Acoustic Engineering Workstation at the College of the Ozarks Geoffrey A. Akers Nicolas C. White James P. Keeter School of Engineering James P. Keeter School of Engineering College of the Ozarks College of the Ozarks Point Lookout, MO USA Point Lookout, MO USA [email protected] [email protected] David E. Frey, Enable Audio, Branson MO, [email protected] Abstract— The College of the Ozarks is developing the ability to More important than generating income for the College, the provide acoustic engineering services to customers on and off- mentored experience gained by undergraduate engineering campus. The College is the only federally recognized work college students providing those services is designed to complement with an undergraduate engineering program, which means their academic program. students do not pay tuition and are assigned workstations on This paper first discusses the unique aspects of the campus to help defray expenses and to generate income for the Engineering Services workstation and its objectives. The College. This paper addresses the purpose and administration of approach to providing practical engineering and project the workstation and how it is unique from other service-learning management experiences is then presented. Initial experiences programs, the perceived benefits to the student workers and the on the first two projects of the workstation are discussed next. engineering program, recent workstation accomplishments, Lessons learned and future plans for the workstation and the lessons learned, and future plans. conclusions section complete the paper. Keywords—acoustics, engineering services, work college II. ENGINEERING SERVICES WORKSTATION I. INTRODUCTION Workstations at C of O help students develop strong work The undergraduate, multidisciplinary engineering program ethics, as well as effective communication teamwork skills. The at College of the Ozarks (C of O) began in 2016 and plans to Engineering Services workstation also seeks to integrate seek ABET accreditation after graduating its first engineers in practical engineering design experience by providing May 2020. The school is a private Christian, liberal arts college engineering consultant services. The goal is for an engineering and is a federally recognized work college. As stated by the faculty member as the workstation supervisor to function as a college president, Dr. Jerry Davis, “C of O is unique among technical program manager and the student workers to fill the higher education institutions in America: no tuition is charged, roles of project engineers. all students work on campus, debt is openly discouraged, and no federal, state or private loans are made [1].” Of incoming The value of learning experiences beyond the lectures in the students, 90% have demonstrated financial need. C of O is classroom is well-recognized. The Engineering Accreditation currently ranked #3 in Regional Colleges Midwest by U.S. Commission of ABET requires engineering programs to News and World Report [2]. provide “a culminating major engineering design experience” All full-time students work 280 hours per semester at on of [4]. As a result, many engineering programs, including the about 80 workstations on campus in lieu of paying tuition. program at College of the Ozarks incorporate capstone courses Some of these workstations allow the College to avoid costs, to provide project-based student experiences, which often such as custodial, landscaping, construction, cafeteria, and the include real-world design experience incorporating material information technology help desk. Other workstations on from the courses they have taken to that point. campus are dedicated to generating income, such as Edwards Mill, the Fruitcake and Jelly Kitchen, and the Keeter Center, a Some engineering programs have integrated significant top-rated restaurant and a “2019 Travelers’ Choice” small hotel project-based courses into their undergraduate programs. [3]. The College also manages pork, dairy, and beef farms. “Project-based learning is a comprehensive approach to These farms provide some income to offset expenses, though teaching and learning that is designed to engage students in the their primary purpose is to provide vocational learning investigation of authentic problems.” Two of many examples of opportunities for agricultural students. programs with significant project-based course content are Massey University, which has courses incorporating project- Following the farms’ approach to vocational learning, the Engineering Services workstation began in the spring semester based learning across the four years of the engineering program of 2018 with one engineering student supervised by an [5], and the Iron Range Engineering (IRE), which is a 4-year engineering faculty member. The long-term goal is to provide collaborative engineering program accredited through engineering services to the local community, with enough Minnesota State University, Mankato. “By interfacing with paying customers at least cover the costs of the workstation. local industry through a unique project-based approach, IRE INAUGURAL SEEE - PURDUE UNIVERSITY, WEST LAFAYETTE, IN JULY 25TH/26TH, 2019 continues to bring the learning experience closer to engineering An engineering advisory board (EAB) consisting of practice than ever before [6].” engineers from industry in the region is also key to defining objectives and methods of the multidisciplinary engineering Some programs have added a community focus to the program at C of O. The EAB recognized the similarities in projects in project-based learning. One of the most recognized purpose between the College’s dairy, beef, and hog farms for is EPICS founded at Purdue in 1995, whose goal is the agricultural students and what an engineering services “development, design, and support of technology-based workstation could provide engineering students. The farms solutions to meet needs in the local and global communities afford students a practical farm experience in a supervised [7].” Another program at UMass Lowell is Service-Learning environment. Milk, beef, pork, and live animals are sold to Integrated throughout the College of Engineering (SLICE), offset operation expenses. Dubbed the “engineering dairy which incorporates service-learning into at least one course farm”, the EAB envisioned an engineering services workstation every semester in the core curriculum of each of their employing a significant number of engineering students. The engineering programs [8]. workstation could provide tiger teams for small projects, such Federal work-study jobs seek to give students relevant as designing a replacement motor drive circuit for an old milling experience outside the classroom and are a popular approach machine, as well as larger teams with longer-term projects, such for students with financial need to help fund their academic as an aquaponics system for Christian mission organization in pursuits [9]. The Work Colleges Consortium (WCC) carefully Ecuador. The goal would be for the workstation to be self- distinguishes between federal work-study programs and sustaining financially, with a mix of paying nonpaying workstations at the eight federally recognized work colleges. customers and not compete directly with local industry. All work college students, not just those with financial need, are Currently, C of O has more work to do than student workers required to work a set number of hours, and the work available. The cost model prevents significantly increasing contributes directly to the operation of the college. All resident enrollment, as students do not pay tuition. For this reason and students participate in the work-learning service program and the current workload of the engineering department as they “are given responsibility, counted upon, gain valuable work develop new courses, order equipment, move into new experience, while reducing the cost of education [10].” These facilities, and prepare for accreditation, the workstation started contributions include cost-avoidance, such as administrative, small. maintenance, and construction, as well as revenue generation, which is unique for each institution. Each student worker is B. Acoustics Focus formally evaluated each semester and provided individual College of the Ozarks is near Branson, Missouri, which has feedback. a large entertainment industry. Acoustic engineering is in The Engineering Services workstation is distinct from demand by theaters, local churches, as well as manufacturing project-based and service-learning courses. As with other companies desiring to reduce machine noise within the workstations within the WCC, no academic credit is assigned facilities. As a result, the Engineering Services workstation was and a set number of hours per semester are prescribed. Unlike initiated with an acoustics focus. the federal work-study program, the hours students work in a A Work College Consortium (WCC) grant was pursued to workstation are credited toward tuition instead of a paycheck. provide seed money for the hardware needed for acoustic Other distinctions of the engineering workstation are that measurements. The grant application was used to lay out the projects are not limited to multiples of a semester, and the small purpose and scope of the workstation. In addition to applying size of the workstation ensures one-on-one or one-on-a-few for funding, the College process of approving the application mentorship between the faculty supervisor and student workers gained