There is a need in industry for technology graduates who can use a combination of electrical and mechanical concepts in the design, installation, and servicing of products and production systems. Preparing Associate Degree graduates for this role is difficult because 4 semesters is too short for extensive education in both disciplines. The Engineering Technology Department has addressed this problem by modifying three courses offered at the Associate Degree level to include basic concepts that bridge the two technologies and introducing a new 4-year degree program, Bachelor of Science in Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology. The solution to the training problem created two major pedagogical problems. The first problem was the method used to deliver the content in the three courses. While the courses covered both product design and production system design and had a mix of electrical and mechanical concepts, there was no effort to use the same product examples in the courses. The second problem had two components: (1) the department did not have an automated manufacturing system on which students could learn to solve the electromechanical integration problems associated with these systems and (2) if a system was built for training, it would be difficult to teach standard 16-student laboratory sections with single production machines and one-of-a-kind manufacturing systems. This project includes two initiatives that overcome the instructional delivery problems associated with cross training in electromechanical concepts and the use of large automated manufacturing systems in traditional laboratory sections. The project focuses on the integration of a product design problem into manufacturing courses and the development of a laboratory system that permits standard laboratory class sizes of 16 students to effectively use single production machines and a one-of-a-kind manufacturing system. The second problem is significant because many colleges add manufacturing systems to laboratories, but few address the training issues associated with the one-of-a-kind hardware in standard laboratory sections.
