Training Objectives and Standards

Training Objectives: Catering to the manufacturing industry, this course aims to instil graduates with competency, professional ethics, basic technological knowledge, practical engineering skills and strong ability in production organization and management. They are to become specialized senior technological professionals able to handle numerical control machine tools, and the technology and programming of numerical control processing.

Students are required:

• to obtain basic theoretical knowledge required by the programme such as Mathematics, Mechanical Drawing, Mechanical Manufacturing, Electrical and Electronic Technology and Computer Application;
• to have the ability to make regulations for the machining technology of common machine products and to choose processing equipment;
• to have the ability to do testing and quality analysis of process parts;
• to possess the ability to use electric and electronic instruments;
• to have the ability to operate and maintain ordinary electrical equipment;
• to possess basic ability in word, graphic, data and information processing; and
• to have the ability to read English materials relevant to the programme.

Professional Skills Required:

• Numerical Control Machining: ability in the operation and processing of numerical control machine tools, in numerical control machining technology and the programming of numerical control machining, in CAD/CAM software technology application and also the ability to debug and maintain numerical control machine tools.
• Mould Design and Manufacturing Technology: the ability to compile and use panel veneer and plastic moulding techniques, to design cold-punching moulds and injection moulds, to compile and use mould manufacturing technology and programming digital control machining and to operate primary mould-processing machines of ordinary moulds. The students must receive basic training for engineers and meet the basic requirements for undergraduates through theoretical subjects and teaching practicals.

Major Modules

Mechanical Drawing, Basis of Mechanical Design, Fundamentals of Mechanical Manufacture, Electrical and Electronic Technology, Application of Programmable Logic Controller, Application Practicals of Programmable Logic Controller, Numerical Control Machine Tools, Numerical Control Machining Technology, Skills of Numerical Control Programming

Duration of Study and Graduation

The programme uses a credit-based system. All credits gained within 8 years of registration are valid.

The Open University of China (OUC) has designed this as a two-year part-time study programme.

The minimum number of credits required for graduation is 76. Graduates obtaining the required number of credits are awarded a nationally recognized diploma certificate of higher education.

Future Occupation

This programme prepares students for work in the fields of mould design, manufacturing and maintenance in industries involving the operation and maintenance of numerical control equipment, numerical control machining technology, and numerical control machining programming, machinery, electronics, electrical appliance, light industry and plastics.

Other potential fields of employment include CAD/CAM software application, the installation, debugging and maintenance of numerical control equipment, marketing and technology services for numerical control equipment, the installation, debugging, maintenance and management of mould equipment, and the operation, maintenance, designing, manufacturing and development of mechatronic products.

Course Description  

Teaching Characteristics

• Students
  
  Students of the programme are mainly on-the-job engineering technical personnel at the forefront of production in enterprises and have some practical experience; study will mostly be in the form of spare-time study for on-the-job adults. Students should have received education at or above senior high school level (including vocational high school, technical secondary school and technical school) in the national education system, although students with junior high school graduation certificates can also register in the programme.
   
• Modules
  
  Compulsory modules are set up uniformly by the OUC. Optional modules are offered by local radio and TV universities (RTVUs) according to their specific situations.
  Practicals and certificate examination are combined. Local RTVUs should determine the content of practicals in accordance with the requirements of certificate examination and production situation. Students can receive the qualification certificates if they have passed the practicals with the required scores.
   
• Compulsory Modules
  
  The programme has 13 compulsory modules.
  Both Module A and Module B include Entrance Guide for Open Education, Deng Xiaoping Theory and Introduction to the Important Thinking of Three Represents, Elementary English, Initial Calculus, Mechanical Drawing, Mechanical Manufacturing Basics, Mechanical Design Basics, Numerical Control Machine Tools, Numerical Control Machining Technology, Skills of Numerical Control Programming, Electrical and Electronic Technology
  Module A also includes: Guidance for Numerical Control and Electric Control of Numerical Control Machine Tools
  Module B also includes: Application of Programmable Logic Controller and the related practical training
   
• Optional Modules
  
  Compulsory modules are set up uniformly by the OUC. Optional modules are offered by local radio and TV universities (RTVUs) according to their specific situations.
  Practicals and certificate examination are combined. Local RTVUs should determine the content of practicals in accordance with the requirements of certificate examination and production situation. Students can receive the qualification certificates if they have passed the practicals with the required scores.

