Course design and development: Focus on student learning experience

Learning is not an outcome and, as a process, is more than just taking classes. It is a transformation journey a student walks through, and experiences picked up along the journey contribute gradually to student competence development. Competence, what companies are looking for from graduates, cannot be handed directly and will not be built unless the learning process is properly designed, developed and executed. This research work aims to present a process for course design and development, focused on embedding learning experience into a course. Bloom's Taxonomy is utilized for identifying learning outcomes. Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle is introduced for planning learning activities for ease of learning. Last, but not least, a recently developed LOVE model is applied for the selection of teaching and learning methods for offering a diversified learning experience. An existing project-based learning engineering postgraduate course on Product Design and Development is assessed to illustrate the proposed process for course design and development.This work is the outcome of project “Curriculum Development of Master’s Degree Program in Industrial Engineering for Thailand Sustainable Smart Industry (MSIE 4.0)” that has been funded with support from the European Commission (Project Number: 586137-EPP-1-2017-1-TH-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP). This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. This work has been supported by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the Project Scope UIDCEC003192019

Roles of MSIE graduates to support Thailand sustainable smart industry

The way business run has changed in recent decades due to technology advancement, and it has become more explicit in many parts of the world that companies have been moving from stand-alone technology exploitation towards holistically integrated technology exploitation. Thailand's government has also foreseen the need for change from a production-based economy to a value-based economy and has encouraged the Thai industry to focus more on producing innovative products and services which require high potential and skilled knowledge workers. Consequently, their roles will never be the same. This paper presents findings on the expected roles of graduates with a Master degree in Industrial Engineering (MSIE) drawn from an industry survey on industry needs to attain Industry 4.0 conducted with companies based in Thailand and in three European countries participating in Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education project on Curriculum Development of Master’s Degree Program in Industrial Engineering for Thailand Sustainable Smart Industry (MSIE 4.0). From the survey results, top-three technologies for being competitive and areas of applications to attain industry 4.0 in the companies' perspective were identified. Roles of MSIE graduates were determined for individual potential applications generated from identified technology-application relationships. According to the findings, the graduates are expected in general to play an important role in effective utilization of big data and real-time data for better decision making on various industrial practical problems as well as for better responsiveness to customers. The same procedure can be applied in other disciplines for identifying the roles of their graduates.This work is the outcome of project “Curriculum Development of Master’s Degree Program in Industrial Engineering for Thailand Sustainable Smart Industry (MSIE 4.0)” that has been funded with support from the European Commission (Project Number: 586137-EPP-1-2017-1-TH-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP). This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein

A Comparative Analysis of Various Financing Methods Available to Support Innovative Activities of SMEs in Poland

Innovation plays a critical role in ensuring sustainable economic development. It is a fundamental element in the success of companies, corporations, and industries, but the process of innovation is an expensive endeavor that requires significant financial re-sources. The objective is to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different financing tools, including government grants, bank loans, self-financing, crowd-funding, seed financing, and venture capital by analyzing case studies and results of research surveys. The first part of this research will explore the concept, types, and classification of innovation. The empirical part is based on a discussion of survey results obtained from 59 SMEs, including the factors that influence SMEs' decisions to seek financing for innovation. The research method used in this study is qualitative research in terms of applied and descriptive approaches; various resources were used including library materials, research papers, survey data, and questionnaires with entrepreneurs and business owners. The objective was to analyze obstacles and opportunities as well as the most suitable financing method required by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to support their innovation. The results show that the choice of the financing method depends on several factors, including the type and stage of innovation, the scope of the company, the particular industry, and the risk involved for both the innovator and the investor

Porównawcza analiza wybranych technologii dezynfekcji wody przy wykorzystaniu środowiskowej analizy cyklu życia

