Using the Computer to Recruit Auto Students At Kankakee Community College the instructor is the person primarily responsible for recruitment, and career center schools are the main source of new students. I have tried several methods of getting students’ attention when I visit with them in recruiting sessions that can last as long as two hours. | knew that I needed to impress students with Kankakee Commu- nity College and to talk about the advantages of attend- ing my college. This year | tried what has proven to be a very successful approach. What I discovered is that if you give them something to do while you are talking, they will more likely give you their attention. First, | have students complete a form on which they list their name, address, and presumed college major; then they check boxes to request additional informa- tion that they might want about my college. This form is not ordinary! Between the major sections of the form are statements about my college—such as, “Did you know that the Auto Mechanics certificate program takes only cight months to complete?” [ intend that students, in completing the form, get the first of several presentations about what I want them to know about my auto program. The entire process is a “soft sell.” After they fill out the survey form, I give them a shect that says, “Help Wanted: Auto Mechanic. Must be able to fix PFI, TBI, and DIS.” Following the “ad,” I list some of the advantages of my program—such as, the cost. Many times the students will ask what PFI, TBI, and DIS mean. This lack of definition on the ad sheet is deliberate because it sparks questions and discussion about the program. I tell them that DIS stands for dis- tributorless ignition system, which is a computer- controlled system with no moving parts, other than two magnets, that has taken the place of the old mechanical distributor. TBI is throttle body fuel injection, and PFI is port fuel injection. Once those questions are answered, | tell them that autos are computers with tires on them and that | will teach them a basic computer skill that they will be able to use when they own their own businesses (most incoming college freshmen dream of owning their own busi- nesses someday). Then I ask if anyone has prior computer experience. (The high school students to whom I speak fall into two categorics: the minority is computer literate; the majority has never touched a computer. The novelty of learning a little about computers makes this activity particularly exciting.) Those who do have prior Suanne D. Roueche, Editor October 13, 1989, Vol. XI, No. 23 : 2 Tre University of Texas at Austin, 1989 mher duplication 1s permitted by MEMBER 5: ts,ons for their own personnel 12 INNOVATION ABSTRACTS 1s a publicaton of the Nabonal Insitute for Staff and Organizational Develooment f EDB 348, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, (512) 471-7545 Subscriptions are avavab'e to rencors¢ tum members for $40 per year. Funding in part by the W.K. Kelicag Foundation and the Sid W. Rickarasor Fe Issued weekly when classes are in session during fall and spring terms and once during the summer. ISSN 0199-1004 experience are designated as the typists. The students are divided into equal-sized groups, using as many personal computers as the high school can spare. Each team is given a printed shect with the words and formulas that are to be entered into each cell of the spreadshect—developed for my Computerized Shop Management class. It is the first that the students study. It will calculate take-home pay (by entering the amount paid per hour), the number of hours worked, and the federal and state tax rates expressed as percent- ages. [ talk them through the entire spreadsheet, one step ata time. Then they get to play “what if” with the form. I have them give themselves a raise. | have them increase the tax rates. They can instantly see what would happen to their checks if these changes were made. (Many express surprise that so much money is being withheld as taxes!) Depending upon the time available, I have them use another spreadsheet to calculate a customer's bill. It will perform a financial analysis of the profitability of that bill—calculating the cost of rent, insurance, utilities, ete. When | have more time, | use a program that simulates an engine that continually breaks dawn. The object of this program is to drive the car, then diagnose and fix the failures while the program keeps track of the amount of money spent. (I use this program in my shop; and many students discover, in using that program, that they need more study. A variation within this program is a series of five cars that have increasing numbers of problems. The object is to fix all of the problems with the least expenditure of time and money.) The students have fun with these exercises. The computer is the “hook” to get their interest, and then | can promote my program. Terry Ristig, Coordinator, Auto Mechanics For further information, contact the author at Kankakee. Community College, P.O. Box 888, Kankakee, IL 60901- 0888.