Aprendizaje integrado de software para producción de buques

Una alta productividad en Ingeniería está asociada entre otras cosas a una gestión eficiente del flujo de las enormes cantidades de información y correspondientes tomas de decisiones consubstanciales a los entornos de diseño y producción. Ello exige que nuestros titulados estén formados para ser capaces de manejar esa información de modo integrado, a través de los diferentes estadios en que se genera y procesa. En el contexto de la enseñanza de la Ingeniería existen un buen número de cursos designados a desarrollar competencias específicas, como las requeridas en los currículos académicos, pero muy pocos en los cuales las competencias de integración sean el objetivo principal. En este artículo se documenta una asignatura que tiene esa orientación, con la intención de alimentar el debate sobre la formación, tan necesario en tiempos de fuerte contracción de la actividad económica como el que vivimos en la actualidad y que está promoviendo el COIN. La asignatura se denomina “Tecnologías de la Información Aplicadas a la Construcción Naval” y es impartida en la titulación de Ingeniero Naval y Oceánico, plan 2002, de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM). La primera parte de la asignatura está dedicada a la planificación y gestión de proyectos; los estudiantes adquieren competencias en la definición, usando Ms-PROJECT, de la estructura de descomposición de tareas y la asignación de recursos así como en el seguimiento de proyectos, a través de una serie de ejemplos de complejidad creciente, finalizando con la construcción de un buque. La segunda parte está dedicada al uso de un gestor de bases de datos, Ms-ACCESS, y orientada a la gestión de la información relativa a Producción. Otra vez la estrategia pasa por trabajar sobre una serie de ejemplos de complejidad creciente y se finaliza con la administración de una base de datos de tuberías de un buque, para las cuales se establecen hitos de producción, recepción y montaje, lo que conecta está parte con la primera. Finalmente, la tercera parte de la asignatura está dedicada al trabajo con FORAN, con el cual se definen con detalle los elementos estructurales de todo el buque sobre el que se ha elaborado la planificación. En esta parte, el trabajo es cooperativo, dado que los estudiantes operan simultáneamente en el mismo modelo 3D. Las clases se realizan en un aula multimedia en la cual cada estudiante puede utilizar todas las aplicaciones de software tratadas. Se han realizado encuestas a los estudiantes para obtener una retroalimentación desde su experiencia así como para hacer una valoración de su satisfacción con el proceso de aprendizaje. Los resultados de esas encuestas son discutidos en el artículo.

Integrated learning of computer applications for production engineering

A high productivity rate in Engineering is related to an efficient management of the flow of the large quantities of information and associated decision making activities that are consubstantial to the Engineering processes both in design and production contexts. Dealing with such problems from an integrated point of view and mimicking real scenarios is not given much attention in Engineering degrees. In the context of Engineering Education, there are a number of courses designed for developing specific competencies, as required by the academic curricula, but not that many in which integration competencies are the main target. In this paper, a course devoted to that aim is discussed. The course is taught in a Marine Engineering degree but the philosophy could be used in any Engineering field. All the lessons are given in a computer room in which every student can use each all the treated software applications. The first part of the course is dedicated to Project Management: the students acquire skills in defining, using Ms-PROJECT, the work breakdown structure (WBS), and the organization breakdown structure (OBS) in Engineering projects, through a series of examples of increasing complexity, ending up with the case of vessel construction. The second part of the course is dedicated to the use of a database manager, Ms-ACCESS, for managing production related information. A series of increasing complexity examples is treated ending up with the management of the pipe database of a real vessel. This database consists of a few thousand of pipes, for which a production timing frame is defined, which connects this part of the course with the first one. Finally, the third part of the course is devoted to the work with FORAN, an Engineering Production package of widespread use in the shipbuilding industry. With this package, the frames and plates where all the outfitting will be carried out are defined through cooperative work by the studens, working simultaneously in the same 3D model. In the paper, specific details about the learning process are given. Surveys have been posed to the students in order to get feed-back from their experience as well as to assess their satisfaction with the learning process. Results from these surveys are discussed in the paper

Integrated learning of production engineering software applications in a shipbuilding context

Acourse focused on the acquisition of integration competencies in ship production engineering, organized in collaboration with selected industry partners, is presented in this paper. The first part of the course is dedicated to Project Management: the students acquire skills in defining, using MS-PROJECT, the work breakdown structure (WBS), and the organization breakdown structure (OBS) in Engineering projects, through a series of examples of increasing complexity with the final one being the construction planning of a vessel. The second part of the course is dedicated to the use of a database manager, MS-ACCESS, in managing production related information.Aseries of increasing complexity examples is treated, the final one being the management of the piping database of a real vessel. This database consists of several thousand pipes, for which a production timing frame is defined connecting this part of the course with the first one. Finally, the third part of the course is devoted to working withFORAN,an Engineering Production application developed bySENERand widely used in the shipbuilding industry. With this application, the structural elements where all the outfittings will be located are defined through cooperative work by the students, working simultaneously in the same 3D model. In this paper, specific details about the learning process are given. Surveys have been posed to the students in order to get feedback from their experience as well as to assess their satisfaction with the learning process, compared to more traditional ones. Results from these surveys are discussed in the paper.