A Transdisciplinary Framework for Engineering Education, Developing Tactical Engineering Decision Making Skills

The use of digital simulators is a well-known practice in managerial courses as tools for strategic decision-making. On the other side, engineering students are used to practicing theoretical knowledge in laboratories or real factories due to the tactical nature of the decisions involved. During the COVID pandemic, universities were forced to limit or cancel access to physical facilities. Engineering professors were challenged to keep educational schedules using digital tools. The contribution of this work is a transdisciplinary framework on how to design engineering practices through digital simulation models to keep or improve prepandemic learning levels. The societal challenge involves a change in paradigm for professors, students, and practitioners. The proposed framework was used to design, implement, and feedback a senior student Six Sigma project course, using a tailormade web-based simulator. Two iterations of the framework are currently deployed: one-way information flow, and two-way interaction. The information obtained so far was the base for the third iteration of the framework which involves three-dimensional virtual reality interaction. Case-based learning and management simulators have been successful at bridging theory and practice for management students. The work in this paper builds on these management practices to achieve equivalent learning levels for engineering students.