The program will enhance the knowledge and instructional skills of forty-eight faculty members in the field of manufacturing engineering. These members will come from colleges and universities primarily in the midwest. Institutions are striving to establish undergraduate programs in manufacturing engineering but are severely handicapped by the shortage of qualified instructors. The shortage can be alleviated by upgrading existing faculty. The program comprises four sessions, with intervals of days to weeks to allow for preparatory work. Topic outlines for the sessions are as follows: Session I: Clinic and Instruction in Manufacturing Engineering. Program overview. Identification and analysis of instructional problems. Frameworks for organizing instruction in manufacturing engineering. Manufacturing operations. Kinds of manufacturing engineers. Five intensive short courses in the areas of time management, creativity and innovation, and personal networking. Session II: Productivity- Related Projects. Simultaneous engineering. Part design for performance and producibility. Part fabrication. Applications of computers. Preparation of a process specification manual. Cost reductions. Research frontiers for the process selected. Human factors. Three laboratory/plant tours. Session III: Product Quality-Related Factors. Ascertaining what customers want. Design of products for quality. Quantitative Ishakawa diagrams. Taguchi methods. Preparation of a product quality manual. Modern nondestructive test methods. Pilot run. Two plant tours. Session IV: Design and Fabrication of Instructional Aids. Workplace engineering. Replacement theory. Pros and cons of computers in manufacturing. Manufacturing management. Visit to the headquarters of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. Provision will be made for networking the participants by computer and by follow-on seminars held annually for three years. In addition to the NSF funds, participants' institutions will contribute about 5% in travel costs to the operation of the project.
