AFS' Cast Metals Institute and Wescast Industries usher in new era of videoconferencing courses in January. (Industry News).The Cast Metals Institute (CMI (Computer-Managed Instruction) Using computers to organize and manage an instructional program for students. It helps create test materials, tracks the results and monitors student progress. ) made history in January as it teamed up with Wescast Industries, Brantford, Ontario Brantford is a city located on the Grand River in southwestern Ontario, Canada. This single-tier municipality was once part of Brant County. , Canada, to present the Institute's first videoconferencing course. The "Gating & Riser Design-- Ductile Iron Ductile iron, also called ductile cast iron or nodular cast iron, is a type of cast iron invented in 1943 by Keith Millis[1]. While most varieties of cast iron are brittle, ductile iron is much more ductile, as the name implies. " course was broadcast from CMI's facilities to a group of engineers and patternmakers assembled in Brantford for four 3-hr sessions over a two-wk period. CMI's videoconferencing equipment utilizes four ISDN ISDN in full Integrated Services Digital Network Digital telecommunications network that operates over standard copper telephone wires or other media. telephone lines and allows as many as three sites to be connected at one time. The system is fully interactive, allowing participants at both ends to see, talk, and ask and respond to each other's questions and comments. Computer displays, video players, slide projectors, document cameras and other audiovisual equipment can all be integrated into the videoconferencing course curriculum. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Ian Kay, CMI vice president education, videoconferencing offers numerous advantages over the traditional classroom instruction that CMI has offered for 40-plus years. Videoconferencing's benefits include elimination or reduction in travel costs, reduced time away from the job and the ability to spread instruction over a broader time--a point Kay believes benefits the overall learning process. He expects videoconferencing to become the method of choice for a majority of future courses. Roy Schultz, Wescast's corporate technical trainer who worked with CMI in developing the course, was excited about the opportunity to use this new technology. Wescast regularly employs videoconferencing to communicate among its North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. and European facilities. Kay said that videoconferencing is very flexible--connections are made at the speed of a telephone call, so changes in schedules can be met more easily than when an instructor is on-site. Schultz said Wescast course participants were positive about the experience and showed the required understanding and application back on the job. "This technology and type of delivery fits very well with Wescast's overall learning strategy," he said. CMI plans more widespread utilization of its videoconferencing system. While in-plant courses were chosen for the first classes offered, CMI is ready to expand videoconferencing to AFS A distributed file system for large, widely dispersed Unix and Windows networks from Transarc Corporation, now part of IBM. It is noted for its ease of administration and expandability and stems from Carnegie-Mellon's Andrew File System. AFS - Andrew File System Chapter Courses and other programs as well. In fact, a joint meeting of the AFS Plains States, Mo-Kan and Tri-State Chapters is planned this month at Pittsburg State Univ. (PSU PSU - power supply unit ), Pittsburg, Kansas. In this event, program speakers Gene Muratore, Rio Tinto Iron & Titanium, and Tim McMillin, Magma Foundry Technologies, will make videoconference presentations to the group from AFS Headquarters. In June, attendees gathering at PSU will have the opportunity to "dial in" to an investment casting gating course conducted at AFS. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion