Online Model-based Systems Engineering (MBSE) Bootcamp: A Report on Two Day Workforce Development Workshop

Academia or workforce development workshops can both increase the plausibility of a streamlined transition from a document-centric approach to MBSE frameworks, and aid the integration of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) within the current industry and the challenges faced, introducing MBSE concepts, tools, and languages. This paper reports on an online model-based system engineering Bootcamp conducted in collaboration with The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and The University of Texas at El Paso. The importance of MBSE is emphasized throughout the online Bootcamp to a diverse group of audience i.e., students, faculty, and industry professionals unfamiliar with systems engineering. A set of predefined questions through pre and post Bootcamp surveys aided in determining the perceptions of MBSE and the effectiveness of the Bootcamp in increasing the knowledge of MBSE amongst participants. A positive knowledge gain was observed on the importance of systems modeling and MBSE across students, faculty, and industry personnel participants indicating the effectiveness of the online Bootcamp. A set of open-ended questions were targeted specifically for industry professionals from manufacturing, aerospace, healthcare, transportation, and software domains attending the Bootcamp for capturing the perceived challenges and obstacles according to them for implementing Model-Based Systems Engineering in their organizations.