Search

Well-educated engineers are key for successful engineering design in product development. Due to varying school education and technical backgrounds, the students have different prerequisites for the acquisition of competences. Subject of this paper is to show the methodical implementation of the prototype AdE-Le suited to the curriculum at Ruhr-University-Bochum and the open source learning platform Moodle. Aim is to evaluate the didactic potential to support engineering students with heterogeneous competence levels. The general needs and existing approaches for E-Learning environments as a means to individualize learning content in engineering design are discussed. Major aim is to reduce the linkage between the students' technical background and their exam success. AdE-Le as an exemplary application is developed based on the didactical concept of Constructive Alignment. Due to a harmonization of learning methods and contents in Engineering Design across the members of the Scientific Society for Product Development the results of this investigation can be transferred to other Universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering Design & Society is a multidisciplinary course focused on hands-on learning through human-centered design (HCD) principles intended for first-year engineering students [1]. The course is held in a makerspace-like classroom, where engineering students learn to use basic prototyping tools and methods. The course begins with two weeks on HCD, then six weeks of learning various prototyping technical skills, followed by a final six weeks of integrating these skills while working as teams to research, design, and build a functional physical prototype to address a human-centered societal need. HCD principles are threaded throughout the course and students engage with a HCD process to create the final prototype designs [1]. Student teams prepare formal design reports and give presentations on their functional prototypes. This work focuses on an analysis of student perceptions of the value they attributed to various ideation and prototyping tools utilized in the introductory engineering design course. The central research question for this exploratory work is: What design course ideation and prototyping tools helped students understand the engineering profession best? The primary ideation tools covered in class included: Flowcharts, Decision Matrix, Empathy Mapping Tool, Engineering Design Notebooks, and Team Markerboards. The prototyping tools used in the class included: Arduino Starter Kits, Tinkercad Circuits Software, Onshape Solid Modeling Software, 3D Printers, and Hand Tools/Power Tools. This exploratory study used multi-method approaches to explore first quantitatively, which ideation tools and prototyping tools students ranked as being most important to facilitating learning about engineering in this introductory design course. Then, written reflective responses examined students' qualitative descriptions and feedback to help clarify their reasoning behind their ranking choices. This exploratory study sheds light into how introductory engineering design course ideation and prototyping tools could influence students' perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will discuss building multi-attempt quizzes and exams that use the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) to deliver engineering assessments designed to lower overall student stress and anxiety. These assessments use practice-focused questions that force students to build programs (C++ and Matlab), draft engineering drawings (AutoCAD and Solidworks), and apply engineering design, ethics, and intellectual property concepts to solve open-response questions. Each time a student takes the assessment, the questions shift randomly within topical areas facilitated by question banks that rotate among questions of similar difficulty for each new attempt. Each assessment is composed of 1-5 question banks to ensure all topics were covered throughout the various assessments. In total, 17 assessments used this framework across two fall semesters and one spring semester in the 2020 and 2021 school years. Over the course of 10 unique assessments and 3 semesters, 54.7% of students used more than one attempt on each quiz or exam when averaged across all assessments in the study. Using LMS analytics and open-ended questions administered through an end-of-term student survey, 86.2% of students reported positive experiences regarding the assessment methods, 51.2% of students reported decreased anxiety, and 22.6% of students appreciated the greater flexibility provided by the assessments. From this data, multi-attempt assessments had a positive impact on students' wellbeing in three semesters that were particularly challenging due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CAD and Finite Element (FE) Analysis are often used within product development and design. These tools are essential for a reliable and efficient process and are widely taught in many engineering curricula. Recent developments in software and computing power enable near-realtime FE simulations that allow students to quickly explore different iterations of their designs. Material selection is another integral part of the product design cycle and should be considered in the design process, ideally alongside the modeling. Balancing objectives and constraints to find the material that best meets the design criteria requires both an understanding of the product's final application as well as materials science fundamentals. One challenge with combining materials selection and FE modeling is they are often taught separately, which can lead to one of the areas being underutilized during the design process. How do we as educators emphasize the importance of including materials selection during the simulation prototyping phase when both topics can be quite challenging for students? We in the Ansys Academic Development Team understand how critical it is to showcase the power of this combination to students during their undergraduate engineering and design degrees, so that they are prepared for their careers. Both simulation and materials selection benefit from real world examples within the classroom, allowing students to connect their previous understanding to the new topics being shown. With these two factors in mind, we are creating case studies showcasing how materials selection, using the Ashby materials selection methodology and Ansys Granta EduPack, and FEA simulation via Ansys simulation tools, can be used iteratively to design various products and parts. The content, design strategy, and challenges with creating resources of this nature will be discussed. Our hope is to improve and continue the development of those resources to help support the instruction of materials and simulation in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABET's most current set of required Outcomes is highly logical and comprehensive (Criterion: 3). In most cases, however, mapping all of these requirements in the earlier courses may pose considerable challenges to Engineering educators. The authors suggest that capstone projects may serve as highly viable candidates for alleviating the above concern. However, this should not be treated as an arbitrary process. It is necessary first to lay a solid foundation for the successful implementation of Senior Projects. The authors propose a promising and well-tested model for conducting Senior Design Projects. Details of the 33 timed steps of the proposed model are summarized in a single table. They share their tested recommendations for the formation of Senior Project Teams and how to increase their chances for optimal performance. They have identified and organized the broad resources that may become available for conducting assessments. They present how, through well-timed interventions, such resources may effectively map into select Outcomes. They share the method of assessment and mapping adopted in their program. To illustrate the potency of the proposed approach, the authors present a condensed summary and analysis of the data of one such survey. The results are based on data on Forty (40)+ distinct Senior Projects in the past three iterations. The analysis of the data reflects on the degree of success in effectiveness of this suggested mapping. Additional samples of surveys are included in the appendices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imagine discussing physics with Galileo or Albert Einstein. Or, imagine discussing structural design with the ancient Egyptians. Although it is not possible to speak directly with many "founding fathers" of science and engineering, we can learn much from engineering marvels still standing. A variety of structures and inventions can reveal how engineering has evolved throughout time and how engineering concepts are repeatedly used - from early days to the present. Engineering Marvels was a short-term study abroad course developed to teach students engineering concepts within the context of some of the most well-recognized and significant international engineering marvels. With no prerequisites, the course was designed for first-year engineering students and general liberal arts students not majoring in engineering. Historical and cultural significance was integrated into lessons to emphasize the evolution and globalization of the engineering profession, as well as bridge the sciences and humanities. Engineering Marvels was taught during a four-week term at Washington and Lee University (Lexington, VA). During the first two weeks, students were on campus and learned about engineering concepts and the marvels they would later visit while abroad. While traveling to London, England for the final two weeks of the course, students experienced firsthand the engineering marvels and British culture they had studied. Site visits, tours, and guest lectures provided additional learning opportunities while abroad. Specific engineering marvels studied included Tower Bridge, Millennium Bridge, the Globe Theatre, Windsor Castle, Land Rover vehicles, and the London Underground. Within the context of these marvels, students learned about bridge and structure design, construction methods, engineering materials, concepts of stress and strain, and the engineering design process. This course served as a catalyst for integrating global topics of engineering into other traditional, on-campus courses. As such, lessons first introduced in Engineering Marvels were later integrated into other courses to serve as both an advertisement for study abroad and an opportunity for more students to learn about the globalization of engineering. Through this case study, the structure and itinerary of Engineering Marvels is presented as an example of a short-term study abroad course that could be taught in nearly any location. Adaptations are recommended for either expanding travel abroad or for adapting lessons for a domestic location. Lessons learned during this course offering are presented to encourage educators, especially those new to study abroad, as they prepare for future study abroad. Specific lessons learned address designing a flexible course structure, preparing for travel abroad, teaching engineering to non-engineers, designing assignments for study abroad, and traveling with students. Within the context of this case study, educators are guided to establish reasonable expectations for study abroad experiences so that a new program can be rewarding for both students and faculty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Work In Progress seeks to discover students' assessments of their ability to employ their problemsolving skills to the engineering design process across their undergraduate degree. This will be accomplished by analyzing students' perceptions of their own abilities to apply design thinking at the outset of their first-year Cornerstone program, and again at the conclusion of their senior Capstone Design courses. The researchers embarked on this WIP upon identifying that the ABET-mapped course objectives and student outcomes for the first-year and senior programs were uniquely paired in focusing on the application of design thinking. First-year and senior students in a large, private R1 university are required to take design courses that have students apply the engineering design process through an opened-ended design project, specifically, first-year Cornerstones of Engineering and senior Capstone design. Students in these courses will complete a survey of self-assessed knowledge of the course learning outcomes from each design course before and after the courses, which are directly linked to the ABET student outcomes used for accreditation for the engineering program. Data from these learning outcome surveys will inform how courses can improve design thinking and how these learning outcomes can be implemented in middegree courses. The following questions will be addressed: (1) On what aspects of the ABET student outcomes do students self-report the most improvement in the first year and senior design courses? (2) What experiences do first-year and senior students share in their respective design courses? (3) Do senior students use the engineering design process learning outcomes from first-year in their Capstone design projects? With more research and data, future results aim to answer (4) How could the curriculum help support more robust engineering design outcomes based on our findings? