A Teaching mode on network cloud Project-based Learning in ship design and manufacturing

Abstract

Network cloud is changing the way industries and enterprises do their businesses in that dynamically scalable and virtualized resources are provided as a service over the Internet. This model creates a brand new opportunity for enterprises. In this paper the main purpose of this study was to develop interdisciplinary project-based learning and investigate the process and effectiveness of project-based learning involving undergraduate students in the Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering in a college in Taiwan. The theme of this research project was “ship design and manufacturing.” This study used the revised PBL model to design the project activities and integrated the learning of the following three courses: “Operation and application of 3D boat mold design software,” “Boat building,” and “Boat parts design and building practices.” During the project, hands-on tests and experiments of were performed, and the students eventually completed ship design and manufacturing. This study selected a total of 97 students as the subjects and conducted text analysis, a questionnaire survey, and interviews to collect data. The research results showed that project-based learning in combination with hands-on learning could guide students in completing the design and building of a real boat. This learning method provided students with brand-new experiences, enabled them to experience the pleasure of boat design, and effectively elicited a positive attitude toward boat-building engineering and learning effectiveness. Moreover, this study proposed suggestions for the project process that could inform future interdisciplinary project-based learning in colleges.