Enhancement of internet based layer manufacturing for engineering education

The objective of the paper is to design, implement, and further enhance an Internet Based Manufacturing (IBM) course on the topics of rapid prototyping and advanced manufacturing within the established programs of Industrial Engineering (Manufacturing Specialization) and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas as El Paso (UTEP). The aforementioned course constitute the foundation of what is commonly known as e-manufacturing systems, in which the remote monitoring, diagnosis and control of distributed manufacturing operations are the key characteristics. This paper describes an established e-Manufacturing Lab to serve two academic programs at UTEP - Industrial Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, and to support multidisciplinary education activities. Moreover, the paper also aims at developing an effective learning model to facilitate student's learning. Student learning from both virtual and real environment are evaluated and discussed in this paper.