IME, Inc. - A new course for integrating design, manufacturing, and production into the engineering curriculum

IME, Inc. is a new two-semester undergraduate course in which multidisciplinary student teams first design and prototype new products, and then produce them in volume. The objective in the Course is to provide students with manufacturing and production experiences analogous to those obtained by an English student working on a student-run newspaper. The course integrates the traditional capstone design experience with hands-on experience in volume production and manufacturing; students must consider all aspects of manufacturing - including process planning, tooling, assembly, outsourcing, and final costs - so that they can produce approximately 100 units using the new Factory for Advanced Manufacturing Education. The course also focuses on creating an environment that promotes self-directed learning, problem solving, teamwork, project planning, communication, and presentation skills. Assessment strategies for evaluating team performance and the impact on students' learning readiness are discussed. In particular, design notebooks and frequent design reviews are used throughout the course to monitor progress during design and production as well as evaluate team performance. Finally, plans for using IME, Inc. as a "living factory" and involving students from other majors (e.g., business and information technology) are also discussed.