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past two decades, origami has been used in an increasing number of applications, across engineering disciplines. In addition to solar panels, surgical devices, robotic systems, and other engineering applications, origami has also been employed as an educational tool throughout the P-20 continuum. Specific to undergraduate engineering education, origami is most often used to teach advanced mathematical concepts, incorporating art into engineering, and creativity. At the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (School) at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), the undergraduate Origami Engineering course was historically taught with a strong theoretical focus, developing advanced mathematical skills in our students. As we prepare to launch a new Innovation and Entrepreneurship track within our undergraduate curriculum, we are reimagining the course to also concentrate on innovation and leadership within the design thinking process, to be included in the track along with its current position in our leadership minor. This work-in-progress paper will begin with discussions on the framework used by the instructors, that is, teaching the design thinking process in parallel to team formation and leadership skills. The paper will highlight the major advancements to the course syllabus and its assessments, acknowledge key partners outside of the department, share feedback from students and teaching assistants, and identify extracurricular pathways that extend naturally from the course (e.g., design labs and/or entrepreneurial pathways). The paper will conclude with lessons learned from the first offering of the new version in Fall 2021, before gathering input from the community and establishing formal evaluations prior to the next offering of the course in Fall 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finding innovative solutions is a key task for nowadays companies. To support the creativity of product designers and to guarantee design success a systematic / methodical design is highly recommended. Therefore, design education for future engineers has to meet these challenges. However, design methodologies are difficult to understand because described on a quite abstract level. Instructors are facing the situation of delivering the design theory in an appropriate and comprehensible manner. The conduction of generally understandable engineering design examples is essential to improve the use of design techniques and to strengthen the confidence and competence of engineering design students in terms of functional thinking and problem solving. This article presents some findings about an efficient use of design methodologies and techniques in the engineering design education at the faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics of the Technische Hochschule / Deggendorf. It emphasizes especially the functional representation of a design task and the systematic change of its representation in order to support problem solving capabilities of students. The applied methods are used especially in the conceptual design phase. In the following the focus is on the generation of variants by the variation of relationships between functional representations and the variation of related physical effects. The given example originated from working group sessions with engineering students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that the first year introduction to engineering design course at the University of Colorado Boulder has provided hands-on design experience that has shown to improve retention of engineering students. Many studies have called K-12 STEM programs an attempt to take advantage of the strengths of the engineering design.

The article reports that the first year introduction to engineering design course at the University of Colorado Boulder has provided hands-on design experience that has shown to improve retention of engineering students. Many studies have called K-12 STEM programs an attempt to take advantage of the strengths of the engineering design.

This work assessed student reflective learning outcomes during a final Leadership/Mentorship course, after their participation in significant, experiential design projects in the University of Michigan's Multidisciplinary Design Program in the College of Engineering. Throughout the course, class discussions and assignments prompted students to reflect and examine their personal experiences in engineering design projects, their learning (both technical and professional), leadership, and team styles as well as understand group development and dynamics. A feature of the projects was the integration of students from diverse disciplines in engineering with other programs such as: Art, Architecture, Primary Sciences, Kinesiology, and Business. The diverse teams provided a rich environment but also created the complexity of multiple paradigms within the project teams. This course utilized the construct of Kolb's Experiential Learning Model and Kavanagh's reflection exercises to promote active reflection on students' team based engineering design project experiences. The in-class discussions and self-reflection based assignments not only helped students to more fully understand the technical aspects of engineering design, but also contributed to a greater understanding of working as a team and as competent, adaptive professionals. In a final reflection assignment, students described self-identified critical moments/milestones in their development (i.e., including design projects, classes, extracurricular activities, employment, etc.) and how the experience gained from those moments is important to their development as practicing professionals, effective mentors, and strong leaders. From these milestones, we identified common themes and experiences, including the impact on students' cognitive and professional identity development. Milestones were identified based on the forum for the experience such as classroom coursework, university-sponsored projects, extracurricular activities, student mentorship, and internship experiences. In addition, we examined each milestone to determine the types of skills/learning and professional competencies students identified as a result of each experience. The results offer a fascinating snapshot of how and where students recognize and value the development of these skills. We saw several themes emerge in the data. Although students identified a range of learning opportunities, the most common milestones originated from students' courses, extracurricular activities, mentorship opportunities, and team projects. From these milestones, we found a variety of professional skills and competencies identified as significant by the students: communication skills, navigating group dynamics, and planning/organization abilities are most prominent. Finally, we noticed differences in the proportions of milestones and skills when analyzing other factors such as: sex, grade point average, citizenship status, minority identity, and underrepresented minority status. The results are being utilized to strengthen how we teach engineering design and enhance engineering pedagogy for others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a lesson plan for engineering students at Nanjing University, China (NJU) which teaches engineering design of medical devices.