Teaching Preparation

Teaching Staff

Each subject (including compulsory subjects, optional modules and practicals) should have full-time or part-time teachers with mid-level professional title and a bachelor's degree or above.

1. Course coordinators will be able to manage the daily teaching and administration work required by the programme and also be familiar with the characteristics of RTVUs and have the capability to conduct teaching by using multimedia courseware.
2. Course coordinators will possess over five years of work experience in teaching , research or production practice in the RTVUs, higher education institutions, research institutes or mechanical and electronical industries.

Experiment and Practical Conditions

1. RTVUs concerned should set up classrooms for autonomous learning and tutoring, multimedia rooms (for courseware demonstration), computer rooms and mechanical and electronic laboratories. In addition, they should make the best of social educational resources, and establish relatively fixed venues for practicals and training.

Teaching Resources Preparation

1. The teaching resources of the modules (including compulsory modules, optional modules and practicals) (such as textbooks, online teaching materials or other courseware) should be built according to the principle of "co-construction and sharing" stipulated by the OUC.

2. The resources of some universities which have already completed resource development based on the previous education needs, and whose teaching has been verified as good, can upon approval directly enter the OUC teaching system.

3. For the non-compulsory modules, provincial RTVUs shall invite related experts to design multimedia teaching materials in line with modern education technology theory and the principle of open and distance education.

Teacher Training

1. The appropriate methods for teacher training can be properly determined according to the specifics of the situation. Training can be done by holding meetings or classes, as well as through networking, two-way video conferencing systems or handing out of training materials.
2. Teacher training covers distance education theory, modern education technology, instructional design, teaching resources development, teaching support services, teaching management and research.

Teaching Research Activities

In principle, at least one teaching activity for each course shall be organized by the OUC and provincial RTVUs each term.

Steps and Requirements for Teaching

Induction: Entrance Guide for Open Education will be offered so that students can have a basic understanding of the teaching characteristics of distance education, its requirements and methods, curricula, course implementation and organization, requirements for practicals and student support, developing students' ability to use computers and to obtain information and support online.

Distance Teaching

1. Teaching via Broadcasting and TV
   
   The OUC will provide audio-visual teaching resources and transmit them to each tutorial center via satellites. Each tutorial center will receive and download the audio-visual teaching resources through satellite apparatus, or organize the students to watch them, or make CDs for students’ use, or transmit them into VOD and make them available online for the students.
2. Online Teaching
   
   Documents for teaching and learning, the module design scheme, and texts of module tutorials of the OUC compulsory subjects will be put online before a new subject is offered. Related teaching and teaching research activities for newly offered subjects and rolling subjects for each term and the related tutorials at the end of each term will appear on the Internet. Online teaching for the subjects offered by provincial RTVUs will also be arranged.
3. Face-to-face Tutorials
   
   Full-time or part-time tutors in each university should choose a time convenient for the students to gather for centralized face-to-face tutorials and answering questions. Opportunities for practical training should also be provided for the students at the same time as the centralized face-to-face tutorials. The tutors are expected to use flexible teaching methods of cases and task-driving, rather than giving systematic lectures in the face-to-face tutorials. The students shall be guided to use various teaching resources and share quality education resources.

Practicals

Students should all participate in the practicals in line with the syllabus.

The requirement, guidance and assessment method for the practicals will be set up by the OUC and implemented by the local RTVUs. Practicals can also be adjusted according to the local situation.

Students who have achieved the minimum scores in the practicals will receive the credits. Those who do not have the credits will not graduate.

