Building communication skills in supply chain management and facility logistics curriculum through multi-institutional virtual teaming

Abstract

Engineering managers and other technology-based business professionals who possess cross-organizational and cross-cultural communication skills, along with traditional quantitative abilities, are more adept at handling the demands of the global supply chain environment. Mastery of these skills must begin in the classroom and should be an essential component of supply chain management curriculum in engineering management and industrial engineering departments. Providing real world opportunities that explore collaboration across organizational cultures, time zones, and practice gives students a tremendous competitive advantage as they enter the workforce and fosters experience-based learning. This paper details the creation of an integrated supply chain curriculum between engineering management and industrial engineering departments at four universities and examines the value-added skills achieved through the addition of a global, virtual student project environment. This partnership includes two universities in the U.S., one in Puerto Rico, and one in Spain. Assessment is addressed through both internal and external assessment mechanisms. These include the use of individual course evaluation data, pre and post-test measures of progress toward learning goals and evaluation by an external reviewer with expertise in curriculum design and course improvement. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2010.