This paper discusses an NSF RET program that focuses on improving manufacturing learning using simulation and automation. The program participants are high school teachers and community college faculty who will develop skills in manufacturing as well as technical writing, conference presentations and curriculum development. The goals of the proposed program are to: 1) provide a STEM-based platform to engage high school teachers and community college instructors in state-of-the-art manufacturing research, 2) explore a sustainable educational model that connects high schools, community colleges, university, and industry to instill future generations with greater awareness and interest in manufacturing, 3) facilitate the development of curricular modules, classroom activities, and other instructional materials that will be implemented in the participating schools and colleges eventually to be disseminated to a broader audience nationally, and 4) help fill the skills gap in U.S. manufacturing and prepare high school and college students for undergraduate studies and/or jobs in manufacturing. Both internal and external evaluations of the learning outcomes will be conducted and assessment results are presented.
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0695-5364
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College
[biography]
Dr. Faisal Aqlan is an assistant professor of industrial engineering at Penn State Behrend. He earned his Ph.D. in industrial and systems engineering from the State University of New York at Binghamton in 2013. Dr. Aqlan is a senior member of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) and has received numerous awards and honors including the IBM Vice President award for innovation excellence.
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6903-5402
Pennsylvania State University, Behrend College
[biography]
Qi ("Chee") Dunsworth is the Director of Teaching Initiatives at Penn State Behrend. She holds a master's degree in Communication Studies and a Ph.D. in Educational Technology. She enjoys partnering with faculty members to work on all things teaching and learning, from meeting challenges in classrooms, designing courses for online delivery, to collaborating on educational research grants and projects.
Melanie Ford is an Assistant Teaching Professor in Computer Science and Software Engineering in the School of Engineering at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. Ford also holds the positions of Director of both the Engineering K-12 Outreach Center and Youth Education Outreach. She received degrees in Computer Science and Mathematics from the State University of New York at Potsdam and a Masters in Educational Leadership from Penn State University. Ford has received numerous awards over the years for her commitment to K-12 STEAM outreach.
Dr. George Walters is an associate professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. He earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering Technology from Penn State Harrisburg, an M.S. in Electrical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering, both from Lehigh University. He has been a licensed Professional Engineer in Pennsylvania since 1998.
Dr. Walters worked in industry as a process controls and automation engineer for eighteen years prior to joining the faculty at Behrend in 2010. Most of his experience is in the design, development, and commissioning of PLC-based control systems for the food & beverage and cement industries. He has developed and teaches a course on PLC-based control systems for engineers. He also teaches a course on advanced digital design using FPGAs, a course on embedded systems using 8- and 32-bit microcontrollers, and the two-semester capstone project sequence for electrical and computer engineers at Behrend.
Dr. Jessica Resig is an instructional designer with Penn State World Campus. In addition to maintaining an online course portfolio, she currently supports research initiatives and technology pilots related to digital pedagogy. Dr. Resig holds a master’s degree in Instructional Technology from Duquesne University and a Ph.D. in Instructional Design and Technology from Old Dominion University.
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