Design for technology, which prevails in engineering design courses, addresses constraints such as budget, time and functionality established by a client. Meanwhile, human-centered design (HCD) emphasizes users' needs, desires, and cultural location, mainly through ergonomics and esthetics.3 Although an established concept and practice in design studies and some forms of industrial design, HCD has evolved to consider low-income and underserved communities as users, challenging engineering design education to incorporate listening to users; accommodation of human capacities, needs, and desires; and attention to people's culturally situated resources, resource limitations, and opportunities.4 Despite its potential to push engineering education in productive directions, HCD also has its limitations, particularly its inability to grapple with the structural conditions that give rise to many of the needs HCD seeks to address. More generally, HCD can direct attention away from the critical and sometimes-subtle dimensions of social justice.5 Design cases that involve, for example, "design for the other 90%"6 or designing for people with disabilities redirect attention to questions of design for social justice. This paper identifies and briefly describes four forms of design: design for technology, HCD for users, HDC for communities, and design for social justice. The paper explores how social justice has been enacted--or neglected--in specific design contexts within engineering education, and how it can be further integrated in each of these forms of design education. This paper is part of a broader project to integrate social justice across three components of engineering curricula--engineering design, engineering sciences, and humanities and social sciences courses. To explore design-for-social-justice education in concrete terms, our investigation provides a specific, field-tested definition of social justice and draws from enactments of engineering for social justice in specific design courses: a human-centered problem definition course in the Humanitarian Engineering Program at the Colorado School of Mines, an interdisciplinary design studio in the Design, Innovation, and Society program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a learning-through-service experience in a first-year Biological Engineering design course at Louisiana State University. Our investigation culled data from semi-structured interviews with course instructors and students, reviews of course documents, contextualization within the literature on design, and our own lived experiences working with design students. Through this investigation, the paper seeks to provide: 1) a set of emerging principles of design for social justice and 2) examples of how those criteria are enacted in instructional design contexts. Such research outcomes can improve our understanding of how design for social justice can inform design in community engagement contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design and Innovation Centers are becoming popular creativity hubs on many engineering campuses. While a number of centers, such as Stanford University's d-school and Northwestern University's Segal Design Institute have existed for a long time, a significant number of other engineering centers have recently been established and even more are in the planning phase. These centers generally offer a location, infrastructure, and support for the university community to learn and work in a hands-on project-centered environment. Though each design center has a unique purpose relative to its home institution, the centers have all had a significant impact instilling design experiences into the campus culture. This paper examines the impact of the arrival of an engineering design center at one university and reports on how the impact has been documented. Through a single case study, the local results can serve as a template for new design centers to review as they plan and implement their own centers to foster design and innovation skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Engaging Youth through Engineering (EYE) Modules are being developed as the middle grades part of a current K-12 partnership driven effort to meet a community's 21st century workforce needs. One purpose of the middle grades EYE Modules, besides positively affecting students' beliefs and performance related to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), is to serve as a catalyst for district level STEM reform. STEM reform related to the EYE Modules is defined as local curriculum standards that require using engineering design challenges and the related design process to integrate required mathematics and science content for all middle grades students as they develop solutions to problems of relevance in the world today. Engineering is defined "to mean any engagement in a systematic practice of design to achieve solutions to particular human problems." 1 As part of a current National Science Foundation award, a longitudinal comparison study of the impact of the EYE Modules is underway and will be completed in 2014. In addition to early indications of the Modules' impact on students and teachers, one impressive result is the impact of the Modules on the large, diverse school district, Mobile County Public School System (MCPSS; 65,000 students, 100 schools, 70% poverty, 50% African American). As a result of our efforts, the MCPSS has reformed its science and mathematics curricula to now require the implementation of engineering design challenges as the integrator of the STEM disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examined the use of social values-based methods for teaching individual, social, environmental, economic and technical sustainability within the framework of experiences of second year college students taking up Engineering Design I and Engineering Design II courses. The variables considered include leadership, decision making in groups and the importance of each decision. It is expected that the study will result to course activities focusing on teams.

