Faculty Professional Development in Design, Construction, Assembly and Analysis of a solid body electric guitar

Butler County Community College, Butler PA

Investigators

Abstract

This ATE professional development project is a collaboration between STEM faculty teams from Butler County Community College (Butler, PA), Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN), Sinclair Community College (Dayton, OH), Ventura College (Ventura, CA), College of the Redwoods (Eureka, Ca.), as well as high school STEM faculty in each of the states involved. Faculty teams at the respective locations are working together to design, build, and analyze solid body electric guitars as a means of learning applied concepts of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and as a means of understanding product lifecycle management. This experience is providing teachers and students an accurate simulation of the collaborative design and rapid manufacturing processes routinely used in business and industry. Over 150 STEM faculty members from high schools and community colleges are participating in an intense five-day Summer Professional Development Program and are having extensive academic year follow-up activities. The teacher participants are using these processes and simulations in their classrooms to enhance the STEM laboratory learning experience. Nearly 5000 students are learning about cross-disciplinary STEM problem solving that is becoming increasingly important for new design technicians to experience. An external evaluator is examining the professional development activities for their effectiveness. The results and lessons learned from the project are being disseminated through presentations at local, regional, or national conferences of professional associations. All lessons and laboratory activities are being made available through self-contained portable curriculum kits. Selling the guitars for more than the guitar kits cost is providing the means for sustaining this activity. Project information is being made available through the website http://www.guitarbuilding.org/, which is being hosted by the Manufacturing Education Resource Center (MERC) at Sinclair Community College.