Learning while producing : the use of games in teaching statistical process control

Abstract

Statistical Process Control is used daily in factories throughout the world and its use improves the quality of manufacturing parts. But while it is widely used, it is not widely understood by the workers implementing these techniques. Without a strong understanding of Statistical Process Control, it can be misused and cause more harm than if it wasn't implemented. Correctly implemented Statistical Process Control, however, can improve the quality of the implemented parts. To remedy this, a game was designed to teach people with limited exposure to manufacturing and/or statistics an understanding for how Statistical Process Control is used in manufacturing. This game implements a mathematical model that takes factors within the game and raises or lowers the variance based on in-game factors then random gives a number based on the expected values. A paper prototype for this game was made and tested with students from multiple majors, then was turned into a python program. A pre-test and a post-test were developed and then used to test the base knowledge of the participants as well as their learning after playing the game. From the observations of participants playing the game and from their pre-test and post-test results a set of next steps was developed to make this a more viable game for teaching workers about Statistical Process Control.