Engineering technology students at Macomb Community College will be benefiting from a new hands-on component to their studies thanks to a National Science Foundation Grant.
The $70,000 grant awarded to Macomb is part of a larger study on providing practical application in addition to the study of theories to encourage students to “learn by doing,” explained Peter Klein, associate dean for engineering technology. Wayne State University is the lead institution on the grant, and Prairie View A&M in Texas and New Mexico State University are also participating in the project.
Over the next several months, educators from the four schools will work together to develop curriculum plans that call for students to apply what they are learning in their classes by developing a working product together. Separate projects will be developed at each institution.
Students enrolled in various classes offered from across Macomb’s engineering technology department will apply the concepts learned in that class toward the overall project. Macomb’s tentative plan is to have students design and build a small steam engine, requiring them to use the skills gained in more than a half-dozen different classes.
“The project design will be done in one class, another class would machine the parts. There may be a need to involve a welding class, a CNC class. Finally, the quality class would examine the finished product,” Klein said. “It is one thing to simply design something on paper and another to have to take the hands-on steps that bring a project to completion. At the end, either it works or it doesn’t.”
Curriculum for the project will be developed over this school year, with implementation starting next fall. Students would work on the project over the following two years.
“The ultimate goal is to attract students into engineering,” Klein said. “There are still many, many good career opportunities in the engineering field, and this program is an effort to ignite and foster a desire to complete their education in this area.”
About Macomb Community College
Macomb Community College (www.macomb.edu) is one of the nation’s leading community colleges, providing learning experiences to more than 59,000 students annually. Macomb nationally ranks in the top two percent in the number of associate degrees awarded and as the largest grantor of associate degrees in Michigan. The college’s comprehensive educational programming includes pre-collegiate experiences, university transfer and career preparation programs, bachelor degree completion and graduate degree programs, workforce training, professional education and certification, and continuing education and enrichment opportunities.
Media contact:
Dan Heaton
586.445.7271
heatond@macomb.edu