Design, Implementation, And Assessment Of Webct Based Cnc

In the 21 century, the Internet has become the dominant distribution system for distance education and training. Many faculty members are expanding their traditional delivery methods (lecture, laboratory, face-to-face discussion) to include educational options ranging from webbased course supplement to the complete delivery of courses online. The choices that faculty may consider range from simply posting a syllabus to creating web-based content to enhance classroom instruction to full online delivery. While the primary focus of web-based delivery has been in the development of standalone web-based distance education courses, more faculty are beginning to use the web to supplement and enhance classroom instruction, creating “hybrid courses.” The authors have chosen to supplement a traditional face-to-face on-campus CNC (Computer Numerical Control) course with an online component. WebCT-based CNC materials were developed in Spring 2002 and started being implemented in Fall 2002. The materials are currently used in a junior level, MIT3060 (Manufacturing and Industrial Technology 3060), ‘CNC Machining Practices’ course. The following modules are currently available in the WebCT system. • Course Syllabus and Information • Lecture materials, supplements, and extra study materials • Calendar and Tips • Tests, labs, practice quizzes, and homework • CNC Glossary • Discussions, Chat, and E-mail • Grade Book P ge 881.1 “Proceedings of the 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Conference & Exposition Copyright ©2003, American Society for Engineering Education” This paper reports the step-by-step development of the WebCT materials for this course, their current implementation (lecture, lab, discussion, and examination) in Fall 2002, and a student assessment of their value. I. CNC Technology CNC (Computer Numerical Control) is the process of manufacturing machined parts. Numerical Control (NC) is the original name given to this technology and is still often used interchangeably with CNC. CNC technology has been one of manufacturing's major developments in the past fifty years. It not only resulted in the development of new manufacturing techniques and the achievement of higher production levels, but it also helped increase product quality and stabilized manufacturing costs. One of the biggest problems faced in learning CNC technology (and specifically CNC programming) is finding time for the hands-on training required to effectively and consistently use a CNC program and its associated machine tool. However, using the simulation software allows students, engineers, and technicians to perform virtual machining runs of all CNC programs in a simulated manufacturing environment. Figure 1 shows a CNCez 2.0 turning simulation practice used in CNC Machining Practices course. Figure 1: The CNCez 2.0 Turning Simulator and a Virtual Machining Practice P ge 881.2 “Proceedings of the 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Conference & Exposition Copyright ©2003, American Society for Engineering Education” II. CNC Course Background Students at Tennessee Tech have an opportunity to learn an automated system of machining in their junior year via the ‘MIT3060-CNC Machining Practices’ course. In MIT3060, students learn basic concepts of CNC, including the code for machine programming. They are able to use their programs to simulate milling or turning a piece using the CNC Simulator softwares available in the computer labs. If the simulation is a success, the students can then take the program to the CNC lab and load it into a mill or lathe to produce an actual part. As it can be seen in Figure 2 MIT3060 is one of the eleven required core courses in the MIT department. The objective of this course is to teach CNC programming. Figure 2: MIT 3060 is one of the required core courses in MIT Curriculum Starting Fall 2000, the course curriculum was enhanced with a multimedia-aided CBT (Computer Based Training) software and CNCez, which is a Java based simulation software. In Spring 2002, a complete WebCT supplement was developed for the course and starting Fall 2002, the entire course has been delivered through WebCT. Throughout the Fall 2002 semester, nothing has been committed to paper. The syllabus, handouts, course chapters, tests, popquizzes, homeworks, lab assignments, lab reports, and presentations have been delivered via WebCT.