Feedback on Learning Diary 3
ME 546 - Designing Product Families - IE 546
Timothy W. Simpson
Professor of Mechanical & Industrial
Engineering and Engineering Design
The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA 16802 USA
phone: (814) 863-7136
email: tws8@psu.edu
http://www.mne.psu.edu/simpson/courses/me546
PENNSTATE
© T. W. SIMPSON
Grade Distribution
• Scores
continue
to improve
Diary
1
2
3
4
5
#1
0
8
15
8
1
#2
0
1
22
11
2
#3
0
0
18
16
2
25
Diary 1 (Avg = 2.51)
Diary 2 (Avg = 3.13)
Diary 3 (Avg = 3.56)
• As a class,
average is
increasing
s1=1.39
 s2=1.04
 s3=0.61

# Responses
20
15
10
5
0
Grade  1
PENNSTATE
2
3
4
5
© T. W. SIMPSON
A Shift in Focus?
• Each time we review the latest learning diary, Dr. Simpson displays examples
of what he felt were important topics and generally explained why he felt this
way. What I’ve found particularly interesting is actually something of an
evolution of the assignment and the examples which Dr. Simpson felt worth
including absent of the topic. During the discussion of the first learning diary
Dr. Simpson posted several examples. The heading of each corresponded to a
grade for the assignment. This was a means to instruct the class as to the
level of detail and quality of work expected for each assignment. During the
discussion of the second assignment, Dr. Simpson did not sort each
assignment based upon quality or grades. Instead he preferred to focus and
sort the work based upon the topics each paper discussed. In doing so the
focus of the assignment went from sorting based upon the hierarchy of grade
to sorting based upon ideas. The context of the discussion therefore shifted to
focus more on ideas giving the class an opportunity to reflect on the work of
each other produced. I felt as though this was a shift away from grades and
towards learning. … This discussion provides more substance because the
focus has now shifted.
PENNSTATE
© T. W. SIMPSON
The Less Obvious Option
• I would like to focus on what we did the morning we handed in the assignment.
Traditionally in class we would have two options. The first of which is to walk through
the questions and have the class answer them as a group. This would be long and
more than likely boring as well. The second obvious options is for Dr. Simpson to lead a
discussion were we talk about the major points of each company so that everyone has
a general understating of the topics. Instead our class pursued a third less obvious
option. We instead gathered in groups to discuss each company. But rather than just sit
around and try and answer a few canned questions or give a summary of our company,
we were given a much more challenging assignment. Here we were asked to compare
and contrast 8 companies. …
Ironically enough, out of such a straight forward assignment, essentially to
compare and contrast, we gained 4 different style answers from 4 separate groups.
Each group tackled the assignment differently. For instance one group decided to break
down company by company and compare difference and similarities. Another group
looked for commonalities between some companies while excluded others. Our group
in contrast sought to pursue generalities and underlying themes between companies.
Some groups offered ideas they thought were commonalities while others through they
were differences. Each group provided new insight and a different perspective to the
presentation. These gains far exceeded what could have been seen from a single
person answer a question from the teacher. Varied methods to answer the initial
questions also lead to a greater level of involvement by the class as a whole because it
fostered further discussion and kept each presentation new and exciting.
PENNSTATE
© T. W. SIMPSON
Getting Ready for Group Work
• I think this week’s work was mainly focused on group interaction
especially when I found out that group projects will start next
week. I realized the intentional timing of these activities. …
The discussion section of class was very interesting. I really
liked the three step application of the discussion section. The first
section was discussing the paper with everyone who read it. That
exercise gave me the opportunity to pay attention to the points
that I might focused on lightly and to confirm my ideas on the
paper with other students. It felt really good to have common
ideas and same criticism about the paper. The discussion was
more focused on missing points and shortcomings of the paper.
That gave all of us a sense of team agreeing on certain
points hence giving us confidence on our critics. After the
discussion I was relieved that I was not over criticizing the article
and I was being fair. However during the discussion I also
thought maybe if I had this discussion before my write-up I could
focus on more to some of the issues that I passed lightly.
PENNSTATE
© T. W. SIMPSON
Opposing Views on Group Discussion
• Comment #1:

