| NSF Org: |
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | February 23, 2017 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | June 1, 2018 |
| Award Number: | 1700674 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Virginia Carter
vccarter@nsf.gov (703)292-4651 DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | May 1, 2017 |
| End Date: | April 30, 2022 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $881,425.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $881,425.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
2550 NORTHWESTERN AVE # 1100 WEST LAFAYETTE IN US 47906-1332 (765)494-1055 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
2200 169th Street Hammond IN US 46323-0001 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Advanced Tech Education Prog |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
Project MANEUVER (Manufacturing Education Using Virtual Environment Resources) is developing an affordable virtual reality (VR) framework to address the imminent demand for well-trained digital manufacturing (DM) technicians. Over half of the 3.5 million required manufacturing positions in the US are expected to go unfilled due to a "skills gap". Employment projections show a decline in conventional manufacturing jobs with marked growth in DM jobs. This VR instructional framework, targeted at two and four year programs, will not only advance the field of DM, but will also strengthen education by remedying the lack of clearly defined career/educational pathway(s) for entry-level DM technicians.
MANEUVER is developing an innovative multi-modal VR framework for DM instruction. This framework decouples the 3D DM database from functionalities, thus giving the instructional designer access through immersive, augmented, and desktop VR. Instead of pairing functionalities with the VR database, which prevents access by other modes, the decoupled approach allows for mode-independent approach, facilitating affordable access and broader implementation. The resultant curricular modules can be replicated for use on multiple machines without additional costs. During manufacturing process training, VR tools serve as a viable alternative offering a cost and material-efficient solution. Industry standard software and hardware is being used to develop and deliver advanced DM exercises for instructional and training purposes. Using a "train-the-trainers" approach, a replicable faculty development model is being developed for secondary and post-secondary institutions. By addressing regional and national entry-level workforce needs, the project benefits society and contributes to national economic progress and prosperity.
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Project Outcome Report:
NSF Award #1700674, MANEUVER: Manufacturing Education Using Virtual Environment Resources
This grant supported the development of an innovative multi-modal virtual reality (VR) framework for digital manufacturing instruction. This project, a partnership between a 2-year college (Edmonds College, WA) and two 4-year Colleges (Purdue University NW and Tennessee Tech University) developed virtual reality modules to educate and train entry-level technicians for digital manufacturing (DM) positions.
As part of this effort, train the trainer workshops were administered at Purdue University NW, Tennessee Tech University, and Edmonds College. Workshop participants (community college teachers) were trained on the VR modules and detailed feedback was obtained from work groups for evaluation and iterative improvement.
The project leaders collaborated with industry experts and academic professionals through interactions via the advisory board meetings to obtain feedback and incorporated these into the VR module development. The project developed approximately 10+ detailed VR modules and active learning activities on digital manufacturing instruction.
The project team performed a systematic review of VR in digital manufacturing processes and identified important processes for creating 3D visualization worlds and virtual reality interactions and simulations. Training materials were developed for beginners to navigate in 3D worlds and for instructors to interact with 3D objects. Detailed interactive virtual modules were developed for popular commercial 3D printers.
Detailed virtual modules for access via augmented reality and desktop virtual reality were developed. These models were not only for demonstration, but were customized for interactive learning. Topics covered included 3D printing processes such as Stereolithography (SLA), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), etc. The virtual modules also covered topics such as virtual assembly, process simulation, and virtual gear assembly simulation.
The framework was shared with all workshop participants and also made available in the form of MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) videos with Voiceover and Captions on the project website. MOOC videos were created corresponding to all virtual modules for the benefit of those educational institutions with financial limitations to facilitate access via low-cost desktop virtual reality (VR).
Workshops were delivered at the partner institutions in three states (IN, TN, WA) . Based on the detailed evaluations conducted by evaluators, it was found that the majority of the participants expressed an improved awareness of topics, a deeper understanding of certain topics, increased knowledge of the content, confidence in use of the course material, and satisfaction with the workshops.
The digital manufacturing curricular aspects, virtual modules, and the workshop delivery were continually improved based on the feedback and the findings indicate that the workshops met their objectives. Overall, a majority of the students expressed an improved awareness of topics, a deeper understanding of certain topics, increased knowledge of the content, confidence in use of the course material, and satisfaction with the course.
The results of the project were shared through national conferences and published in journals. Furthermore, results were also shared via other avenues such as 1 Million Cups, M-STEM Annual Conference, NIST Roundtable on the National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing and Demystifying Continuous Improvement in Program Assessment : ABET.
The project evaluation was supported by Dr. George Sehi and Dr. George Chitiyo.
Principal Investigator: Magesh Chandramouli
Co-PIs: Ge Jin, Imelda Cossette, Ismail Fidan
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Last Modified: 05/01/2022
Modified by: Magesh Chandramouli
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