Integration of an Assembly Systems Engineering Laboratory Module

Curriculum integration and multidisciplinary studies have become key issues in improving engineering education. This paper presents the design and implementation of laboratory material, based on active and collaborative learning, which integrates three traditionally independent courses in the industrial engineering curriculum: Manufacturing Engineering, Ergonomics, and Simulation, utilizing an experiential assembly system. This collaborative project incorporates a team-based learn-by-doing approach to the theoretical knowledge in these subject areas. These components are implemented in a dynamic and reconfigurable environment in which the students are given the opportunity to contrast their design against the working reality. The preliminary results of this project are discussed along with the impact on the curriculum.