Foundation coalition strategies in manufacturing education

The main thrusts of the NSF sponsored Foundation Coalition are: (1) use of teaming in the classroom, (2) use of cooperative learning, (3) use of technology in the classroom, and (4) development of new assessment and evaluation tools. This presentation will address the application of the Foundation Coalition strategies to a course in manufacturing systems modeling. The course is a required senior level course for all industrial engineers. The presentation will show how teaming and cooperative learning techniques have been used effectively to enhance the learning experience of students. Experiences using innovative [and controversial] classroom evaluation techniques such as team exams, homework defenses, student portfolios, and academic journals will also be addressed. Also, the use of a process journal to monitor the teaming experience of students is presented as the basis for effective evaluation of teams. As part of the effective use of technology, this presentation will demonstrate how electronic mail and computer simulation models are used to enhance the classroom experience. The presentation will summarize over two years of experience in the evolution of the manufacturing systems modeling course.

Foundation coalition strategies in manufacturing education Conference Paper