Development of an advanced delivery classroom at the University of Detroit Mercy

In this paper, we outline the choices and difficulties associated with selecting and configuring an advanced delivery classroom in terms of capability, technology, and cost. Functional requirements for such a system are being developed for the Greenfield Coalition, an NSF-supported project. Greenfield is comprised of six universities (Michigan, Wayne State, Lehigh, Lawrence Technological University, Central State (Ohio) and Detroit Mercy (the lead institution)); five major corporations (Chrysler, Ford, GM, Detroit Diesel, and Cincinnati Milacron); Focus:HOPE (a Detroit-based nonprofit organization); and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. The charter of this group is to redefine engineering education by linking practice and learning. Students will perform actual technical functions in a production enterprise (Focus:HOPE´s Center for Advanced Technologies), and employ a wide variety of knowledge-seeking techniques to achieve the capabilities necessary for job performance and degrees from three of the member institutions. An advanced delivery classroom using proven interactive distance learning system equipment will be used to transmit courses to Focus:HOPE learners, and later to local industries-one likely early candidate being the current Mechanical Engineering bachelor´s degree program now being delivered on-site at Ford Motor by the University of Detroit Mercy faculty