This goes back to the learning styles quiz I took earlier this semester that
recommended studying in groups because of my active learning style. Obviously by
engaging with other students I am able to easily pick up concepts, and through
discussion I discover concepts that fall into the learning box category of being
competent yet unconscious (Don’t Know You Know). Since knowledge is essentially
useless unless you are aware of it, this exercise reemphasized to me the
importance of group study. As a result of this activity, I feel that two active learners
could engage in a conversation about a topic that neither person completely
understood (or realized they understood) and possibly come out of the conversation
fully understanding that same topic.
• Comment #2:

“One group must be less than five to maximize benefit of discussion.” It is another
thing that I found for my learning style. I already found that discussing with others is
one of my favorite learning styles. However, my understanding was poor when I
talked with other people who chose different companies because there were so
many people in one group. Everybody said what they found in their papers. It was
good. However, there was too much information to catch at one time. At that
moment, I saw Mass Confusion instead of Mass Customization in a discussion
group.
PENNSTATE
© T. W. SIMPSON
An Alternative Approach for the Group Discussion
• I would also like to comment on the group collaboration portion of the exercise. After
discussing the exercise with a few classmates, it seemed as though the final in class
group collaboration step could possibly have been cut out of the exercise. …a
representative from each group could be asked to go to the front of the room to give a
response to the questions for their specific case study. After all case studies are
presented, the professor and the class could go directly into the “culmination exercise”
where product families and mass customization articles were now broken down and
top-down/ bottom-up characterizations were completed. It took a large amount of time
to go through all eight articles in groups, agree on a response to prevent on
transparencies, and then make 5 presentations at the front of the classroom. All of the
presentations were basically the same all the groups were giving responses to the
same questions about the same set of articles. … On the flip side of this thought, it was
interesting to see how different groups approached answering the same questions
differently. Some groups tried to make lists addressing the questions while others tried
to provide overviews of each company or article followed by commenting on the
relationships or differences between each company. There were also points in the
presentations where some groups saw relationships between companies that other
groups either didn’t see or thought the opposite might be true. I found myself saying “I
never thought about that” or “I would’ve never thought about that relationship” during
the presentations. … Some students may feel as though they would learn more from
simply reading over all the articles. I personally feel as though I learned more from the
collaborative effort we performed in class. However, it all comes down to learning styles
and preferences.
PENNSTATE
© T. W. SIMPSON
Becoming a Better Reader
• The toughest task I felt was the individual assignment, reading the case study
and answering the questions provided. Now I am not the best reader; I
probably have below average reading skills compared to everyone in graduate
school. Lots of times for reading assignments I simply go through the motions
of reading. Sure I will read each word of each sentence, but remembering
what I read is not a guarantee. Motivation plays a large role and my reading
comprehension. Anytime I read an article in the paper or on the internet that I
find myself I can accurately pass on that information to someone else. Since I
found that article on my own accord, I can remember what it had to say and I
have learned something new. For this assignment I was motivated, but for a
different reason. Not only was there a homework assignment, but we were
told that we would form these small groups and discuss each person’s
thoughts and share information about their company. This meant there was an
added pressure to perform. The other students in the class needed me to
understand what my company (HP) did as far as the discussion was
concerned. This added pressure enabled me to read the article for
understanding and be able to discuss what I learned.
PENNSTATE
© T. W. SIMPSON
Being an Effective Communicator
• In the past week, I also saw how every individual participant plays a role in the
learning environment for others and me. In our case study review, groups
were divided by assigned companies to review their readings and homework.
Then we served as an expert representative on a committee to present our
assigned company. An unexpected problem that was evident in my group was
communication. While some experts were verbose and some digressed,
others were prompt and directly integrated the questions to be discussed into
their explanation of their company’s history. When companies were not clear
in expressing their information, individuals prompted for further discussion or
ask more questions in order to learn what was needed to complete the group
tasks. After listening to a few of the team members speak, I saw how the
delivery and comprehension of the information impacted the others
understanding of the company. Clear and concise communication forms the
foundation for learning. After the class reconvened and presented our group
results, I found the smaller groups more valuable in understanding the case
studies. By taking a more active role in discussions, I saw the difference in
taking accountability for my learning than learning through observing.
PENNSTATE
© T. W. SIMPSON
Being Effective in a Global Environment
• The important thing was that we had to figure out in short time, so one person
started to summarized our discussion and wrote it down to share everybody in
our group. Actually, I was uncomfortable with this kind of discussion due to my
language limitation. Because I had few experience to hear English from India
and China, some pronunciation were hard to understand for me. Especially,
discussion with multi-national people was not familiar with me. So, at the
beginning of our discussion, I felt difficulties in understanding what they exactly
say. I think a few people had same problem at that time. After summarizing and
sharing among group members by one leader, our discussion seemed to be
more comfortable and active than before. From this discussion, I could learn
that a collaborative work can be made by not only standard and structured
direction but also a well-trained coordinator. I thought that what kinds of
abilities a leader or a coordinator should have in this globalized environment to
make more effective results. Actually, we focused on systematic approach
before, for example, the problem about optimizing schedule, improving data
transaction time, developing effective agents and so on.
PENNSTATE
© T. W. SIMPSON
Learning Outside the Classroom
• Comment #1:

