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Session 2563

Manufacturing Enterprise Company: Integration of curriculum and industry

Scott Danielson, Russel Biekert, Alvin Post, Scott Almen, Norbert Richter

Arizona State University East / OmniMount Inc.

Abstract

Historically, Manufacturing Engineering Technology curricula offer courses on a semester basis with limited connections between subjects. Individual course requirements restrict student problem-solving experiences and students are often unable to synthesize material from different courses when solving multifaceted problems. This paper describes the Manufacturing Enterprise Company (MECO) and illustrates a sample project. MECO is a curriculum construct joining subject matter in multiple courses over a four-semester sequence by introducing a large problem to be solved by collaboration. Through this integration, the overall function of a manufacturing engineer is better understood by the students. The MECO construct puts course content with context, and infuses it with a problem-solving atmosphere requiring exercise of communications skills.

Introduction

It is often taken as conventional wisdom that today’s students have difficulty cooperating, thinking critically, dealing with innovations, and skillfully solving problems. Unfortunately, faculty often fail to take the broad view of the educational process, too often falling into the mind set described below. Faculty members pay attention to their individual courses, departments to their majors, and students to their choice of electives; but few persons, and sometimes none, pay attention to the overall enterprise1.

As early as 1935, a study for the National Personnel Service ranked methods and devices of instruction on the basis of effectiveness. Having two or more instructors responsible for class instruction and activity was among the top ranked methods for improving university classroom teaching2. Team teaching can also apply to a cluster course model where team teaching refers to faculty efforts coordinating separate courses in different content areas. Courses arranged in a cluster relate to a topic and develop different aspects of that topic. Collaboration through team teaching provides a method through which faculty can discuss ideas and concerns. Discussions of course content and perspectives nurture new ideas. Students reap benefits as well by seeing the “connectedness” of knowledge.

Proceedings of the 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition © 2003, American Society for Engineering Education

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Danielson, S., & Almen, S., & Biekert, R., & Richter, N., & Post, A. (2003, June), Manufacturing Enterprise Company: Integration Of Curriculum And Industry Paper presented at 2003 Annual Conference, Nashville, Tennessee. 10.18260/1-2--11710