Virul Mangclaviraj, Dipl. Ing., member IEEE,
Director - The Center for Scientific and Technological Equipment,
Sarawut Sujitjorn, Ph.D., member IEEE, Chair - School of Electrical Engineering,
Deputy Director - The Center for Scientific and Technological Equipment,
and
Arwut Intrachun, B. Eng., Chief - Division of Instructional Laboratory,
The Center for Scientific and Technological Equipment,
Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, 30000
E-mail : sarawut@sura1.sut.ac.th
Suranaree University of Technology (SUT) was found in 1990 as a state university. It is a corporate body under the supervision of the Minister of University Affairs and aimed for being a fully autonomous university [1]. By law, SUT is allowed to set up its own administrative structure [2] to ensure efficiency and maintenance of educational standard. To serve the academic functions of various engineering schools, SUT has the Center for Scientific and Technological Equipment (CSTE).
CSTE provides supporting services vitally important to teaching, research and development in science and technology. It is the policy of the university to encourage the pooling of resources for efficient utilization such as the sharing of technical staff and equipment. To this end, the CSTE is assigned to oversee the use of instructional laboratories in addition to equipment maintenance, provision of instrumental analysis and other research support facilities. The CSTE is structurally organized into five divisions as shown in Figure 1 [3]. The Division of Instructional Laboratory plays an important role in supporting the undergraduate studies while the Division of Equipment Service does for the postgraduate studies and research. The Sub-division of Instrumental Analysis Service is composed of laboratories housing equipment for the analysis of biological and materials science samples. These highly sophisticated instruments enable the study of the structure of materials under various environmental conditions. The investigation of physical properties and compound characterization of materials is also possible. Further discussions about the CSTE will emphasize managerial aspects concerning with initial training in engineering.
Referring to figure 1, the Division of Instructional Laboratories consists of three sub-divisions that are Basic Sciences Laboratories (BSL), Basic Engineering Technology Laboratories (BETL), and Advanced Engineering Technology Laboratories (AETL). BSL mainly serves the common requirement of first-year undergraduate laboratories in sciences. BETL serves the basic requirement of engineering laboratories, eg engineering drawing/AutoCAD laboratory, manufacturing process laboratory, and fundamental electrical engineering laboratory. AETL serves the requirement of advanced courses in particular disciplines, eg telecommunication laboratory, microprocessor laboratory, seed technology, food processing, etc.
SUT encourages its working mechanisms to implement the management principle of centralized and shared responsibilities. The pooling of resources such as sharing staff and equipment for efficient use is the main strategy. This is very much unlike other Thai universities and educational institutions. The CSTE, which has smoothly implemented the principle as such, is one of the SUT's servicing bodies. The benefits are two folds : (1) maximized utilization of laboratory equipment and spaces with minimized cost of investment, eg biological laboratories (8 rooms , each can accommodate 30 students) can serve basic science requirement as well as more advanced courses in agricultural technology, and (2) minimum number of technical staff required, ie no repetitive employment of laboratory personnel.
On the basis of pooling equipment, minimum investment for equipment could be realized. For example, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, transportation technology, ceramic engineering, and polymer engineering schools require material testing laboratory for training their students. In conventional universities, five separate materials testing laboratories have to be established at each school. At SUT, only one laboratory with one group of technical personnel is required and established at the CSTE. Five schools can use the same laboratory to train their students. This requires an appropriate arrangement on course placements and class schedules. Obviously, equipment cost is kept at minimum in comparison with conventional universities. In addition, the technical personnel are responsible for preparation of laboratory equipment and specimens needed. Taking care of the laboratory classes is the responsibility of lecturers belonging to relevant schools. Up to now, CSTE has run this system smoothly for three years.
In conventional Thai universities, four groups of staff are normally employed in a single school. These are lecturers, laboratory instructors, technicians, and secretaries. The number of staff in a university increases dramatically as the number of schools increases, even though some schools may offer similar lecture and laboratory courses. This also reflects a large amount of budget required initially and annually. It is due to repetitive employment of staff in various schools for similar jobs. On the basis of sharing human resources, technical staff to support the instructional laboratories are employed at the CSTE. The SUT, thus, employs only lecturers and secretaries for various schools. Reduction in number of staff could then be achieved in comparison with conventional universities. This reflects the less budget spent on hiring technical staff. However, detailed analysis of the university as a whole has not yet been completed.
An example of fundamental engineering training is the manufacturing process laboratory. This laboratory is a supplement to the corresponding lecture course in the manufacturing process. Both are compulsory for all undergraduate engineering students of about 750 and offered twice a year. Courses must be in the sequence of theoretical study and followed by laboratory experiments in a subsequent trimester. To attain laboratory session, students are grouped into sections of 60. A section is in turn subdivided into four subsections of 15 to attain the following training:
Two laboratory instructors from relevant engineering schools are responsible for taking care of 15 students attaining each individual laboratory as well as training evaluation. A team of two engineers, eight technicians, and four laboratory assistants working for the CSTE is responsible for the equipment and specimen preparation. One laboratory class is scheduled in a three-hour period to accommodate 60 students. Seven classes are offered in one trimester of the three-term system. Six classes are offered in the subsequent trimester. Each trimester lasts 14 weeks.
Another example is the fundamental electrical engineering laboratory that is compulsory for all non-EE students, about 500. To enroll for this laboratory course, students must pass a course in survey of electrical engineering. In a similar fashion, students are grouped into sections of 60. The offered laboratory experiments are as follows:
Three students work as a team on each experiment and is required to write a team report. Students are placed into three nearby laboratories that are circuit and device laboratory, control and automation laboratory, and electrical machine laboratory. The control and automation laboratory can accommodate 30 students. The rest two can individually provide space for 60 students. In addition, the first two weeks of the relevant trimester are dedicated for basic skills in using measuring instruments, and laboratory demonstration of electrical machine components and basic power system protection. Each of the two demonstration rooms can accommodate 30 students. Four instructors from the school of electrical engineering are responsible for the laboratory sessions and training evaluation. A team of two engineers, two technicians, and two laboratory assistants working for the CSTE is responsible for equipment and component preparation. The class schedule is a three-hour period. Nine classes are offered once a year. With this particular example, the utilization factor of laboratories is 67.5%weekly in a specific trimester.
Since SUT is a new university, the unconventional management principle can be implemented without any internal resistance. However, to ensure that all lecturers and technical staff appreciate and understand the principle is absolutely essential. With the system, lessons learned by the CSTE are that :
SUT has smoothly implemented the management principle of centralized and shared responsibilities at the CSTE. In this, laboratory equipment for engineering training can be maximally utilized with minimum initial investment and operating costs, and minimum technical personnel. This article also reports the lessons learned by the CSTE. The key for a successful implementation is a good coordinating among various schools and the CSTE to achieve proper class schedules. This coordinating task is the responsibility of the CSTE. Being compared with conventional Thai universities, the scheme is superior and an adoption by other institutions is encouraged.
