This project is developing learning modules designed to illustrate educational concepts to engineering students in the context of a modern manufacturing infrastructure as opposed to relying solely on the traditional academic classroom context. The concepts that are being covered include: safety (alarm management, emergency shutdown systems, and flare management); control (cascade, ratio, feed forward, override controls, and model predictive control); data acquisition (knowledge generation, information technology, data mining, wireless control networks, and control network security); sustainability (green engineering, environmentally benign manufacturing, and economics); and, application of modeling to manufacturing improvement (real time optimization, computer aided modeling and simulation, and interpretation of plant data).
This project is important because modern manufacturing requires engineers who possess strong problem solving skills and are proficient with the IT tools found in a modern automated environment. Thus, engineering students must learn to recognize and analyze problems, develop and propose solutions, implement solutions, and analyze their effectiveness all in the context of an increasingly automated environment. Unfortunately, the traditional classroom approach, though strong in teaching the fundamental concepts, does not provide the knowledge in a context that facilitates student transition from academia to industry. To ascertain if the students have learned and can demonstrate the desired knowledge and skills, learning outcomes are being evaluated by questionnaires, interviews, and observations. Moreover, this project employs continuous feedback and adjustment, so that the faculty demonstrate that desired outcomes are being achieved.
