Chip Ferguson's research while affiliated with Western Carolina University and other places
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Publications (15)
With increased competition through an ever growing global economy, engineering and engineering technology education have a renewed emphasis in teaching and implementing rapid product development and practice-oriented methodologies. Instructional methods must be more in line with current competitive practices in industry. To address this need, an in...
The use of spreadsheets such as Microsoft Excel ® to supplement Engineering Technology has been implemented in many areas with demonstrated success including fluid power systems. Spreadsheet based commercial products such as Fluid Tools ® are available for quickly performing calculations required for component sizing and circuit analysis. However,...
A new a dual-service dehumidifier water heater (WHD) appliance is being researched and developed by the authors. Prior research on a similar appliance, a heat pump water heater (HPWH), has demonstrated the unit’s increased performance and energy saving, and through collaboration, significant progress has been made toward developing the WHD into a p...
Leadership can be defined by many people, with no consensus on the dynamics of the ever-important trait. Likewise, the integration of leadership skills into the classroom has become a mainstream goal of many educational professionals. Research suggests ways in which teachers can facilitate the leadership process in their classes, along with sound p...
A dual-service dehumidifier water heater (WHD) appliance has been researched and developed by Western Carolina University, Asheville-Buncombe Community College, and Sci-Cool Incorporated through a partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Prior research on a similar appliance, a heat pump water heater (HPWH), has demonstrated the unit'...
The purpose of the current pilot study was to investigate teaching methods for improving spatial visualization (SV) ability. Specifically, this pilot study sought to determine the effects of mechanical dissection manipulatives on improving the SV ability of freshmen enrolled in a Technology Systems course at Western Carolina University (WCU). For i...
Using reprints from Root's original engine, students in the Engineering Technology Department at Western Carolina University embarked on creating parametric models, virtual assemblies, and animations in a senior level course. Further, rapid prototype models were produced to conduct fit analysis. Simultaneously, students in a machining and prototypi...
The Engineering Technology curriculum at Western Carolina University has undergone major changes in the last three years. These changes are in response to several factors including a changing industrial climate in the region, extended engagement mandated by the university system, and recent program restructuring within the department. A brief histo...
Citations
... Students receive valuable practical experience, and companies receive free labor. However, unpaid internships have been seen to have significant weaknesses, leading to job dissatisfaction and poor career opportunities (Rogers et al., 2021;Sanger et al., 2006;Tepper & Holt, 2015;Zilvinskis et al., 2020). 4. Development of dual training programs. ...
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... Based on their assessment, they concluded that graduates reported satisfaction with the program and indicated that it met their expectations. Ferguson, et al. 5 from Western Carolina University discussed in their article, "Engaging Industry in Graduate Engineering/Technology Education," the approaches graduate education can take to address the growing need for technically prepared leaders in engineering/technology fields. Belcher 1 conducted a study that surveyed current and potential graduate students on the obstacles they face, services they want, the reasons they might have for attending graduate as well as the perceptions of Boise State University that might influence their decision to begin or continue graduate study. ...
... The engagement model has benefited the involved faculty by exposing them to current industry needs, and keeping their skill set up-to-date. 1 The university has received a great deal of positive publicity through the exposure of industry to the facilities and human resources on campus. Industrial partners have seen benefits in several modes: they have received technical assistance at little or no cost to the company, while gaining exposure to a multitude of students, potentially Page 13.493.2 ...
... Some may argue that managing a project simply requires organization and time management skills and that students invariably develop these skills throughout their studies, but the reality is that project management fundamentals need to be learned and practiced just like any other skillset. A few institutions have taken a more formal approach in preparing students by creating dedicated project management courses [6] or incorporating substantial project management materials in an existing course [3] earlier in the curriculum. Another approach is the creation of a project management workshop [7] or one-day seminar [8]. ...
... In addition to the efforts presented here, a department-maintained assessment database (Microsoft Access), piloted during the 2011-12 academic year is being utilized. 5 The database is expected to play a significant role in providing an electronic repository for WCU faculty to organize assessment data and for ABET visitors to find information. ...
... In recent years, the German Industrie 4.0 [1,2], China Manufacturing 2025 [3], the USA "Revive the American manufacturing" [4], and other national policies have been introduced, which led to the intelligent manufacturing becoming a hot research topic. Machine tool is the "mother" machine that makes all machines and is the core machine in the field of intelligent manufacturing. ...
... Some studies suggest that engaging students in Problem Based Learning (PBL) activities can improve students' motivation 2 and work readiness 1 . While there is much literature and research regarding implementation of work-related capstone courses for engineers, most of these focus on the logistics of setting up the program, and not the conceptual underpinnings of how to make it an effective work-related experience for each individual student 3,4 . There is both Page 24.1083.2 ...
... Modern computer tools such as LabVIEW ® have become an integral component of engineering curricula and provide efficient methods of blending theory into practice. However, this common use has also contributed to differences between the practicing engineer and technologist becoming more clouded [Ball,2]. Commercial software packages can enable students to rapidly perform calculations with relative ease and efficiency. ...
... For example, Gurny (2003) described it as 'the ability to rotate an object in space mentally.' MR has also been defined as the ability to rapidly and accurately rotate a two or three-dimensional figure mentally (Ferguson et al. 2008;Nagy-Kondor 2007). While these definitions of MR are valid and somewhat similar, we adopt Maier's (1998) definition of MR as it encapsulates the essence of all the definitions and states that MR is an ability to 'rapidly and accurately rotate a 2D or 3D figure.' ...
