Asee peer logo

Program Assessment Using Six Sigma Green Belt Certification Requirements

Download Paper |

Conference

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Seattle, Washington

Publication Date

June 14, 2015

Start Date

June 14, 2015

End Date

June 17, 2015

ISBN

978-0-692-50180-1

ISSN

2153-5965

Conference Session

Supply Chain and Logistics in Manufacturing Education

Tagged Division

Manufacturing

Page Count

11

Page Numbers

26.1260.1 - 26.1260.11

DOI

10.18260/p.24597

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/24597

Download Count

552

Request a correction

Paper Authors

biography

Christopher P. Pung Grand Valley State University

visit author page

Dr. Pung has interests in experiential learning, design processes and student teams.

visit author page

biography

Hugh Jack Grand Valley State University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0003-4299-8561

visit author page

Dr. Jack is a professor of Product Design and Manufacturing Engineering at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, MI. His interests include robotics, automation, and design.

visit author page

Download Paper |

Abstract

Title: Program Assessment Using Six Sigma Green Belt Requirements   Abstract: Manufacturing oriented programs shape industrial practices through educated graduates. In turn manufacturing educators look to practice for opportunities to refine and improve curriculum. Generally academic programs are the source of formal curriculum and assessment. Occasionally industry develops certification standards with a practical focus on applied theoretical knowledge. The majority of these certifications focus on problems shared by most manufacturers. Popular certification subjects include project management, manufacturing efficiency, and manufacturing quality.  The Six Sigma body of knowledge was originally developed by Motorola in 1986. It addressed manufacturing quality issues by integrating statistical tools with engineering and management practices. The certification process is based on increasingly difficult training and application of the principles. As professionals gain expertise they are awarded levels that include Yellow, Green, Black Belts, eventually leading the the Champion designation. Reviewing the curriculum for this program shows a great deal of traditional academic content integrated with business practices. In short, much of the standard manufacturing engineering academic content is in the certification. But, the organization of the standard is not well aligned with academic subjects. If anything the Six Sigma content appears as curriculum threads, as opposed to course sequences.  Industry and academic discussions are often hampered by different interpretations and views of manufacturing engineering knowledge. The Six Sigma certification standard provides a basis for communication. The key areas of the standard are Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control. This paper maps a manufacturing engineering program to the Six Sigma green belt standard. The map shows that programs generally deliver essential statistical methods and content. Other topics in the standard, such as ‘Piloting your solution’, are more suited to experiential activities in laboratories and projects. The outcome of the paper is an indication of how the standard manufacturing curriculum supports the Six Sigma standard. In addition, the paper will highlight aspects of the standard that do not require the addition of new courses but can enhance traditional topic coverage.   

Pung, C. P., & Jack, H. (2015, June), Program Assessment Using Six Sigma Green Belt Certification Requirements Paper presented at 2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Seattle, Washington. 10.18260/p.24597

ASEE holds the copyright on this document. It may be read by the public free of charge. Authors may archive their work on personal websites or in institutional repositories with the following citation: © 2015 American Society for Engineering Education. Other scholars may excerpt or quote from these materials with the same citation. When excerpting or quoting from Conference Proceedings, authors should, in addition to noting the ASEE copyright, list all the original authors and their institutions and name the host city of the conference. - Last updated April 1, 2015