Elaine Cooney, Robert Durkin, William Shapir, Joseph Tabas, School of Engineering and Technology
Principal Investigator: Elaine Cooney, Department of Engineering Technology, School of Engineering and Technology
Co-Principal Investigators: Robert Durkin, lecturer; William Shapir, adjunct instructor; and Joseph Tabas, lecturer; Department of Engineering Technology, School of Engineering and Technology
Project Title: Enhancing the Electrical Engineering Technology Curriculum through Project-Based Learning in Automation
Funding Level: $15,000
Abstract:
This project seeks to create three new Project Based Learning (PBL) courses in the Electrical Engineering Technology (EET) program to support the State of Indiana’s advanced manufacturing initiative. The courses (Robotics, Industrial Process Control Systems, and Cybersecurity of Industrial Systems) will be developed by faculty with industry experience with input from regional experts. A combination of these new and some existing courses will be combined into an Advanced Manufacturing and Controls Certificate. Funding will support the purchase of additional industrial control equipment and course development. Project based learning is well suited to EET students, in part because of the need to both design and implement solutions. To support greater implementation of PBL in the curriculum, assignment templates and assessment rubrics will be developed and implemented through the Canvas Learning Management System. Hardware will be purchased to allow students to practice selecting equipment and implementing their own process control software solutions. Example projects include:
- Design and implementation of a inner-outer control loops water tank filling system
- Design and implementation of a color-coded part sorter on a conveyor system
- Design and implementation of a test protocol to ensure robustness of an industrial control network
Feedback will advise students in both the engineering process and the viability of their solutions.