I never thought one hour group discussion will lead to such valuable
knowledge transfer, but yes it did. Also whenever I go for shopping now
days, first thought comes to my mind is this product resembles to mass
customization or product family, this is funny but I have started comparing
whatever I am learning in class with my real life.
• Comment #2:

Crafting learning diaries is beginning to feel like a cyclical process. It
repeats on my calendar, it is always in the back of my mind, and it is
mentioned in class that, in fact, another diary is due this Thursday. This
reinforcing aura is almost numbing. I enjoy drafting the entry, but I must
confess that I do not actually look forward to the event. By never really
leaving consciousness, I am thinking about my learning in regards to other
aspects of my life, scholastically and not.
PENNSTATE
© T. W. SIMPSON
Learning about Learning
• Comment #1

I think the professor is using our learning diary to teach us the way in which
most people understand and learn easily… Like we learn about our learning
methods, I think the professor is also working a lot on his teaching diary that
he is coming up with new methods of teaching and making students learn
easily in some way or the other in every class
• Comment #2

I've been learning for 18 years, shouldn't I be an expert? Not so much. …
my stroke of genius conclusion so far: “Learning about learning makes
learning more efficient”. Focusing on this yet again has hopefully not only
helped my learning, but my students' learning as well.
• Comment #3

Today in the morning when I woke up I was suddenly worried that the
learning essay is due today. But then it struck me. I realized that I have my
thoughts all written down and I just have to upload it. This is the first time of
all my assignments till date that I was not rushing on the last date to
complete. I realize that I am changing my study/work habits for the better. I
felt like sharing this before I put in my thoughts from the past two weeks.
PENNSTATE
© T. W. SIMPSON
Learning about Learning (cont.)
• Comment #4

