Tech ed students lead mass production project

  Friday, December 11, 2015 2:00 AM
  News

Pittsburg, KS

Pittsburg State technology and engineering education students this semester received a hands-on lesson in mass production, while also getting a preview of their future teaching careers.

Students in Andy Klenke’s Manufacturing Enterprise course worked with Pittsburg High School students to mass produce a “Gorilla Bullseye” game, which is a board game similar to the Olympic sport of curling.

For the project, Pitt State students created the “Banana Bunch” company, established a logo and trademark, formulated a marketing and finance plan, created a prototype and produced the parts necessary for production of the game. They then visited PHS to “employ” the high school students in a manufacturing facility set up in the school’s technology lab.

More than 15 high school students produced nearly 100 board games during the 90-minute activity.

Klenke said projects such as this provide a variety of benefits for the students.

“They get to experience the hands-on application of most aspects associated with developing a manufacturing company,” he said. “It also provides an opportunity to work with real students in a meaningful and experiential way in an actual school setting. We can never provide enough teaching experiences for future educators before they enter their own classroom, so the more experiences they have, the better prepared they will be to enter the classroom as a professional.”

The activity also has benefits for the high school students.

“Each student gets to participate in an activity related to their class but in a different manner, something bigger, something special,” Klenke said. “They learn different technical skills and see a process not normally seen in class. They also learn about potential career choices through a hands-on, collaborative activity. The project also reinforces the special relationship local districts have with PSU.”