Three professional development workshops were conducted during Spring Semester, 2005. The remainder of the workshops will be conducted over the summer of 2005. The workshops provided the following content:
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- Explained the four fundamental purposes of the proposed case study associated with the summer workshop.
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- Talked about potential themes that a pre-engineering curriculum should exemplify (e.g., pursuit of efficiency, predictive value of mathematics, grounding in science, model current technology).
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- Outlined potential engineering thrusts that the case study might emphasize (e.g., lean manufacturing, statistical process control, statistical quality control, automation, tooling).
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- Identified potential limitations that must be addressed to ensure implementation and replication across a variety of technology education settings (e.g., current curricula, existing equipment, laboratory limitations, time constraints, student capabilities in mathematics).
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- Brainstormed potential scenarios for implementing pre-engineering in existing technology education programs.
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- Examined the nature of engineering. More specifically, what distinguished engineering from other branches of technology.
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- Reviewed the scenario for the technical challenge (e.g., parts made in different locations, parts needing to fit together, making Toys for Tots, focusing on statistical process control, designing production tooling, integrating electronics, pursuing efficiency under the auspices of lean manufacturing, capitalizing on the concept of outsourcing).
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- Discussed curriculum/instructional design issues.
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- Conducted introductory training sessions on topics related to manufacturing engineering with participation from engineering faculty.
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- Reviewed and discussed potential resources for facilitating the scenario for a unit of instruction in the proposed case study.
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- Reviewed potential design criteria for developing and documenting the unit of instruction at the center of the proposed case study.
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