Resource of the Month
Embedding Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) in Two-Year College Curricula

In 2005, Illinois Valley Community College received a grant from the National Science Foundation (#0501885) to utilize the MIMIC project (Making Industry Meaningful In College) to build continuous quality improvement (CQI) and reengineering into the two-year technical programs in engineering design and electronics. These resources are now available to apply to your program. The curriculum in the engineering design and electronics programs is written around the Making Industry Meaningful In College or MIMIC project. Freshmen are introduced to reengineering in their first semester technical courses, where they analyze and recommend improvements on projects previously designed by MIMIC student teams. The project culminates in the fourth semester, when the technical students are joined by business students and form the MIMIC teams or "companies," which manufacture, market and sell the products. Students enrolled in engineering design, electronics and business programs design, prototype, manufacture, market and sell products.

Under the grant, MIMIC became the focal point of the technical programs, with the technical students designing and reengineering MIMIC products throughout their two-year programs.  The hands-on, learning-centered nature of MIMIC is also being utilized as a magnet to interest high school students in technical careers and to improve their success in technical programs. By making the MIMIC project the focal point of the two-year technical programs, the students are gaining valuable reengineering experience and have time to design more viable products.

Resources now available include Teachers Resource Manual for Adapting the MIMIC Project Model, Plans for Multidisciplinary Projects Adapted from the MIMIC Model, MIMIC Student Guidebook, Modules for Integrating Workplace Skills, and Establishing a Leadership Team. Click here to view more about each resource.

Most recently, IVCC has received a three year grant to recruit students into engineering related careers. This grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) focuses on increasing awareness of an interest in engineering careers among middle school and high school students, adults and women in the IVCC district. If you would like to learn more about the MIMC program, email Dorene Perez at dorene_perez@ivcc.edu, program director of computer aided design and computer aided engineering.

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, October 15th, 4:00 PM for this upcoming webinar about The Green Innovator, a new program and curriculum that invites high school students to explore the process of innovation through sustainable design and manufacturing. With a planet facing a myriad of environmental challenges, The Green Innovator aims to help teachers facilitate a new dialogue with students about the integral role of design and green manufacturing processes in our transition toward a more sustainable future. 

Chris Kennedy, Program Manager at Solar One, will facilitate the webinar to introduce participants to how these resources provide students with unique tools and strategies for thinking critically about innovative solutions to the environmental challenges that face their local communities and the world. Chris will talk about some of the hands-on activities, case studies and research ideas that are part of the material to facilitate applied learning by introducing students to the concept of systems thinking; considering the relationships connections between what we design and use everyday and the impact this use has on our home, the Earth.

To learn more about The Green Innovator in advance of the webinar, please visit www.greeninnovator.org or email Christopher Kennedy at kennedy@solar1.org or call him at 212-505-6050.

Solar One is New York City’s only Green Energy, Arts and Education Center, working to educate New Yorkers about environmental issues through education, outreach, and arts programming.  Started as a project of Community Environmental Center, Solar One has reached tens of thousands of people in just three years and drawn acclaim for its unique and innovative approach.  For more information about Solar One: Green Energy, Arts and Education Center visit: www.solar1.org

The National Center for Manufacturing Education (NCME) has been awarded a grant from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation (SME-EF) to develop an Internet portal that will appeal primarily to young people to provide them with positive information about careers in advanced manufacturing.

