Ogden News

Dr. Arbuckle, Dr. Doggett, and Dr. Doggett along with Dr. Day and Dr. Daday submitted a NSF IUSE for Competency Based Education.

The current proposal, Competency-Based Undergraduate Manufacturing Education with Mobile Manufacturing at Western Kentucky University, is submitted under the National Science Foundation’s Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) proposal, Institutional and Community Transformation solicitation. The project shall (1) demonstrate the viability of a Competency Based Educational (CBE) university program, (2) increase STEM baccalaureate degree production in Advanced Manufacturing and (3) enhance workforce preparation in manufacturing in Kentucky. This will be accomplished through the development of a long-term, sustainable and reproducible program of competency-based, on-demand education that includes laboratory experiences and activities. This proposal will improve manufacturing technology workforce preparation by transforming and opening educational opportunities to students in rural and underserved regions of Kentucky. The objectives of this program are to (A) assess the feasibility and validity of a CBE Advanced Manufacturing program, (B) increase the number of female graduates in the Advanced Manufacturing program, (C) increase degree production in rural underrepresented areas of Kentucky, (D) increase the number of minority graduates in the Advanced Manufacturing program, and (E) increase the number non-traditional graduates in the Advanced Manufacturing program. At present, manufacturing is Kentucky's largest industry, with over 215,000 workers, accounting for $28 billion in the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and representing 17% of the total (Kentucky Association of Manufacturers, 2013). It has provided high-paying jobs and a good standard of living. However, manufacturing firms still struggle to find skilled workers to replace the rapidly retiring workforce