Overall, my learning during the last two weeks can be summarized as (1)
being able to relate different topics and how their connection brings
meaning to the final outcome; (2) realizing how real applications of the
concepts enhance a deeper understanding and consider a different side of
things; and (3) recognizing the benefits and challenges of teamwork in
which there is a broader spectrum of knowledge while dealing with the fact
that everyone may not be focused on the final goal. Furthermore, these
learning essays have forced me to deeply reflect on the class topics
and activities; and how these are enhancing my learning in an
organized manner. The class has become one of ‘pro-active” learning, in
which we do not only learn by ourselves and through passive lectures, but
experience different types activities (somehow active) and learn through
classmates learning as well. Even reading others’ learning essay provided
me a different insight of things I have not considered. All of the class
elements seem to complement each other very well for a complete learning
experience, becoming one of those classes which material I would never
forget and that I expect to use as a role model when I become a professor.
PENNSTATE
© T. W. SIMPSON
Breaking Out of One’s Comfort Zone
• Class periods these past two weeks have combined traditional lecture-format teaching
with less-common group discussion and presentation. The former is by far a more
familiar and thus more comfortable learning style for me. Traditional lecture to me
confirms that the necessary points of have been covered and planned with a scope
greater than the specific lecture; that groundwork that isn’t immediately recognized as
relevant is laid out and that any conclusions and generalizations have been made and
established through repeated analysis by someone thoroughly familiar with the subject
matter. Having occasional slides which call on the students for feedback or analysis of
a concept (for example, today’s exercise of listing necessary company changes when
moving from MP to MC production) does help to keep me engaged and gauging where
my own understanding is relative to my peers.
On the other hand, the exercise in HW 1 and its subsequent use in class was
less traditional, less familiar, and less comfortable, at least at first. … Group discussion
of the papers was largely unstructured and haphazard though this is not to say it lacked
value. I tend to be individualistic in my work… feel most comfortable when I am solely
responsible for my own deliverables. I appreciated again, however, the varying
viewpoints and strengths each person in the group brought to the overall synthesis of
the topics. … While the overall process was a bit disorganized, I think ultimately
through our combined viewpoints we arrived at an richer overall understanding of the
variety of approaches to MC and PFs. The exercise also gave me a basic exposure to
what specific product family concept each of the papers focused on, allowing me to
zero in on topics specifically intriguing to me to read fully and in-depth.
PENNSTATE
© T. W. SIMPSON
MP vs. MC in Education
• I have found that I do not benefit from sitting in lectures unless I can apply the material
or understand it through an example or analogy. If the professor neither takes this step
for me nor do I actively do it on my own, the information will rattle around in my head for
a few minutes before taking the nearest exit.
The analogy that came to mind as I thought over the material takes something I
am learning and puts it with something I am experiencing. I can think of mass
production like undergraduate education. Penn State represents the firm whose
customers are engineering employers. The students are both the workers and the
product (working on making ourselves engineers). Here at Penn State, many of the
classes are big so that a large number of students can be passed through the system.
Additionally, core classes cover a little bit of everything so that most employers
(customers) can find a use for the student (product). The employer spends a relatively
low amount on the young student. Just as in mass production, there is stable demand,
large homogenous markets, and low-cost standardized goods.
With graduate students, there is a greater variety and more specialization
amongst individuals. I am more focused on design while others may prefer fluids for
example. The notes make an excellent point: “Workers may encounter more stress
with increased responsibilities and decreased idle time.” What graduate student
doesn’t feel that way? But at the end of the process, employers are willing to pay more
for the product they want. Although this analogy is not a perfect match in all features, it
was a good way to get my brain working during class so that I was learning more
actively.
PENNSTATE
© T. W. SIMPSON
Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up Lectures
• Differing from previous lectures which were composed of folding planes,
watching video, and overall review class, on the lecture of last two weeks, topdown lecture style and bottom-up lecture style were conducted in turn. In the
beginning, the lecture was started from typical top-down style. Overall
concepts such as the paradigm of Mass Customization, roll of production,
R&D, marketing, and finance/accounting in mass production and so on were
introduced with proper example and video clip about Cannodale.
• …In my opinion, next lecture would be bottom-up style lecture, because at this
point we can lead the class by using knowledge from Homework papers and
discussion of them. Above all, by reading paper on a variety of famous
manufacturing companies such as Sony, HP, etc most of students involving me
could realize the casual relationship and overall flow from Mass Production to
Mass Customization on each manufacturing company which was assigned to
them. After then, by separate discussion time, we can share information about
other companies together, and this allows that we could identify compare them
directly and evaluate Product Family Management as a method to actualize
Mass Customization.
PENNSTATE
© T. W. SIMPSON