Industry-centered education has been an integral part of the educational program at Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) since the founding of the college in 1941. This has included extensive use of cooperative education as part of all MMA academic programs. Employers, graduates, and potential students describe MMA’s “hands-on” focus, reflected in these cooperative education experiences, to be one of the main advantages of an MMA education. The MMA Engineering Department decided to build on this strength as a core component of a new Power Engineering Technology (PET) Capstone experience. The Capstone experience was developed in 2003 as a two-course, nine credit hour sequence that included both individual and team projects. The courses build on previous course material, the student’s cooperative education experience, and include specific new material on project management and teamwork skills. The courses conclude with a major project where teams of students are paired with a local industrial facility. At this facility, the students work with an inhouse mentor and, using project management techniques, with faculty oversight, complete a study of a topic of interest for that facility. The teams then prepare formal written reports and presentations documenting their results. The Capstone experience has become a key feature of the PET program and continues to evolve and improve, receiving positive feedback from graduates and industry participants. This feedback, combined with other improvement efforts, is used to strengthen and improve the Capstone experience and the PET program.
Expanding A Successful Industry Based Partnership Beyond The Traditional Cooperative Education Experience
