and neglect reaction and interac- tion learning activities. Frequently, reac-
tion and interaction facilities are limited or reduced for economic reasons. When con-
struction funds are reduced, the classrooms in occupational education are more likely to be
cut back than the laboratory facilities. Skill development must have specialized housing,
while lectures and discussions can be handled, although inefficiently, in make- shift spaces.
However, future facilities should have adequate reaction and interac- tion learning areas.
Meckley, Valentine, and Conrad (1972) suggest that fʻif learning activities in any
occupational program are broken down into the modes of learning, it will be noted that
reaction and interaction spaces are the same regardless of the occupational area.” Pro-
viding some joint lecture and meeting rooms for related programs will better utilize avail-
able space. @#3 Basic Facility considerations Occupational education facility require- ments
depend on two factors: first, the time devoted to specialized laboratory learning; second, the
degree of multipurpose use for the instructional areas. A classroom serv- ing a cluster of
laboratories for different subject areas would be considered a typical multipurpose facility.
Generally, learning is divided into three types: reaction learning, interaction learn- ing, and
action learning (Meckley, Valen- tine, & Conrad, 1972) An reaction learning students listen,
observe, and take notes. Group size need not be limited since the number of students has
little effect on the learning experience if appropriate instruc- tional aids are used. Since
students are rela- Cluster Grouping The following cluster listing includes the major current
occupational education categories. Terminology may vary slightly from region to region,
and some of the categories may be combined differently, but, overall, the list includes the
existing occupational program areas: 1. Business Services 2. Child, Geriatric, and
Handicapper Care 3. Electronics and Electromechan- #2 Q 오 ics 4. Graphics/Visual Imaging
it Managing the Occupational Education Laboratory A 상 + Second Edition Revised and
Updated George Storm Prakken Publications, Inc. #3 9. Agriculture and Natural Re-274
nance 5. Heating, Ventilation, Air Con- cation curricula, under the cluster system, ditioning,
and Refrigeration (En- combine instructional programs for related ergy Management)
occupations./A typical cluster-grouped 6. Health Occupations laboratory includes work
stations and equip- 7. Production/Manufacturing Quizz ment for the major occupations of
the clus- 8. Marketing ter. For example, a health occupations labo- ratory may include dental
chairs, hospital sources beds, medical examination areas, and medi- 10. Transportation
Mechanics and cal laboratory facilities. The health occu- Repair pations lab functions
satisfactorily as a 11. Construction/Building Mainte- multipurpose setting because its work
is relatively quiet and clean. 12. Drafting and Design The multiuse laboratory can be the
cen- 13. Food Services ter of the office management department. 14. Protective
Services/Law En- Microcomputers, printers, calculators, tran- forcement scribers, cassette

4. players, copiers, text ed- iting equipment, etc., may be located in 15. Textiles and Home
Furnishings 16. Personal Services this facility. In addition, equipment located in a school
resource center can also be used The following are three models for space- sharing cluster
facilities (Educational Fa- for office management courses when regu- lar facilities are
overcrowded and funds are cilities Laboratory, 1973): 1. The Magnet Model groups disci-
not available for facility additions. Office plines which can share equipment, management
laboratories are designed to physical space, and learning ex- serve the needs of the
curriculum. Curricu- periences around their common lum design is based on community
needs features. For example, the materi- assessment. This identifies which occupa- als
testing laboratory can serve tional focuses (administration support, ac- the metallurgy, civil
engineering, counting, business enterprise, etc.) should and machine-tool technology be
emphasized. Once a determination of laboratories. occupational focus has been made,
appro- 2. The Spin-Off Model expands ex- priate classroom/lab layouts can be recom- isting
facilities to accommodate mended for administrative approval and additional new
programs. For ex- funding. ample, a commercial photography The cluster grouping concept
allows the program using the darkroom fa- student to explore a broad occupational cilities
of the existing graphic arts field initially and later concentrate in a laboratory may be added
to the more specialized occupation. Typically, curriculum. students concentrate in such
occupational 3. The Hybrid Spin-Off/Magnet Model provides facilities for a new cluster
programs as health occupations, program while drawing elements building trades,
horticulture, manufactur- from several existing ones. For ing, and visual communications to
become instance, a woodworking labora- familiar with all common occupations tory may be
combined with elec- within their clusters. They enroll in first- trical, sheet metal, masonry,
and year introductory courses where they are plumbing laboratories to add a new program
in building construc- tion. E a E ti a SE fi T te to T SC la exposed to the work, tools,
instruments, and equipment of each field. In the second year, they concentrate on a favored
occu- pational specialty within the cluster and learn specific job skills. The facility for the
occupational specialty may be a separate un Cluster grouping has special significance at the
secondary level. Occupational edu-