Metalworking Experience

This practical training module carries 6 credits and is required for the subject of Numerical Control Technology.
The module focuses on ordinary machining, with the basic content as follows:

• Machining in General
• Benchwork
• Welding, Forging and Casting
• Numerical Control Machining Technology

Operation Training for Numerical Control Machining

This practical training module carries 8 credits and is required for the subject of Numerical Control Technology.
This practical training is an integrated part of the degree. With numerical control machining technology, programming technology, machine tool operation and typical parts machining as the core content, trainees are to reach the standards in theory and practice of intermediate workers doing the corresponding kind of work for the national vocational qualification.

Training of Automatic Numerical Control Programming

This practical training module focuses on numerical control machining and carries 4 credits, and should include training in automatic numerical control machining.
The contents of the practical training are centered on numerical control machining technology and the application of automatic programming, and closely related with the modules Numerical Control Machining Technology and CAD/CAM Software Application.

Practical Training of Mould Designing, Manufacturing and Software Application

This practical training module covers the technology of mould design and manufacturing and carries 4 credits, and should include training in mould design, manufacturing and software application.

Final Practical

This module carries 6 credits and is required for the programme.
The final practical is integrated with the assessment of the job qualification certificate in the machine industry. Through the module, students with their performance meet the requirements needed for the job qualification certificate.

Assignment and Assessment

Regular Assignment

About three to four regular assignments for each subject shall be given in line with the requirements of the teaching plan.

Subject Assessment

The subject assessment includes the formative assessment and the summative assessment. The contents of the subject assessment will conform to the syllabus and mainly focus on the assessment of basic theory, knowledge and skills; the evaluation of students’ ability to analyze and solve problems with the combined use of the theories and skills they have studied should also be taken into consideration.

Formative Assessment

According to the programme, scores of subject experiments and regular assignments will become the performance of formative assessment. Students without scores of formative assessment cannot in principle take the final examination.

Summative Assessment

The final examination of compulsory subjects would be given by the OUC. The subjects with relatively stable content would have their own question bank. The exam scores are converted to the final performance of the student according to certain proportion, with the conversion of special subjects explained separately. The examinations are marked out of 100.
The programme encourages reform in the assessment system, which allows for flexible assessment methods such as combining examinations with practicals and internship, emphasizing the importance of ability in application and practice.

Teaching Evaluation and Inspection

Teaching Evaluation

Teaching evaluation include the evaluation of the teaching staff, facilities, activities, teaching process management and performance of schools.

Teaching Inspection

Teaching inspection includes: the arrangement of teachers, teaching administrators and technical personnel, and the implementation of training and responsibility; computer networks and distance teaching facilities, and the construction and utilization of facilities for experiment and practicals; the development, allocation and utilization of multimedia teaching resources; research on the reform of teaching methods and teaching management methods and their implementation; design of subject practicals and their implementation, and the design, implementation and examination of the final practical; the content, methods and implementation of teaching support services; the overall teaching process, the management system of the process and its implementation; and finally the examination site arrangement, examination implementation and assessment discipline.

Teaching Feedback

Teachers at RTVUs should answer the students' questions via email, BBS, telephone, QQ and MSN in a timely manner, communicate with students and learn about their study, work and life.

Tour of Inspection for Teaching and Examinations

The OUC is responsible for making inspections of the teaching and examinations of each tutorial center, checking the implementation of teaching processes, examinations and the arrangement of graduation theses.

Curriculum and Teaching Management

1. There are 6 modules in this programme: foundation module, specialised foundation module, specialised module, generalised module, specialised extension module and practicals.
2. Practicals for the programme are in the form of metalworking practice, numerical control and processing practice, numerical control automatic programming and practical training of mould designing, manufacturing and software application, accounting for 28 credits. There are no exemptions.
3. Through the practicals, students should be able to pass exams for professional qualification certificates. They are encouraged to obtain the relevant qualification certificate when they graduate.
4. To the modules with unified services provided, the OUC will give service support of teaching resources in providing syllabus, multi-media teaching materials, and examinations, and the local RTVUs are in charge of syllabus, teaching materials, management and examinations of the independent optional modules.
5. The regulation for graduation is: students with the minimum number of credits or above, who have passed the specific examination given by a mechanical education development center of the provincial RTVUs and the OUC, will receive the relevant professional qualification certificate in the machinery industry.