Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute (DMDII) recently pledged up to $500,000 in project funding to solicit proposals for the creation of an online curriculum in Digital Manufacturing and Design (DMD).
The massive open online courses (MOOC) will be designed to encourage the introduction and continuing education of engineers in manufacturing fields.
The free courses will be offered over Coursera and will cumulate in a certificate upon completion.
The curriculum will contain a targeted sequence of up to nine courses. Each course will include 20 to 40 hours of lecture and evaluation through quiz or test components.
According to DMDII, the courses will serve as an introduction to digital manufacturing, which utilizes computer-based systems for simulation, analytics collaboration tools like PLM, CAD and CAM software.
Topics covered will include the changes that digital technologies bring to the manufacturing industry and career opportunities related to digital manufacturing.
The curriculum’s target audience will be engineering students, existing professional design and manufacturing engineers and operations managers.
“This specialization will serve as the premier information tool for students and the current workforce looking to better understand digital manufacturing,” said Dean Bartles, executive director of DMDII.
Courses under consideration include: “Introduction to Digital Manufacturing and Design,” and “Introduction to the Digital Thread.” There will also be an educational focus on three of DMDII’s research areas:
- Advanced Analysis (AA),
- Intelligent Machining (IM) and
- Advanced Manufacturing Enterprise (AME).
The programs offered by DMDII and Coursera could also benefit from including course material related more closely to automation. Simulation programs can be used to help reduce commissioning costs by validating robotics and automation programs virtually.
Robots are also more common than ever in factory floors and are predicted to become more so – a thorough understanding of the technology is necessary to optimize efficiency in factory models and planning production processes.
“DMDII intends to bring together the best partners and the most qualified experts to help usher in this transformation sweeping American manufacturing,” said Bartles.
“This [curriculum] will serve as the premier information tool for students and the current workforce looking to better understand digital manufacturing. Utilizing the Coursera platform, DMDII is partnering with a leading provider to reach out to a very large audience of interested learners.”
The project call is part of a workforce development strategy endorsed by DMDII. Their Workforce Development Advisory committee is comprised of industry, academic, and government experts and is intended to recruit subject matter experts at top universities and manufacturing companies to develop courses for the Coursera platform.
DMDII will hold a project call workshop on January 14, 2016, to address project applicant questions and to catalyze the formation of project teams.
Once applications are submitted, selections will be reviewed and subject to approval, with course offerings slated to come online in late 2016 or early 2017.
The project call is open to all applicants, with membership in both DMDII and Coursera being required upon selection.
Complete information about the call for proposals, submission requirements and workshop logistics is available from DMDII.
Additional information on Coursera can be found at www.coursera.org.