Getting_Started_with_AWPL document in MS Word

Getting Started with AWPL

This document is intended to introduce faculty with the opportunities to collaborate with AWPL.

Modes of Collaboration

AWPL has a wide-ranging mission that includes industrial outreach, continuing education, research and support for academic missions in the college.   This brief document outlines ways that faculty can collaborate with AWPL.   Modes of collaborating with AWPL include -

• Faculty Research joint with AWPL
• Faculty Research with an AWPL component
• Semester-Long Encounters @ AWPL as Part of a COA Course
• Brief Introductions to AWPL Technology as Part of a COA Course

It is important to note that AWPL does not operate on drop-by basis for faculty or students in the way that the COA shop does.   In general, collaborations with AWPL will be long term and will involve significant faculty input and oversight.

For research collaborations, faculty should contact Russell Gentry russell.gentry@coa.gatech.edu to discuss the potential project.   The remainder of this document focuses specifically on collaboration with COA courses

Coordinating Access with AWPL

It is critical that discussions with AWPL begin early in the term before a faculty member intends to teach a course with an AWPL component.   AWPL is currently limited to collaborating with 3 or 4 courses per term.   Therefore, faculty are encouraged to speak with Karl Brohammer karl.brohammer@coa.gatech.edu or Russell Gentry russell.gentry@coa.gatech.edu to plan the collaboration.

In general course interaction with AWPL involves the class receiving training in the programming and use of the CNC equipment at AWPL.   The CAM (computer-aided manufacturing) software that drives the machines is known as AlphaCam, and students will receive training in how to use this software.   We suggest that the students receive this training, and complete a short design-program-build project over at AWPL.   This generally takes 2 to 4 weeks.   Alan Harp alan.harp@coa.gatech.edu will provide the CNC training and will oversee the design exercise in collaboration with the faculty member.   Because we cannot accomplish this training in all classes simultaneously, we strive to schedule this training, and all subsequent projects so that projects in the various classes fall out-of-phase with one another.   The following example schedule is provided as an example of how the schedule in a given term is handled.

TR = training        Project = semi-independent project work

Timeline

6 months out - begin discussions with AWPL

3 months out - agree on training and project schedule, weeks during the semester, days during the week, times

3 months out   - identify GSA (for courses that propose intense use of AWPL resources)

Start of semester - include AWPL text in course syllabus

Early in semester - arrange for safety training for students in the COA shop