The Experimental Vehicles Program (EVP) was created in 2004 as an umbrella program for undergraduate experimental vehicle design teams. The EVP in 2013 consist of the Solar Vehicle, Moonbuggy, Baja SAE, Formula SAE, and Solar Boat. The EVP has also recently added the Hybrid Car to its collection of projects. Some of the five projects have the hope of fostering undergraduate student research as well as expanding student knowledge in the fields of green energy and energy conservation. The Solar Boat project, participated in every year by the EVP, has been one of the most innovative and ground breaking research test beds for new energy efficient technology. Every year students work in teams to design, construct, and test novel vehicle designs for participation in national and international competitions. Due to the competitive nature of each of the competitions, students must use cutting edge technology and design methods in order to create the best entries possible. The Solar Boat must harness renewable energy to propel itself while at the same time excel in both endurance and sprint disciples. This allows the students to delve into new technologies to make their vehicles outshine and out compete their competitors. The developmental ingenuity that is required to make energy efficient vehicles is completely derived from the students and has been a source of numerous innovative advancements. Vehicles such as the Solar Boat and the Hybrid Car allow the students to gain knowledge in a highly contested area such as green energy. Projects such as the Solar Boat and the Hybrid Car perform a vital function in the professional development of students. The projects provide a forgiving environment in which students can test their classroom knowledge in a real-world setting and learn important skills such as leadership, effective communication, and working as a team member. Furthermore, the students in the EVP develop highly versatile and qualified skill sets that will allow them to fill various positions within the workplace. Graduates that are able to research and produce green energy technologies will have a leg up in their future endeavors both academically and professionally. Additionally, those students that are energized by their undergraduate education experience have an enhanced possibility of retaining the information they acquire and aspire to advance degrees or academic engineering research [1]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design process is often perceived by students as a sequential or structured process even though design instructors try to focus attention on the iterative decisions, tradeoffs, and complexities associated with successful product, process, or service development. The Innovation Canvas was developed with the intent of more closely representing the process as it occurs in practice -- a complex integration of design, business, and market themes. As an educational tool, the Innovation Canvas provides opportunities for design teams to organize, communicate, refine, and reflect on ideas and decisions in an integrated and linked framework. A prototype version of the Innovation Canvas was introduced to thirteen biomedical engineering design teams (40 students) during a regularly scheduled capstone design lab to observe and evaluate novice student interactions with the material. Due to the complexity of the Innovation Canvas and lack of experience with using it in the classroom, the instructors chose to introduce it in the context of a reverse engineering activity. After completing the reverse engineering activity, the student teams explored the Innovation Canvas in terms of new product development. This paper will introduce the Innovation Canvas, discuss its implementation as a teaching tool in design, and present formative assessment results for the activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the effects of interdisciplinary collaboration in completing a radiological engineering design project. Topics discussed include the breakdown of the type of team to which survey respondents belonged, the generalized breakdown of the type of the team to which survey respondents belonged, and the team grades of respondents as assigned by their instructor for the NE350 design project.

Faculty at Rice University are creating instructional resources to support a flipped classroom model for first-year multidisciplinary engineering design. By delivering the lecture content of the design process using videos and other media, class time is freed up for concrete progress on a team's specific project with support of faculty. The first goal of this project is to create educational materials to transfer the delivery of content regarding the design process to an out-of-class environment and to develop in-class active learning modules that clarify, elaborate, and expand on critical design process topics. These materials will be widely available for others to use. Currently, limited research exists on the impact of the flipped classroom model in engineering, mathematics, or science courses at the university level. Thus, the second goal of this project is to answer the engineering education research question: Are there differences in student performance in executing the engineering design process when comparing delivery of engineering design process knowledge using a lecture format versus a flipped classroom model? The change in format and the engineering education research question will be assessed by evaluating student performance. In addition, the quality and usability of the developed materials will be assessed by students and faculty at Rice University and partner institutions. To date, the team has described and planned the work for 2014 and has started making videos. The team is seeking feedback on developing materials that will be helpful for the community teaching engineering design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of their college-based undergraduate degree experience, a large portion of engineering students are involved in different informal learning experiences, such as co-curricular design teams, student organizations, and undergraduate research. The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand engineering students' learning experiences in informal learning sites, particularly their sense of autonomy, which emerged as a major theme in initial data analysis. Specifically, this study investigates a hands-on design and manufacturing laboratory for engineering students in a large research and state institution, which is home to student engineering design teams, such as a Formula design team. We found that these experiences enhanced students' self-directed autonomy and allowed them to take control of their learning trajectory. We discuss implications for future research and educational practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Typical courses in introduction to controls are usually heavy in theory and light in practical application. In order to emphasize practical application in this type of course, such as the implementation of a PID controller, there are problems with most of the commonly used options. The first option is to provide the students with an approximate model of a system and have them use simulation to implement a PID controller. The simulation approach is limited because there is not an "actual system" to control and the model is likely oversimplified. A second option requires the instructor to create a control system that all students use. This approach is expensive, time consuming, and not all students have access to the system at the same time. A third possibility requires students to build their own system and then control it. The problem with this approach is that so much time is dedicated to mechanical and electrical design, while important control theory concepts are left out or deemphasized. A solution to these problems is providing the students with a LEGO Mindstorm NXT kit, which allows them to quickly design their system so they can focus on the application of control theory. These kits are inexpensive and can be used for other functions such as freshman orientation courses and outreach events when not being used for controls. In the Introduction to Control Systems Engineering course (ECE 4413) at the University of Oklahoma (OU), students were given a LEGO Mindstorm NXT kit and some brief training in the LabVIEW programming environment in order to complete a class project. The students implemented PID control algorithms to produce synchronized robots that tracked each other's movement. Implementing PID control in LabVIEW without any built-in PID functions allows students to discover how the control algorithm works in a visual way. With this method, the likelihood of retaining the knowledge would appear to be much greater than modifying a built-in function while doing simulations. This paper will show how this project increased the students' understanding of PID control. Pre-project and post-project quizzes are used to provide statistical evidence of improvement. Students' perceived value of the project is also explored. Additionally, details of the project are provided so that other universities looking to emphasize practical application in their introductory controls course can replicate it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study which explores the major challenges engineering students encountered when applying design ethnography during the front-end design phases of problem definition and elicitation of user requirements. Topics discussed include the semi-structured interviews conducted on student participants and the difficulties experienced by students in using design ethnography data to identify need statements in a culture unlike their own.

