Integrating Undergraduate Learning in Engineering and Business to Improve Manufacturing Education
This project aims to serve the national interest by improving undergraduate manufacturing education. Manufacturing contributes enormously to the U.S. and world economy, including through the creation of high-paying jobs. This project intends to improve manufacturing education by helping undergraduate students develop a system view of manufacturing. Successful delivery of a new product to market involves a series of steps that include design, construction, implementation, and management. Although companies understand this big picture, engineering and business graduates often fail to realize the connection between these key steps. This lack of understanding stems in part from the failure of undergraduate engineering and business education programs to connect these steps in their curricula.
To address this gap, this project will develop learning modules for different stages of product development that will emphasize the inter-dependencies between the stages of the product life cycle. Each learning module will include design, process, system, and business components and feature modeling, simulation-based learning, virtual reality, and hands-on experiences. These modules will be integrated into engineering (industrial, mechanical, and electrical) and business (management information science) courses. It is expected that this approach will enable students to better understand product manufacturing as an interdependent system, as well as improve problem-solving and decision-making skills.
Aqlan, F., DiFrancesca, D., Dunsworth, Q., Nikhare, C., Rasouli, M., & Swinarski, M., A Holistic Design Approach for Integrated Learning in Manufacturing Education. Paper presented at the ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, June 26-29, 2022. (best paper award)
