International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Volume 2, Number 2, July 2008

Return to current issues page

Research Article

Excerpt

A Game Approach to Teach Environmentally Benign Manufacturing in the Supply Chain

Multidisciplinary models of education are needed to prepare students for their role in a global work environment. Combined with this need is the reality of the new Millennial Generation entering the educational system with a different approach to learning. This paper introduces an interactive, educational engineering game designed to appeal to the Millennial Generation’s learning preferences. Shortfall is a prototype board game with a team approach and a trial and error methodology to introduce students to environmentally benign manufacturing in the supply chain using the automobile industry as a model. After playing the game, quantitative analysis showed that on average, students gained new knowledge and a changed perception of their confidence in their answers. Qualitative analysis of data demonstrated that students felt the game also helped them with the teamwork/communication aspects of supply chain. Future plans involve converting the game to a computer format to streamline its effectiveness for multi-institutional participation.

View Full Article

Bios

Donna M. Qualters
Suffolk University
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
dqualters@suffolk.edu

I am the Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence and Associate Professor of Education and Human Services at Suffolk University. My teaching focuses on curriculum, pedagogy and ethical education. My research interests are assessment, ethical inquiry, experiential education, and peer observation. I am the recipient of the Innovation Award from the Professional Organizational and Development Network in Higher Education and the Inspiring Others to Teach Award from Westfield State College. I hold a B.A. in English from Boston College and a Ph.D. in Educational Studies from Lesley University. Currently I am working with Chemistry faculty to study the effectiveness of laboratory learning. For the NSF CCLI award that funds the work reported here, I served as Co-Principal Investigator overseeing the assessment of the grant.
Website: http://www.suffolk.edu/research/CTE.html

Jacqueline A. Isaacs
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
jaisaacs@coe.neu.edu

I am an Associate Director of the NSF-funded Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center for High-rate Nanomanufacturing (CHN) and an Associate Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at Northeastern University. My research focuses on assessment of economic, environmental and technological tradeoffs for existing and emerging technologies, for which I received an NSF Career Award. In 2001, I was a co-recipient of the Bright Idea Award, from the Professional Organizational and Development Network in Higher Education. I earned my B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science from Carnegie Mellon University and M.S and Ph.D. Degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. For the NSF CCLI award that funds our effort reported here, I lead our team as principle investigator.

Thomas P. Cullinane
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
tcullinane@coe.neu.edu

I am a full professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at Northeastern University. My research is focused on developing models for optimizing remanufacturing systems. I am currently the co-principal investigator on two NSF funded grants dealing with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education. I earned my Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and a post doctoral S.M. in Environmental Health Sciences from The Harvard School of Public Health. I have served as the director of the Facilities Planning Division of The Institute of Industrial Engineers and as the chairperson of the Industrial Engineering Division of the American Society for Engineering Education. I am a Fellow of the Institute of Industrial Engineers.

Jay Laird
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
jay@metaversalstudios.com

I am the Assistant Director of Game Design Programs at Northeastern University. Previously I studied Illustration at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and Cinema, Writing, and Electronic Music at Ithaca College. I am the founder of Metaversal Studios, an award-winning educational game design company. My primary research interest is in how people learn socially; my game-making is an expression of this research. I am currently exploring new modes of interaction by developing for the iPhone. I teach courses in programming, video production, motion graphics, and game design; for the last five years I have also led the Multimedia Studies Capstone, a year-long course that brings together all of the senior Multimedia students to build a product.
Website: http://www.jaylaird.com

Ann McDonald
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
a.mcdonald@neu.edu

I am an assistant professor of design and multimedia studies at Northeastern University. I studied at the IIT Institute of Design and earned a BFA from the University of Washington. Professionally, I created an award winning body of design work that was recognized by AIGA and SEGD and subsequently earned an MFA from Yale University. My research investigates the intersection of narrative, data and collective participation in digital and physical environments. Ongoing creative projects include educational games and interactive projects with social relevance that can best be achieved through interdisciplinary collaboration. Exhibit and interactive design work for The Boston Symphony Orchestra, The New England Aquarium, The National Health Sciences Consortium and the American Society of Plant Biology have offered wide audiences access to complex topics.

Jessica D. Corriere
Dome-Tech Field Engineering
New York, New York, USA

I am a commissioning (Cx) and retro-commissioning (RCx) engineer for the Dome-tech group, A UTC Power Company. I specialize in combining business and technical knowledge to implement and manage energy conservation initiatives and the commissioning and retro-commissioning process in large scale projects. Current clients include ExxonMobil NE world headquarters, Princeton University (Genomics Building), Rutgers University (Biomedical Building), NYU Medical, Target Corp, and Visionaire "New York's greenest building. I have a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and M.S. in Engineering Management from Northeastern University. The original concept for Shortfall was developed as part of my Master’s Thesis at Northeastern.

Return to current issues page