Professor touts online industrial engineering technology program at national conference
Dr. David Batts, associate professor in the Department of Technology Systems in the College of Engineering and Technology, recently spoke at the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers annual conference last month in Orlando, Florida. He was asked to speak about the college’s online Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology degree concentrations. (Contributed photo)
East Carolina’s online industrial engineering technology program received some national attention during the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers annual conference last month in Orlando, Florida.
Dr. David Batts, associate professor in the Department of Technology Systems in the College of Engineering and Technology, received an invitation to speak during the conference about ECU’s online Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology degree concentrations.
Batts said he received the invitation from conference organizers who researched and found that ECU had one of the few online industrial engineering technology programs in the country.
“It was quite an impression to have our college, our program and ECU as one of the ones they researched and found in the country,” Batts said.
His presentation was called “Online Industrial Technology Program for Associate in Applied Science Graduates.”
“They wanted to know how we teach it and how we engage with the students,” Batts said. “They wanted to know about our delivery method and how our numbers (of students) had increased. It was rewarding because it was a way to explain what we do well and how our faculty members teach an online education.”
He said comparisons were made between ECU’s programs and those at Georgia Tech, but he added there was one big difference.
“They’re doing wonderful things, but they are using millions of dollars in seed money and off-model money, while we’re doing it utilizing state appropriated funding effectively and efficiently, and with the hard work of all the full-time faculty members who are making sure the education is at the highest quality,” Batts said.
The college offers six online concentrations in the Department of Technology Systems, with about 600 students taking online courses. The current program structure with distinct concentrations started in 2005 with about 170 students.
“I’m proud of our faculty members and I’m proud of our students,” Batts said. “It’s a testimony to what we do so well.”
Dr. Kanchan Das, associate professor in the Department of Technology Systems, and Professor William McClung, a teaching instructor in the department, also gave a presentation during the conference called “Incorporating Lean in Closed Loop Supply Chain Network Design Model.”
Founded in 1948, the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers is the world’s largest professional society dedicated to the support of the industrial engineering profession, according to its website. The nonprofit association provides education, training, research and development of industrial engineering.
-by Ken Buday, University Communications