The Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the Fontys University of Professional Education in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, offers a course which is being developed around the principles of Concurrent Engineering. From research we found that in general students are not completely aware of aspects of cost-effectiveness but they are fully oriented towards technical problem solving. In order to improve on this aspects, we introduced the framework of "design to cost": learn to choose the right tools, concepts and technologies in a way that successful products can be designed and developed. This second edition of the course, based on 'design to cost', showed to be very successful and was strengthening our self-confidence. So in the third edition we started to work together with the regional industry. The companies paid for the development and, this money is used for intensive group coaching by tutors and specialists. It turned out that the contacts with the industry proved to be a very stimulating factor for the students. Working together with industry raises the quality of the education and it proved to be an excellent preparation for the final thesis period of the students.
This paper describes a model for education in innovative engineering. The kernel of this model is, that students from different departments of the faculty of Applied Science and Technology are placed in industry for a period of eighteen months after two-and-a-half year of theoretical studies. During this period students work in multi-disciplinary projects on different themes. Students will grow to fully equal employees in industry. Therefore it is important that besides students, teachers and company employees will participate in the projects. Also the involvement of other level students (University and high school) is recommended. The most important characteristics of the model can be summarized in innovative, interdisciplinary and international orientation.
In the current discourses on sustainable development, one can discern two main intellectual cultures: an analytic one focusing on measuring problems and prioritizing measures, (Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), Mass Flow Analysis (MFA), etc.) and; a policy/management one, focusing on long term change, change incentives, and stakeholder management (Transitions/niches, Environmental economy, Cleaner production). These cultures do not often interact and interactions are often negative. However, both cultures are required to work towards sustainability solutions: problems should be thoroughly identified and quantified, options for large change should be guideposts for action, and incentives should be created, stakeholders should be enabled to participate and their values and interests should be included in the change process. The paper deals especially with engineering education. Successful technological change processes should be supported by engineers who have acquired strategic competences. An important barrier towards training academics with these competences is the strong disciplinarism of higher education. Raising engineering students in strong disciplinary paradigms is probably responsible for their diminishing public engagement over the course of their studies. Strategic competences are crucial to keep students engaged and train them to implement long term sustainable solutions.
Due to the existing pressure for a more rational use of the water, many public managers and industries have to re-think/adapt their processes towards a more circular approach. Such pressure is even more critical in the Rio Doce region, Minas Gerais, due to the large environmental accident occurred in 2015. Cenibra (pulp mill) is an example of such industries due to the fact that it is situated in the river basin and that it has a water demanding process. The current proposal is meant as an academic and engineering study to propose possible solutions to decrease the total water consumption of the mill and, thus, decrease the total stress on the Rio Doce basin. The work will be divided in three working packages, namely: (i) evaluation (modelling) of the mill process and water balance (ii) application and operation of a pilot scale wastewater treatment plant (iii) analysis of the impacts caused by the improvement of the process. The second work package will also be conducted (in parallel) with a lab scale setup in The Netherlands to allow fast adjustments and broaden evaluation of the setup/process performance. The actions will focus on reducing the mill total water consumption in 20%.
Manual labour is an important cornerstone in manufacturing and considering human factors and ergonomics is a crucial field of action from both social and economic perspective. Diverse approaches are available in research and practice, ranging from guidelines, ergonomic assessment sheets over to digitally supported workplace design or hardware oriented support technologies like exoskeletons. However, in the end those technologies, methods and tools put the working task in focus and just aim to make manufacturing “less bad” with reducing ergonomic loads as much as possible. The proposed project “Human Centered Smart Factories: design for wellbeing for future manufacturing” wants to overcome this conventional paradigm and considers a more proactive and future oriented perspective. The underlying vision of the project is a workplace design for wellbeing that makes labor intensive manufacturing not just less bad but aims to provide positive contributions to physiological and mental health of workers. This shall be achieved through a human centered technology approach and utilizing advanced opportunities of smart industry technologies and methods within a cyber physical system setup. Finally, the goal is to develop smart, shape-changing workstations that self-adapt to the unique and personal, physical and cognitive needs of a worker. The workstations are responsive, they interact in real time, and promote dynamic activities and varying physical exertion through understanding the context of work. Consequently, the project follows a clear interdisciplinary approach and brings together disciplines like production engineering, human interaction design, creative design techniques and social impact assessment. Developments take place in an industrial scale test bed at the University of Twente but also within an industrial manufacturing factory. Through the human centered design of adaptive workplaces, the project contributes to a more inclusive and healthier society. This has also positive effects from both national (e.g. relieve of health system) as well as individual company perspective (e.g. less costs due to worker illness, higher motivation and productivity). Even more, the proposal offers new business opportunities through selling products and/or services related to the developed approach. To tap those potentials, an appropriate utilization of the results is a key concern . The involved manufacturing company van Raam will be the prototypical implementation partner and serve as critical proof of concept partner. Given their openness, connections and broad range of processes they are also an ideal role model for further manufacturing companies. ErgoS and Ergo Design are involved as methodological/technological partners that deal with industrial engineering and ergonomic design of workplace on a daily base. Thus, they are crucial to critically reflect wider applicability and innovativeness of the developed solutions. Both companies also serve as multiplicator while utilizing promising technologies and methods in their work. Universities and universities of applied sciences utilize results through scientific publications and as base for further research. They also ensure the transfer to education as an important leverage to inspire and train future engineers towards wellbeing design of workplaces.
ICT'ers hebben in hun werk 'soft skills' nodig, zoals sociale vaardigheden. Hoewel er in ICT-opleidingen ruim aandacht is voor dit soort vaardigheden, staan studenten vaak afwijzend tegenover cursussen over soft skills. Waardoor komt dit? Doel Studenten van ICT-opleidingen in het hbo beoordelen de vakken die gericht zijn op soft skills (zachte vaardigheden) lager dan andere vakken. We willen weten waardoor dit komt. Waarom zijn deze studenten minder gemotiveerd om sociale, emotionele en persoonlijke vaardigheden te leren? In dit onderzoek ontwikkelen we een leerlijn soft skills die wel aanslaat bij ICT'ers. Deze leerlijn bestaat uit werkvormen voor studenten en aanwijzingen voor docenten. Resultaten Dit onderzoek loopt. We hebben onze eerste resultaten gepresenteerd in het artikel 'Motivation and Attitude of Computer Engineering Students toward Soft Skills'. Daarnaast gebruikt Mariecke Schipper de inzichten uit dit onderzoek in haar functie als verantwoordelijke voor de leerlijn Professional Skills bij HBO-ICT. Na afronding van het onderzoek vind je hier een volledig overzicht van de resultaten. Looptijd 01 september 2017 - 31 december 2020 Aanpak We zijn begonnen met verkennend kwalitatief onderzoek. De resultaten daarvan zijn opgenomen in ons eerste artikel. Nu doen we verdiepend kwalitatief onderzoek in de vorm van interviews. Op basis van die resultaten gaan we de leerlijn verder vormgeven in een ontwerponderzoek.
