Course Prepares Students for International Teamwork
At the end of the fall 2000 semester, Professor Deba Dutta had concerns about the future of a new course he had just developed and taught for the first time. The course was called Global Product Realization and, thanks to videoconferencing technology, he taught it simultaneously on three continents. Students gave it high marks, and Dutta knew that the occasional technological glitches were surmountable. But he didn't know if the course itself could be sustained. "I wondered if I was creating a course that was person-specific; I didn't know if anyone else would be willing or able to devote the time and energy to it in the future," he said.
Six years later the course, now called Global Product Development, is stronger than ever. Lalit Patil, PhD, a research fellow and lecturer in the ME department, has served as course leader for the past two years. "The best part is that I'm not involved," said Dutta jokingly, although he does give occasional lectures during the semester-long course. Since 2004 Dutta has been at the National Science Foundation and the course has involved Drs Donald Malen, Sridhar Kota and Kazuhiro Saitou, in addition to Dr Patil.
Dutta originally created the course to address a need he saw: to educate engineers for the future by training them to work in distributed, international teams that understand the cultural aspects and impact of engineering problems. More than 250 students in the United States, Europe and Asia have taken the class since he first offered it.
In addition to U-M, participating universities include TU Berlin in Germany and Seoul National University in Korea. Students work in six-member teams, two from each university. They participate in a week-long, in-person meeting at the start of the semester and get together once more for an additional week at the close of the semester, when they present their collaborative project. In between team members stay in close communication via email, instant messaging and their own custom-designed communication tools, according to Patil.
A product development project functions as the centerpiece of the course. Students not only conceive of a global product; they must conduct market research, design the item, build a working prototype as well as propose a plan for large scale manufacturing, distribution and financing. The product and its plans must be applicable to two regions of the world--with two sets of cultural requirements that conflict. "It would not be possible for a single version of the product to satisfy both markets," explained Patil.
Through the project students learn how to work in distributed teams. Lectures from faculty and invited guests, delivered via videoconferences, cover the product development process and aspects of globalization. There is no textbook; instead students review and discuss case studies from companies, such as Whirlpool, Samsung Electronics, Steelcase, Kodak and Hyundai, that highlight issues they face in the global marketplace.
At the end of each semester students present their work in the Global Education Forum, a public exhibition. The forum is attended by academic and industry leaders as well as members of the media.
Despite the course's heavy workload, feedback from students has been overwhelmingly and consistently positive. All agree, said Patil, that taking the course has changed how they look at the world. "When we hear that, the purpose of the course is being served and the students are learning, so we know that it can sustain itself."
Quotes from student teams
"Although communicating with our teammates from other countries was challenging, it helped us learn the great benefits of global design. Teamwork comes from understanding other cultures and other ways of thinking. We were all very impressed with the new ideas that came from working with our foreign teammates. It was very good to have different backgrounds and
ways of thinking when solving our technical problems"
--Team 3 (2005)
"Each team member learned valuable technical and personal skills. The dynamics and setting of the class are truly extraordinary and we all have had an unforgettable experience."
--Team 8 (2005)
"All in all, it was an amazing class. More than just a class, it was an experience that did more than any textbook could to change one's perspective on engineering design."
-- Brian Trease (2002)
