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2010 Constituent Focus Group Report
Date Summary ·
We
need to emphasize ethics and serving society across the curriculum and
implement more of this in design. ·
We
require our students to take CHEM 112 and 112.
We looked at CHEM 114 curriculum and topics are covered in our courses
somewhere so we made this an elective but we advise them to take CHEM 114 and
114L over BIOL 151.They could take BIOL 151 as an elective ·
Industry
said Statistics are very important and need to be stressed and we have
implemented Statistics in each course.
Bill will summarize who is doing what and where for ABET purposes. ·
Industry
also said characterization of materials is very useful and we do this in MET
330L. Our curriculum has a lot more lab
time than others across the country do. ·
They
also said some business and psychology would be useful and we feel this is
covered under the Gen Ed requirements.
We like the idea but don’t know if we want to require it. ·
Another
suggestion was some economics and/or accounting. We are limited to 136 hours and it would be
impossible to implement these, but the students could take this thru ·
The
comment about students having a background in quantum physics would mostly
apply to graduate students and they have the ability to take this as an
undergraduate. ·
Safety
is more and more emphasized and we need better signage. We also need to make
sure equipment doesn’t move from lab to lab. ·
Have
Dr. Medlin give a lecture in design on intellectual property, non-compete
agreements and patents. ·
Multidisciplinary
teams are of increasing importance and we do this already in cross listed courses
and junior and senior design. ·
It appears our Objective statements are adequate
and are being met. Participants
Representing Program Constituents Students enrolled
in the BS Metallurgical Engineering Program ·
Austin Nelson, Recent BS Met Eng SDSM&T graduate Private Industry and Public Agencies who employ our graduates ·
Mike Deamer, Nucor Steel ·
Shawn Veurink, RPM Associates ·
Other SDSM&T Departments and their
Students who enroll in MET courses ·
Dr. Dan Dolan, ME Dept SDSM&T Graduate Programs that our BS Metallurgical Engineering
graduates may enter ·
Austin Nelson, MES SDSM&T ·
Meeting
Format The goal was to glean for the MET program your best ideas,
suggestions, and insights regarding 1.
The MET program Objectives 2.
The MET curriculum 3.
The performance and preparation of graduates of the MET program Because some participants were on a phone connection, discussion
was somewhat structured in a round-robin format. Kate posed the questions and then “called on”
each participant for input. Reactions
and/or additions to any person’s comments were also solicited. No focus group, however structured, yields information that is
perfectly logical and sequential according to the questions asked. This one was no different. The input is summarized below.
The perspective (i.e., student, industry, other SDSM&T departments,
and graduate programs) is noted, but names are not used. Are
the MET Program Objectives being met? ·
All participants agreed the Objectives are being met ·
The student perspective was that o
Students are very well prepared to apply metallurgical engineering
principles o
Dr. Howard does a good job of stressing ethics and serving society but these topics could be more strongly and generally
emphasized in all courses o
The significant amount of time students spend in the lab is very
useful and important o
Communication skills are amongst the most important objectives. o
Knowing how to communicate and work with people who think
differently than you think or who come from different backgrounds is essential;
the extensive lab work helps develop these communication skills. ·
Industry perspective was that o
MET graduates are very well prepared to work in practical
situations and to apply their skills in the workplace. This observation could be made about
SDSM&T graduates in general. o
Mines graduates come into the workplace with a “full tool box” of
skills and knowledge of experimental methods. o
The program objectives are good, and the curriculum is well
designed to meet them o
MET graduates do meet everything expressed in the program
objectives. o
MET graduates are good thinkers. o
MET graduates are involved in the community o
MET graduates have good writing skills in comparison to other
graduates ·
Perspective from “other SDSM&T programs” was that the program
objectives are good. Values are very
strongly emphasized in the objectives, and this is good (The other participants
assented to this observation about values by nodding their heads in agreement.)