The goal of this project is to create an affordable, replicable website (portal) to promote careers in advanced manufacturing targeted at students in grades 11–14, as well as their parents, high school teachers, career counselors, and college faculty.  The website will heighten student awareness of advanced manufacturing careers in Ohio, with the initial emphasis on the southwest Ohio region for the pilot’s content. Possible future effort will take the site nationwide. At either the national or regional levels (or both, as appropriate), the website will:

• Provide content showing the exciting possibilities of advanced manufacturing careers as dynamic, action-oriented, lucrative, and appealing to technically savvy people.
• Be interactive and offer contact information for follow-up to acquire additional information about educational opportunities (such as summer programs, internships, and scholarships).
• Have a front page with a national emphasis, showing positive information about the health of advanced manufacturing in the nation and links to examples of thriving manufacturers in each of 50 states.
• Let users interface with local advanced manufacturing companies about their industry, products, and advanced manufacturing related careers.
• Be adaptable by other regions, allowing for customized content that leverages local resources.
• Describe the high skill levels needed by those who enter the field of advanced manufacturing, such as bio-manufacturing, highly automated systems, global supply chains, and lean manufacturing.
• Offer information or links about degree programs, cooperative education program resources, and programs at the high school and college level.
• Collect website data and metrics about the users, site visits, links used, and more to track user activity.

The website will be planned and developed to enable affordable replication by future adopters with the plan for other regions and states to add their content specific information for their locales. State and regional partners will be involved to help identify, select, and provide relevant content, planning, implementation, rollout, and marketing advice for an exciting, state-of-the-art manufacturing career website. If your are interested to learn more about this project and about being a future regional site adopter, please contact Sandy Feola, Customer Engagement Manager for the NCME.

“This year’s National Center of Advanced Technology Centers (NCATC) conference boasts a new member-requested format of Wednesday through Friday, workshops, breakout sessions, speakers and industry tours – not to mention the big 20th Anniversary Gala planned for Thursday night” announced J. Craig McAtee, Executive Director of NCATC. “Attendees will be extremely satisfied with this year’s conference, and with the networking opportunities available.”

The NCATC is a network of higher education resources that advocates and promotes the use of technology applications that enhance economic and workforce development programs and services. Beginning with twelve charter members in 1988, NCATC has over 170 member institutions, ranging from colleges, universities and schools to the corporate community throughout the United States and Canada.

Conference tracks highlight forums in three areas for (1) Innovative and Exceptional Practices; (2) Emerging and Transfer Technologies; (3) Grants, Funding Models and Partnerships; and (4) Continuum, Workforce Career Pathways. Industry tours are planned for National Composites Center; Behr Dayton Thermal Products; University of Dayton Research Institute; and Community Tissue Services/Community Blood Center.

Who Should Attend 

Leaders and Instructors of:

• Business, Industry & Corporate Training
• Workforce & Economic Development
• Advanced & Applied Technologies
• IT Programs

Schedule, Location, Cost  

Our MERC Online team actively seeks all types materials that can have an impact on the improvement of manufacturing education, using such methods as online research, reviews of conference proceedings, word-of-mouth, news and wire feeds, or research of organizations and educational programs. When we find relevant materials, we contact the content author/source and start the submission process.

Using data-mining as a method to populate the clearinghouse is one way to gather materials, yet this has its limits. Materials are published everyday and searching is not efficient enough to uncover all of the educational programs, emerging technologies, industry and organization breakthroughs, and much more that would be useful to you.

Please take the step to become a MERC Online resource submitter! We invite you and your colleagues to recommend AND share your instructional materials. You are the best source for high quality materials in manufacturing education.

If you are interested in submitting materials but need more information, contact Sandy Feola at Sandra.Feola@sinclair.edu or complete the submission form to explore how to make your materials available to the education community.

The MERC Online clearinghouse serves as a source of materials, support services, and professional development opportunities for educators and industry professionals. In addition to the online resource clearinghouse, these links provide quick access to specific areas of interest or materials! Check it out!

Visit the Searchable Database for peer-reviewed materials submitted by educators from around the world. These materials are abstracted and linked to help you acquire what you need.

Check out Links and Resources to find more information/contacts from links in 19 different categories. This includes trade organizations, grants and awards, student competitions, NSF-ATE Resource Centers and more!

Published by the NCME. Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
MERC Online and the NCME are funded by the National Science Foundation.
Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.