Session F4C DELIVERING CONTINUOUS MANUFACTURING EDUCATION AND TRAINING VIA AN INTERNET-BASED DISTRIBUTED VIRTUAL LABORATORY Gary E. Rafe 1 , Kim LaScola Needy 2 , Bopaya Bidanda 3 , Therese M. Schmidt 4 Abstract This research considers the application of a distributed virtual laboratory (DVL) to deliver continuous education and training in manufacturing-related disciplines via the global Internet. This presentation begins by reviewing motivations for the research. A pilot implementation of the DVL that employs a networked client- server approach using readily available information technologies is then described. An assessment case-study application of the DVL within the training center of a Pittsburgh-area industrial engineering consulting firm is considered. Results from this study suggest that implementations of the distributed virtual laboratory may be feasible alternatives to face-to-face continuous manufacturing education and training. Index Terms continuous education, distributed virtual laboratory, World-Wide Web browser, Java applet. INTRODUCTION The importance of frequent continuing education and training for individuals working in manufacturing-related industries was underscored in a wide-ranging report issued by the National Research Council’s Committee to Study Information Technology and Manufacturing [1]. The Committee suggested that multimedia and virtual reality technologies used in conjunction with intelligent tutoring systems, distance learning systems, and experiential learning tools offer significant potential to deliver flexible interfaces for educational and skill-building programs. Development of the distributed virtual laboratory (DVL) described here attempted to address a limitation of contemporary distance and asynchronous learning systems by providing an interactive learning environment that accommodated the experiential learning style of individuals working in manufacturing-related industries. Further motivations for this research are considered in [2]. The distributed virtual laboratory makes use of Internet, World-Wide Web, and distributed information technologies to realize a media-rich interactive environment of sufficient ____________________________________ 1 Gary E. Rafe, University of Pittsburgh, Industrial Engineering, 1048 Benedum Hall, Pittsburgh, PA, grafe@ie.pitt.edu 2 Kim LaScola Needy, University of Pittsburgh, Industrial Engineering, 1048 Benedum Hall, Pittsburgh, PA, kneedy@engrng.pitt.edu 3 Bopaya Bidanda, University of Pittsburgh, Industrial Engineering, 1048 Benedum Hall, Pittsburgh, PA, bidanda@engrng.pitt.edu 4 Therese M. Schmidt, H. B. Maynard and Company, Pittsburgh, PA, tschmidt@hbmaynard.com fidelity for conducting experiential activities associated commonly with a physical laboratory. The pilot DVL implementation described here was made up of client Java applets that ran within a VRML-capable Web browser (for content presentation and three-dimensional scene rendering), and a Unix-based server that ran open-source database and Web server processes. Resources needed to implement the DVL are diagrammed in Figure 1. Global Internet Resources VL HTML Media Store VL Java Servlet HTTP Server SQL DB Server VL WWW Server Objects Store VL Class Libraries Cache Disk VRML2 Plug-in Java Virtual Machine WWW Browser FIGURE 1 DISTRIBUTED VIRTUAL LABORATORY ARCHITECUTRE The client-side of the distributed virtual laboratory consists of two separate, but integrated components. The first component implements a Web-Based Training (WBT) player as a Java applet. This WBT player is used to present text, image, and other media objects arranged on pages that are organized in a course, module, and lesson hierarchy. Content and organization for material presented by the WBT player is maintained in the remote server’s SQL database. A collection of question objects (e.g., short-answer and multiple choice) can be embedded in pages to establish varying levels of interactivity within lessons. Responses to 0-7803-6669-7/01/$10.00 © 2001 IEEE October 10 - 13, 2001 Reno, NV 31 st ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference F4C-18