The objective of the paper is to use life cycle assessment to compare environmental impact of different technologies used in the process of water disinfection. Two scenarios are developed for water disinfection life cycle at ZUW Raba water treatment plant: (1) historical, in which gaseous chlorine is used as a disinfectant and (2) actual, in which UV radiation and electrolytically generated sodium hypochlorite are used for that purpose. Primary data is supplemented with ecoinvent 3 database records. Environmental impact is assessed by IMPACT2002+ method and its midpoint and endpoint indicators that are calculated with the use of SimaPro 8.4 software. The focus of the assessment is on selected life cycle phases: disinfection process itself and the water distribution process that follows. The assessment uses the data on flows and emissions streams as observed in the Raba plant. As the results of primal analysis show, a change of disinfectant results in quantitative changes in THMs and free chlorine in water supplied to the water supply network. The results of analysis confirm the higher potential of THMs formation and higher environmental impact of the combined method of UV/NaClO disinfection in distribution phase and in whole life cycle, mainly due to the increase of human toxicity factors. However, during the disinfection phase, gaseous chlorine use is more harmful for environment. But the final conclusion states that water quality indicators are not significant in the context of LCA, while both disinfection and distribution phases are concerned.Celem artykułu było pokazanie wykorzystania środowiskowej oceny cyklu życia (LCA) do porównania wpływu na środowisko różnych technologii stosowanych w procesie dezynfekcji wody. Dla cyklu życia procesu dezynfekcji wody w zakładzie uzdatniania wody Raba Miejskiego Przedsiębiorstwa Wodociągów i Kanalizacji (MPWiK) w Krakowie w niniejszej pracy zostały sformułowane dwa scenariusze: (1) historyczny, w którym dezynfektantem jest chlor gazowy oraz (2) bieżący, w którym tę rolę spełnia układ dwustopniowy z promieniowaniem UV i podchlorynem sodu. Podstawowe dane były uzupełniane rekordami bazy danych ecoinvent 3. Oddziaływanie środowiskowe poddano ocenie przy wykorzystaniu metody IMPACT2002+. Pośrednie i końcowe wskaźniki kategorii wpływu wyliczono przy wykorzystaniu oprogramowania SimPro 8. Analiza obejmowała wybrane fazy cyklu życia: sam proces dezynfekcji i następujący po nim proces dystrybucji wody. W ocenie wykorzystano dane ilościowe o przepływach i emisjach w procesie dezynfekcji wody z wybranego zakładu uzdatniania wody. Wyniki wstępnych analiz pokazują, że zmiana dezynfektanta powoduje zmiany ilościowe trihalometanów (THM) i chloru wolnego w wodzie dostarczanej do sieci wodociągowej. Analiza wskazuje, że w fazie dezynfekcji użycie chloru gazowego jest bardziej szkodliwe dla środowiska. Natomiast wyniki analizy potwierdzają wyższy potencjał tworzenia się THM i większy wpływ na środowisko połączonej metody dezynfekcji UV/NaClO w fazie dystrybucji wody

Soft skills of engineers in view of industry 4.0 challenges

Technological development is changing the skills model for employees in industry 4.0. Technical and IT competencies remain crucial for an engineer, however employers are increasingly appreciating soft skills, especially those that facilitate teamwork and communication or co-creation of innovations with customers and external stakeholders. The article presents good practices for developing soft skills in engineers in industry 4.0 within the project "Curriculum Development of Master's Degree Program in Industrial Engineering for Thailand Sustainable Smart Industry - MSIE4”

Identifying key criteria in development of Industrial Engineering education

The objective of this study is to define criteria in current development of Industrial Engineering (IE) education on the basis of studies and concepts published in commonly accessible databases and knowledge exchange platforms. General assumption of the study is that the universal criteria used in developing IE study programs are already defined and some experiences on their use are already published. The expected outcome of the study is to identify the criteria that could support the development of curriculum for MSc in IE. The approach used here is content analysis with the publication related to the higher level education in the field of Industrial Engineering

Verification of Circular Economy solutions and sustainability of products with life cycle assessment

The process of transition from linear to circular economy through the delivery of sustainable products has already started while its environmental consequences are not clearly investigated yet. Life cycle assessment could be a perfect tool to verify whether the promises of emission and waste free circular manufacturing processes are true. The objective of the chapter is to present the methodological choices within LCA study and practical example of LCA application for the assessment of circular solutions. The objective is achieved through focusing on the sector of biopolymers and production of mcl-PHA and P(3HB). On the basis of biopolymer production from waste oil the chapter illustrates also the requirements of LCA tool with regard to its information supply. As the results of the study shows, different approaches to LCA methodology end up with significant changes in the results. This is related to the decisions on using attributional or consequential approaches as well as to the allocation of environmental burdens and benefits from circular solution

Demand for competences of industrial engineering graduates in the context of automation of manufacturing processes

Automation and robotization is considered to be a key determinant of the development and innovation in manufacturing enterprises. But the scope and range of its implementation is changing due to ongoing fourth industrial revolution towards Industry 4.0. The objective of the paper is to analyze the needs of manufacturing enterprises with regard to automation and robotization but from the perspective of desired competences of Industrial Engineering graduates. To achieve the objective the results of industrial survey are analyzed. The survey was made among Thai and EU companies within the project titled Curriculum Development of Master’s Degree Program in Industrial Engineering for Thailand Sustainable Smart Industry-MSIE4.0. The results show that the requirements towards graduates are changing especially with reference to real-time control of manufacturing process, big data use and mobile devices use to steer and feed with the information the management and manufacturing processes

Best Environmental Practices in Agricultural Sector: Comparative LCA Study of Italian and Polish Wheat Cultivation

According to FAO’s forecasts, the world consumption and production of cereals are projected to increase by almost 2.89 billion tonnes by 2030. The International Grains Council foresees a drawdown of global grains stocks, with further declines expected in the years to 2023/24 [International Grains Council 2019]. Wheat is grown on over 200 million ha in the world, by covering around the 15% of the global arable land [FAO 2015]. Figure 1 shows the geographical distribution of the wheat cultivation area in the world, by considering average FAOSTAT data from 2010 to 2014 [FAOSTAT 2019]. Poland and Italy belong to the group of the biggest wheat producers in Europe. For both economies, wheat production is important in a sense of economic advantage but also as environmental burden. The objective of the study is to compare wheat cultivation practices in Poland and in Italy with reference to its environmental impact. The objective would be achieved through life cycle comparative assessment of wheat production in Poland and in Italy with the use of product environmental footprint approach