Shannon Flumerfelt, Franz-Josef Kahlen, Anabel Alves, and Anna Bella Siriban-Manalang
In Stock Date:
06/22/2015
Print ISBN:
9781606508251
E-book ISBN:
9781606508268
Recent studies by professional organizations devoted to engineering education, such as Vision 2030 (ASME) and Vision 2025 (ASCE), highlight the need for the restructuring of engineering education. Deficiencies of many engineering graduates include poor systems thinking and systems analysis skills, lack of sensitivity for sustainability issues, poorly developed problem solving skills and lack of training to work in (multi-disciplinary) teams, as well as a lack of leadership, entrepreneurship, innovation, and project management skills. The book’s contents include an analysis of current shortfalls in engineering education and education related to professional practice in engineering. Further, the authors describe desirable improvements as well as advocacy for the use of lean tenets and tools to create a new future for engineering education.
This book presents, for the first time, an outside-in lean engineering perspective of how this commonly accepted and widely practiced and adapted engineering perspective can shape the direction in which the engineers of the future are trained and educated. By its very nature, lean engineering demands systems thinking and systems analysis as well as problem solving skills. In this sense, “Lean Engineering” immediately talks to sustainability of operations. Hence, this book adds to the body of knowledge regarding engineering education. It blends the perspectives and expertise of mechanical, industrial and production engineers and academics and the perspective from social sciences on the challenges encountered in engineering education. Because of the unique mix of authors, the book presents a well-rounded perspective of how lean thinking can address shortcomings in engineering education.
Shannon Flumerfelt, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Organizational Leadership, an endowed professor of lean, and the coordinator of the online education specialist degree program at Oakland University, Rochester, MI. She has authored over 100 scholarly publications and books. Dr. Flumerfelt is interested in organizational improvement, leadership development and educational change.
Franz-Josef Kahlen, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Prof. Kahlen’s research interests are in visualization of system complexity, performance, and risks. It is highly useful to note that there is significant knowledge about systems and complex systems performance in other disciplines and professions, such as biology and medicine, economics, or air traffic control.
Anabela Carvalho Alves is assistant professor at the Department of Production and Systems/ School of Engineering/University of Minho. She holds a PhD in production and systems engineering, being affiliated to ALGORITMI Research Centre. Her main research interests are in the areas of production systems design and operation; lean manufacturing; project management and engineering education, with particular interest in active learning methodologies such as project-based learning (PBL) and the Lean principles applied to education.
Dr. Anna Bella D. Siriban-Manalang is associate professor in industrial engineering at De La Salle University where she teaches and researches on lean manufacturing, strategic planning, production management, systems engineering and total quality management. She is also director of the Center for Lean Systems and Management. She served as member of the UNEP International Resource Panel for six years.
