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Today, engineering education addresses industrial systems (factories,
warehouses, logistics systems) by focusing on engineering methods
and tools used in solving associated design, planning, and control
problems. The corresponding body of knowledge is very broad, but
without a common, unifying theoretical base. Compounding this problem,
students rarely see more than unrealistically simplified illustrations
of "real" industrial systems problems. Without a unifying
theoretical foundation, and without a comprehensive exposure to
the domain, students are left with a poorly integrated set of technical
skills, and largely without insight into the complexities of applying
those skills in practice.
We propose to reshape the teaching of industrial systems by shifting
focus from the disparate collection of engineering methods and tools
to the domain in which those methods and tools find application.
To do this, we are creating a new pedagogical platform that we call
"virtual industrial systems," or VIS. A VIS is a computing
environment that includes a rich, complex data repository describing
a particular industrial system, a set of specific computational
tools for description, visualization, analysis and synthesis, and
a common user interface that minimizes time to learn to use the
tools in the context of the case. A VIS is a platform not just for
learning about industrial systems, but also for learning the basics
of specific methods, such as statistics, optimization, and economic
analysis. Using a VIS, a student may practice specific engineering
methods and tools, but also may explore a wide range of "what
happens if?" questions. We believe that access to a VIS will
improve motivation, content mastery, and context-specific insight.
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