A New Strategy for Higher Education and Training: Peer Support System for Practical Laboratories

One of the many challenges facing practical student workshops is the proliferation of rapid prototyping and similar technologies. 3D printers have enabled students to take ideas and concepts further than ever before and sometimes to completion. The only limitations at this stage are the materials available for the manufacture of components and prototypes on 3D printers. Traditional manufacturing processes like fabrication and machining are still sometimes required to complete projects. This has seen a greater demand and workload for traditional machine shops and trades people. Some of the manufacturing work has to still be completed by skilled experienced trade's people but some of the simpler less complex machining and fabrication tasks could be easily completed by unskilled students with basic training and minimal supervision. We needed to come up with a system that provided students access to industrial fabrication and machining equipment in a safe and productive environment. The peer support system provides a framework enabling students with little or no machine operating skills to safely access industrial equipment with minimal staff, supervision and danger of injury. This paper is a justification of these concepts, interest, approaches, and practices of the peers support framework and philosophy.