ENHANCEMENT OF FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEM INSTRUCTION TO IMPROVE UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION

A MiniCIM 3.2 Amatrol has been selected as the equipment to teach FMS.This equipment is used to modify the curriculum and nine courses and labs in the IET department to enhance the students' learning.The FMS project serves also as a starting point to accomplish a six-year development plan of the Manufacturing Laboratory in the IET department.The goal is to complete a fully Computer Integrated Manufacturing system in six years.The strategy used is aligning students' class projects and/or students' senior projects with the goals of the Manufacturing Laboratory.These class projects not only improved the students' learning, but they also became an important step in constructing a complete Computer Integrated Manufacturing system.Class assessments were conducted, where exams, quizzes, homework, class projects were given to students.These assessment tools showed a significant improvement in the students' learning.Informal questionnaires were also distributed to find out what the students think regarding the use of MiniCIM 3.2 as a teaching tool.All the students agreed that this hands-on type of educational practices helped them to understand both concepts and the technology of FMS discussed in class.Furthermore, about 90% of the graduates were able to find jobs within six months of their graduation.This resulted in a significant increase in the students' enrollment.The FMS project opens the way widely for good collaboration between the IET department and local community colleges.The IET department opened its laboratories for the students of these colleges to perform some of their projects.Furthermore, collaboration started between the teachers of the community colleges and the IET department through some joint classes at the IET labs.