Faculty Development in Collaborative Design and Rapid Tooling and Manufacturing

Sinclair Community College, Dayton OH

Investigators

Abstract

New design technicians need experience in Collaborative Design and Rapid Tooling and Manufacturing processes. In this project, faculty from community colleges engage in hands-on learning that is resulting in curriculum enhancements and improved student learning back on their home campuses. This project provides comprehensive professional development on collaborative Design and Rapid Tooling and Manufacturing for engineering and design technology faculty. During the summers of 2005 and 2006, engineering faculty members are participating in Summer Institutes offered concurrently in Dayton. OH and Ventura, CA in the two tracks. Web-based discussion groups and dissemination activities are designed to support faculty as they implement the curricular material presented in workshops. A unique feature is that the Dayton and Ventura workshops are held simultaneously permitting real-time cross-continental faculty collaboration. Faculty can e-mail files to Sinclair to produce parts during what would normally be downtime of its rapid prototyping equipment. Each year 40 engineering technology faculty members (20 in Dayton and 20 in Ventura) participate in each of the two tracks. Faculty teams in Ohio and California collaborate as industrial design teams via the Internet to design parts and use rapid prototyping technologies to manufacture the parts. This experience provides an accurate simulation of the Collaborative Design and Rapid Tooling and Manufacturing processes routinely used in business and industry. Participating faculty use the processes and simulations in their classrooms to enhance the laboratory components. The project recruits faculty who are from underserved populations and who teach at institutions with large numbers of underserved populations. Faculty participants are expected to infuse curriculum improvements developed during the Summer Institutes, providing underserved students with cutting-edge learning opportunities. All lessons and laboratory experiences created through the project are posted to the project web site.