| Paper Title: | The Role of Experiential Service Learning in Academic Education |
| Author: | Mohsen Hamidi, North Dakota State University, mohsen.hamidi@ndsu.edu |
| Suggested track: | Service learning |
| Presentation type: | Full paper |
| Preferred Category: | Other |
| Abstract: | Many believe that quality education is helping students to experience firsthand the concepts and principles being studied as part of the time-honoured approach of hands on education. Experiential learning can include many diverse activities such as internships, coops programs, and involving students in real industry projects. Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (IME) department in North Dakota State University (NDSU) has applied experiential learning approach widely through several courses. One of the industrial projects in which faculty and students were involved in for a period of 8 months, was in the area of Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA). Through this project, a comprehensive handbook of Design for Manufacturing was developed for a local Company. The handbook was designed and developed for the purpose of providing a common language between the designers and the manufacturing engineers. It includes: machinery and tools capabilities in various manufacturing modules, guidelines for helping the designers understand the manufacturing challenges presented as a result of not well thought out design, and the various design examples or shortcuts that would enable the manufacturing of parts and products with low cost, least time, and best quality approach. The procedures followed include: visiting workshops and interviewing operators and supervisors, gathering documents and data, discussing issues, developing the handbook section, presenting the findings/documentation and discussing, and approving the draft. It is our hope that this handbook will provide a venue for communication between the design and manufacturing engineers and helps bridge the gap that exist in understanding challenges and capabilities for a better and more efficient operation company-wide. Collaborating with the company managers, engineers, technicians, and workers, the students not only became familiar with different manufacturing and assembly processes but also understood concepts such as DFM and DFA through use-verification and application in the real industrial settings. Key words: Experiential Learning, Service Learning, Design for Manufacturing, Design for Assembly |
Abstract 1008