One of the major goals of the engineering profession is to improve the human condition. It is therefore important for engineering educators to introduce the idea of public service so that students can recognize the potential impact their profession can have on society. One unique approach to engaging engineering students in service-based learning involves the design and development of assistive devices for persons with disabilities. Some previous papers specifically discuss incorporating design projects involving assistive devices into capstone design courses, but no literature exists that provides a clear understanding of how engineering undergraduate students participating in such projects perceive the opportunity as a means to learn engineering skills. This project begins to fill this major gap in the literature. Teams of undergraduate mechanical engineering students at Loyola Marymount University were tasked to develop assistive devices during their yearlong 2012-2013 capstone design course sequence. For these projects, the student teams partnered with WISH Charter, a nationally recognized local free independent charter elementary school that is dedicated to providing an inclusive educational environment for all children. In a full inclusion setting, students with disabilities are educated alongside students without disabilities as the first and desired option while maintaining appropriate support and services. A growing body of research indicates that inclusive education is an effective practice for most students. For example, it is well documented that inclusive education can yield positive outcomes for all of those involved, including the focus students, typical peers, classroom teachers, and the school community at large. The engineering student teams were required to submit their designs to the 2013 RESNA Student Design Competition, an annual competition sponsored by Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America. This paper will provide a discussion of the design projects and a qualitative assessment of how engineering undergraduate students participating in such projects perceive the opportunity as a means to learn engineering skills. In particular, this paper will utilize an open-coding approach to identify emergent categories in post-intervention student responses to questions regarding student learning and development as professionals and as members of society in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic exercises that demonstrate the theory give students an understanding of the concepts but generally without "real world" concerns and constraints. Problem based learning (PBL) has been shown to excite students and get them more involved in discussions and the course. Students generally become excited when they design solutions for "real world" or "realistic" problems that are based upon applications and problems as they can visualize how their solutions work or do not work for the given problem. With the continued reduction in resources available to obtain large scale vehicles as well as the high cost of equipment, simulations become ever more important for illustrating control system designs to students. At Texas A&M University- Kingsville a new lab exercise for an unmanned underwater vehicle has been created for students. The lab exercise steps the students through the development of the physics based model for the system. This allows the students to better understand the vehicle's movements in 3D as they explore the vehicle's model. The students analyze the stability of the open loop system using methods they have learned during the lecture and then develop the control for the closed loop system. The model is then simulated in MATLAB, Octave or another similar software program. With the developed model and closed loop control system, the model (physics based equations) can then be ported to simulation environments such as Autonomous Unmanned Vehicle (AUV) Workbench, which was developed as a modeling tool to study and utilize physics based real time unmanned vehicle simulation operating in "realistic environments." The lab demonstrates how this model can be incorporated into AUV Workbench. Different controllers for the unmanned vehicle can also be implemented in AUV Workbench. AUV Workbench then acts as a visual demonstration of how the vehicle moves in the three dimensional (3D) simulation environment giving the students more feedback on how the controllers would behave on a real system. The new "realistic" lab exercise's efficacy is demonstrated through each of the student's increased understanding of control system concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper demonstrates the educational value of satellite design in an engineering capstone course. Taylor University engineering capstone students participate in the Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL) University Nanosatellite Program (UNP) competition to design and deliver a small satellite (nanosatellite), which will accomplish a mission with real-world significance. Undergraduate educational merits and assessment are discussed and demonstrated through overwhelmingly positive feedback from alumni. The capstone course focuses on developing capable engineers with ABET a-k1 proficiency. According to the Air Force Research Laboratory, the objective of the UNP competition is to "train tomorrow's space professionals by providing a rigorous, two-year, concept-to-flight-ready spacecraft competition