Faculty Development Summer Institutes In Collaborative Design and Rapid Tooling and Manufacturing

PROJECT OVERVIEW

   This professional development project for engineering technology faculty is submitted by Sinclair Community College (Dayton, OH) and Ventura College (Ventura, CA). The goal of the project is to provide comprehensive professional development on Collaborative Design and Rapid Tooling and Manufacturing for engineering and design technology faculty. During the summer of 2006, engineering faculty will participate in Summer Institutes offered concurrently in Dayton and Ventura in the two tracks. Extensive academic year follow-up activities are also planned. Each year 40 engineering technology faculty members (20 in Dayton and 20 in Ventura) will participate.
Faculty teams in Ohio and California will participate in collaborative industrial design teams via the Internet to design parts and use rapid prototyping technologies to manufacture the parts. This experience will provide an accurate simulation of the Collaborative Design Network and Rapid Tooling and Manufacturing processes routinely used in business and industry. Participating faculty will use the processes and simulations in their classrooms to enhance the laboratory components.

   Intellectual Merit: Advanced Discovery and Understanding
The project provides comprehensive faculty professional development in two emerging engineering technology processes used extensively in business and industry but are often not included in the associate degree curriculum.
Intellectual Merit: Creative and Original Concepts
A unique feature is that the Dayton and Ventura workshops will be held simultaneously permitting real-time cross-continental faculty collaboration. Faculty will be able to e-mail files to Sinclair which will produce parts on down-time of its rapid prototyping equipment.

   Intellectual Merit: Extensive Resources
Sinclair Community College and Ventura College have experienced faculty, extensive laboratory facilities, and conferencing facilities to conduct the workshops.
Broader Impacts: Project Addresses Future Needs of Business and Industry Technicians
New design technicians need experience in Collaborative Design and Rapid Tooling and Manufacturing processes. Faculty from community colleges will engage in hands-on learning that will result in curriculum enhancements and improved student learning back on their home campuses.
   Broader Impacts: Participation of Undeserved Populations
The project will recruit faculty who are from undeserved populations and who teach at institutions with large numbers of undeserved populations. Faculty will infuse curriculum improvements developed during the Summer Institutes, providing undeserved students with cutting-edge learning opportunities.
Broader Impacts: Dissemination of Technological Understanding
All lessons and laboratory experiences created will be posted to the web site for the project. Eighty faculty will have access to state-of-the art software through their participation in the institutes, and access to equipment through the equipment collaboration feature of website.