Project Team
- Ayman Elnaggar, Associate Professor of Teaching, School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science (Lead Applicant)
- Homayoun Najjaran, Professor, School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science
- Dean Richert, Assistant Professor of Teaching, School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science
- Carolyn Szostak, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
- Chen Feng, Assistant Professor, School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science
Themes
- Flexible Learning
- Professional Skills and Competencies
Year
2020
About the Project
It is becoming increasingly important for students to graduate with strong theoretical knowledge, critical thinking proficiency, and with practical skills that support manufacturing growth as outlined in recent BC Job Plans. The project responds to this challenge by developing innovative and flexible learning modules that integrate the Festo curricula into the existing engineering curricula.
The project builds on initial discussions and a concept paper between UBCO and Festo, a leader in advanced manufacturing automation, Industry 4.0, and Mechatronics, to establish the first Festo training and certification center of Western Canada at UBCO. Festo Didactic, the educational division of Festo, has developed an in-depth curriculum complemented with applied experiential learning that ensure students have internationally recognized qualifications upon completion of Festo certification.
Additional rich supplementary learning resources will be developed that will allow the Mechanical, and Electrical Engineering students enrolled in the Mechatronics Option, and the Manufacturing Engineering students on both UBC campuses to follow different learning pathways that guide them to qualify for the Festo certification along their engineering degrees. The result will be a program that significantly improves the employability of UBCO graduates worldwide without compromising students’ wellness. Festo fully supports this project and is excited to collaborate with UBCO and make their educational resources available for UBCO.
This is a unique project in Canada which will serve as a model that can be replicated in other faculties and academic institutions, paving the way for UBCO to become a leader and partner in future implementations in Canada and globally.
Additional Information