for U.S. higher education institutions and to enable small satellite research and development (R&D), integration and flight test"15. UNP and engineering capstone design processes are also detailed. Through UNP and the senior engineering capstone class, students experience end-to-end development of a project with real-world application in the aerospace industry. The project promotes creativity and develops skilled engineers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research shows that the first year experience affects retention and success of engineering students. Many studies document positive effects of interventions that involve active learning approaches. In this paper we summarize the factors affecting retention and satisfaction in engineering, provide an overview of active learning methodologies, and describe an intervention that combines three of such methodologies (project-based learning, inquiry-based learning, and collaborative learning) in a first-year introduction to engineering course at Rutgers -- School of Engineering, a mid-sized engineering institution. The course had positive effects on retention and satisfaction of engineering students. Specifically we found that three-year retention increased by 19%; and students reported higher satisfaction with their experiences compared to the students enrolled in a traditionally taught introduction to engineering course. These findings support previous studies that an engaging first year experience can have dramatic effects on the future engineers and offer some practical recommendations for the institutions that consider similar reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through the traditional education for engineering discipline, students are expected to be familiar with basics of engineering design and principles through stages of educational materials explanation and a series of assignments and/or class projects. Commonly, the knowledge flow offered to engineering students is based on a step-by-step process taught by faculty using textbooks. Real-world problems often necessitate solutions that are not obtainable from traditional textbooks, such as ideation and selection of meaningful solutions, learning to deal with trade-offs, balancing competing properties, collaborating and communicating with colleagues whose perspectives are shaped by different backgrounds, in addition to the ability to visualize solutions. This paper discusses the implementation of Project-Based Learning (PBL) within the curriculum of the automotive engineering department at Clemson University in collaboration with the transportation design department at Art Center College of Design (ACCD). The program, called Deep Orange, is focused on developing and producing innovative new vehicle concepts and is driven entirely by graduate automotive engineering and transportation design students as part of their education in collaboration with industry partners. The paper discusses and demonstrates the methodology followed to translate PBL components within the educational context as well as the process the students need to follow. During this process, the students start with translating the grand challenge (defined by the sponsoring industry partners) into consumer needs and wants incorporating market and trend analyses. The project proceeds with general explorations, investigation of various design and vehicle architecture alternatives including selection of one concept based on carefully balancing environmental, economic, and social aspects. During this process, the faculty serves as mentors rather than knowledge dispensers. The students are empowered to make decisions and justify their concept selection to different groups, i.e. faculty members and industrial partners. The last eight months of each project comprises of building a physical prototype and validation of target achievement. Extensive marketing of the project outcomes at trade-shows with graduates involved concludes each project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With engineers graduating into a global economy, it is no longer sufficient to teach students about design for manufacturing or reliability alone; they must be taught to design with humans, not simply for humans. Students can fail to incorporate the human aspect of design due to the initial framing of the problem as taught in current engineering design methodologies. Several engineering programs are integrating the concepts of Human-Centered Design (HCD) into their curriculum to aid in these framing gaps. This paper compiles the programs already encouraging design with communities and determines which methodologies are sufficient for empowering students and communities to collaborate together in mutual respect. Brief suggestions of the conceptual, methodological and pedagogical frameworks developed by these programs and potential areas of improvements are additionally investigated for revising the student-community relationship [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article proposes to reinforce a "design thinking" course by restructuring the interactions between instructors and students of engineering design. Topics covered include the development of the student's domain-independent thinking patterns guided by the instructor, distinction of the "design thinking" course from a regular design course and the impact of a more structured student-instructor interaction process on the student's learning of "design thinking."