From
your experience and your review, does the curriculum meet the needs of the
graduates? ·
The student perspective was that o
Regarding preparation in chemistry versus biology students should be counseled or even
required to take chemistry. Having a
choice conveyed that both were of equal importance. The student believed preparation in chemistry
was more critical than preparation in biology. o
Students could perhaps be given information on why biology might
be necessary or advisable to take so they could make an informed decision. o
Communication skills are critical—especially interpersonal
communication skills o
The EE 301 course was very helpful in developing an understanding
of the application of some MET content. o
Regarding preparation in the characterization of materials,
student reported working with x-ray diffraction and benefiting greatly from
that experience. ·
Industry perspective was that o
Chemistry is more relevant than biology and biology should be an
elective. Medical technologies make
biology relevant, but chemistry is critical in the curriculum. o
The curriculum gives a good foundation, but an even stronger
preparation in communication skills would be optimal. o
Students speak well in front of groups o
Statistics are very important and need to be stressed. o
Regarding statistics, much of industry is into ISO and CS [sic.]
certification, so an understanding of statistics is a critical and necessary
part of student preparation. o
A course in the characterization of materials or training in
materials characterization would be very useful—perhaps on an elective level o
Regarding the ability to characterize materials, students really
need to know how to use tools for doing the materials characterizations o
Some preparation in business, company dynamics, business
psychology, entrepreneurial psychology, or background in how a business is run
would be most useful. If there is no
room in the core curriculum, this content could perhaps be addressed via a
general education requirement. o
A background in economics and/or accounting is extremely valuable
in new employees. o
The engineering economics course is useful; perhaps it could be
modified to bring in some business background and/or content ·
Perspective from “other SDSM&T programs” was that o
Chemistry is what must be taken but biology is highly
relevant. o
The individual time and attention given to MET majors by the
program faculty is impressive. Faculty
members work with students on an individual basis on projects. ·
Perspective from graduate programs was that o
The strong focus on metallurgy is a real strength From
your experience, how do program graduates perform? ·
The student perspective was that o
The only thing that hindered him as a graduate was graduating in
December o
He felt very confident as a graduate o
Physics I and II did not prepare him well for graduate-level
work. He believes that students should
be given background in quantum physics if they are being pushed to pursue
graduate studies. ·
Industry perspective was that o
Program graduates are extraordinarily well prepared. One person related a story that must be
repeated since it cannot be summarized:
This person was on a team at his company that worked to select a few
schools nationwide from which to recruit graduates. The project was of long duration (e.g., a
year’s time) and examined all schools nationwide. The team picked five schools, and Mines was
one of them. o
Program graduates leave SDSM&T well prepared and are well
supported in making the transition from school to the workplace. o
One graduate of SDSM&T said that picking the school was
definitely the best education decision he ever made. o
Another graduate of SDSM&T now in industry reported being put
in a training course as a new employee along with 30+ others, many of whom were
from some very “big name” schools. He
did not feel unprepared for anything he encountered and did very well. He reported being able to “hit the ground
running” as a new graduate from the MET program. o
The focus on metallurgical engineering makes for good
graduates. Some programs in “materials
sciences” are too thin and the curriculum is too strung out across topics. The MET program at SDSM&T is sufficiently
concentrated and focused. ·
Perspective from “other SDSM&T programs” was that o
Working with MET students who are getting ready to graduate has
shown that the program graduates are very well prepared. o
MET students tend not to speak up soon enough in the design
process when they are serving on multidisciplinary teams. Speaking up confidently and early from one’s
disciplinary perspective is critical in matters related to integrated
mechanical / metallurgical design and material selection. ·
Perspective from graduate programs was that - N/A Other As a ‘best practice,’ and given the very strongly positive nature
of the comments overall, I asked directly for suggestions for
improvements. When none were
forthcoming, I asked if anyone could offer the program thoughts on what the
future holds for metallurgy graduates.
Specifically, I asked if anyone could address trends he sees. The feedback was as follows: ·
From the industry perspective: o
Safety is more and more emphasized o
Robotics and automation is increasing o
EPA requirements and safety requirements are an increasingly
important part of the workplace o
Materials one might not even think of a hazardous waste are now
looked at, so waste disposal is an important topic o
Expose students to intellectual property, non-compete agreements,
patents and etc. These items come up on a regular basis for a small
business owner. One participant reported that the laser engineers working in
his company frequently interact with many aerospace customers and need the
background to avoid crossing the intellectual properties borders between
customers. ·
Perspective from “other SDSM&T programs” was that o
Multidisciplinary perspectives are of increasing importance to
workplace interactions o
The workplace is increasingly organized around projects and teams o
The co-curricular experience is a good place to look for ways to
achieve even more preparation in project work and team experience. |