An industrial needs driven curriculum design methodology and its application to manufacturing in Thailand

This research emphasizes manufacturing engineering and technology education, one of the important factors in stimulating the development of the industrial sector as well as the engineering community in a developing country. The research objective is to develop a methodology for designing an industrial needs driven curriculum and applying it in a specific environment. Such a method was developed and applied to the manufacturing sector in Thailand.;A search for Thai industrial needs is conducted using a questionnaire survey method. Then a curricular model is developed from data analysis using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), manufacturing curricular model guidelines, as well as government regulations impacting curricular contents and other practical limitations. A production design curriculum is developed as an application of the suggested model which is then validated and tested for acceptability using an interview method with an expert group composed of members from academe and industrial sectors. The feedback is used to modify and finalize the methodology and the resulting curriculum.;This new curriculum design methodology focuses on what the industry expects from the new graduates entering workplaces while meeting the expectations of the faculty and the pertinent government regulations as well as the accrediting agencies.