The goal of this project is to develop an instructional model and learning modules for the materials and manufacturing curriculum in Green Plastics Manufacturing Technology (GPMT). This technology encompasses a range of practices from the research and development of non-toxic, eco-friendly materials to the reduction of waste and elimination of pollution through changing patterns of production and consumption. The major activities of this project include enhancing five core courses through Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry-Learning, creating student research projects, updating the plastics laboratory, and placing students in cooperative education positions. The project team is making efforts to attract women and minorities to the manufacturing program by incorporating GPMT into the program and focusing on its social benefits. The project team is also making efforts to reach out to secondary school students to stimulate their interests in eco-friendly technology and its environmental impacts.
Plastics manufacturing technology is a multidisciplinary field that deals with product design, prototyping and modeling, production and process design, materials testing and characterization, process automation and robotics, and quality control. "Green Plastics Manufacturing Technology (GPMT)" is an emerging discipline that encompasses a range of activities, such as research and development of non-toxic and eco-friendly materials to the reduction of waste and pollution through changing patterns of production and consumption. The primary goal of the project was to transform the exiting materials and manufacturing curriculum to keep pace with the new green technologies in the manufacturing and mechanical engineering technology (MMET) programs at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). The major activities were focused not only on developing an instruction model and a core curriculum in the materials and manufacturing technology curriculum, but also on implementing new active learning modules and promoting undergraduate scholarship in undergraduate education - "Green Plastics Manufacturing Technology (GPMT)" - that will serve as a successful national model to prepare students for careers in green technology. The GPMT education was to be utilized by the new, improved approach of "Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry-Learning" (POGIL), a research-based learning environment where students work in learning-teams to acquire knowledge and develop an understanding through guided inquiry for GPMT practices. The students could acquire key processing skills as they learned the discipline’s content. Hands-on practice was critical to students' willingness to implement new instructional strategies into the classroom activities. Also, the team-based research projects provided exposure to Green Plastics Manufacturing Technology (GPMT) by guided inquiry learning approaches. Formative and summative surveys were performed to evaluate various activities in the classrooms and laboratories. The results of the students’ responses in the surveys indicated strong/ positive perceptions and attitudes for the new instructional model and designed curriculum modules in the GPMT education. Undergraduate research scholarship and co-op activities allowed students to experience the excitement of creating new knowledge, developing critical thinking skill, solving cutting-edge problems and developing new insights in the green plastics manufacturing technology (GPMT). We provided research opportunities for undergraduate students to develop depth of knowledge and skills through projects and hands-on laboratory experiences in the field of green plastics manufacturing technology (GPMT). The undergraduate scholars continued to present their findings and works in professional conferences and participated in RIT’s annual innovation/creativity festival (ImagineRIT) for community outreach. Also, various outreach activities and programs were performed to promote STEM for K-12 students and teachers. The new instructional model, curriculum modules, and activities for the GPMT education were less concerned with finding the best means to an end, but with reconciling and deciding among the ends or goals themselves for humanistic perspectives.
