This project will provide information using interactive formats about current industrial quality assurance practices to two- year industrial and engineering technology faculty.It will enable them to update existing course content or initiate instruction in quality assurance. This activity will enhance the instruction of quality assurance at the two-year level and will also teach students about the importance of quality in an economic environment. Western Carolina University and the American Society for Quality Control jointly will conduct a year long set of activities under project auspices .The initial activity is a week long applications workshop involving quality assurance fundamentals including total quality, team problem solving, process study, control charts and process control versus product control. This will be complemented with field trips and guest speakers. During the following year, participants will visit several industries representing a broad range of manufactured products to discuss, review and gather data about quality assurance processes.The concluding two day session will emphasize participants' experiences and how these experiences will impact the local curriculum and students in specific engineering technology programs .