This paper discusses an educational effort that incorporates green energy manufacturing concepts for the prototype design of a solar greenhouse in a senior design project. The goal of the senior design project was to provide the design of a greenhouse module integrated with renewable energy as an initial stepping stone for the future construction of manufacturing plants in industry. The renewable energy integrator component in the project seeks to explore the technology of renewable and eco-friendly sources of electricity on a large scale. In addition to researching the subject, a prototype of greenhouse has been built for future students to learn green energy manufacturing as part of engineering and technology programs. Through this project, students learned how to provide a green design method for evaluating the characteristics of clean energy manufacturing. The students incorporated real-world experience with innovative design with the reduction of energy waste and use of renewable energy, as well as incorporating green manufacturing. For the sake of comparisons for green energy manufacturing, experiments were conducted, including sensor monitoring and process control. A concluding section discusses the student learning experiences during this project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing evidence of the need to prepare engineering students for the future world in which they will practice as professionals. Educational practices that over-emphasise theory alone are outdated, as it is important for students to not only gain knowledge about engineering, but also to learn how to be an engineer. Hence a transformation in teaching and learning approaches is essential to prepare students to solve complex problems in a global world. In order for students to practice as engineers, they need to have had exposure to a number of projects that offer real-world problems, along with the complexity and uncertainty of factors that influence such problems. Students need to learn how to frame a problem, identify stakeholders and their requirements, design and select concepts, test them, and so on. Learning to apply theoretical principles is much better done when given real problems and hands-on activities in projects. This form of project-based learning calls for a different mode of interaction between staff and students, and is explained in this paper. In project-based learning, teachers facilitate and guide students through the engineering design process, while students actively engage in research and problem solving activities within a team setting. The approach presented here is part of the new re-design of the engineering curriculum at Massey University in New Zealand. Some of the challenges of implementation, and best practices, are shared in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Press Play: Interactive Device Design is a four-year-old introductory course at Stanford that explores the human-centered and technical workings behind interactive devices ranging from cell phones and video controllers to household appliances and smart cars. Students build a working MP3 player prototype of their own design using embedded microcontrollers, digital audio decoders, component sensors and other electronic hardware. Topics include electronics prototyping, interface prototyping, sensors and actuators, microcontroller development, multimodal displays, physical prototyping, user needs and usability testing. The course is intended as a deep-dive introduction to electrical engineering through the vehicle of interactive device design. Students having a general familiarity with the products of electrical engineering engage with the underlying tools and technologies that make such products possible. By focusing the class project on the design of a digital music player, we aim to attract a broad demographic, and to illustrate how human-centered design considerations can to be integrated into the system design process. We present this course description--which encompasses motivation, implementation and assessment-- to provide insights and inspiration for those looking to teach similar courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All engineering capstone courses are designed with the expectation that students will use knowledge they have obtained in prerequisite classes to design an engineering solution. However, students often come into the design course without mastery of the prerequisite material. Faculty then use class time to review this material, reducing the time that can be spent on the objectives of the course such as engineering design, professional correspondence, and improving technical writing and presentations skills. To solve this problem, we have created a set of online instructional materials that can be used by students in an Environmental Engineering capstone course to ensure that they have mastered the prerequisite material before and while engaging on the design project. In this case the students designed a water treatment system to remediate acid mine drainage entering the headwaters of a local river. This design required knowledge of mass balances, reactor design, acid/base chemistry and particle setting. To test for mastery of these prerequisite topics, a pre-quiz was given on these topics during the first week of class. These quizzes were graded for mastery and returned to the students. The students were directed to a related online video that reviewed the specific engineering topic covered by each question. The students then took a quiz on the same topics during the 3rd week of the course that counted as part of their grade. We will discuss how the use of the videos affected their mastery of the material, as assessed by their post-test performance. In addition, we will discuss how the students interacted with these online modules as assessed by student surveys and focus groups. Finally we will include the benefits and costs from the faculty perspective. This will allow us to make suggestions for applying this technique to other disciplines within engineering and other Environmental Engineering courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the design process and design tools are described differently in different engineering disciplines, there is a core science of design. This shared core of design can form the basis for interesting, successful and engaging real world design projects in a multidisciplinary design program. At the Colorado School of Mines (CSM), a successful model for such a program exists, bringing together students from Civil, Environmental, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering to develop design solutions to complex problems faced by real world entities. This paper discusses the differences in design perspective between the disciplines and how these differences, both real and sometimes imagined, can be bridged by understanding how they arise from a common engineering core of design. As examples, we will draw upon a set of construction engineering design projects that engaged the breadth of our student population. Furthermore, we will describe the model for the program we have developed, the metrics by which it has been an assessed and how those assessments were received during our recent Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) visit in 2013. The purpose of this paper is to stimulate discussion in multidisciplinary engineering and design collaborations and to demonstrate that these projects sample substantial real world design challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creative thinking includes the capacity to combine or synthesize existing ideas, images, or expertise in original ways and the experience of thinking, reacting, and working in an imaginative way characterized by a high degree of innovation, divergent thinking, and risk taking. 1 If we are to produce engineers who can solve society's most pressing technological problems we must provide our students with opportunities to exercise and augment their natural creative abilities and we must create classroom environments that make these exercises effective. 2-4 This paper will describe in detail how a second semester cornerstone (and pillar) course (Introduction to Chemical, Food, and Environmental Engineering Design) for these undergraduate degrees at Universidad de las Américas Puebla (Mexico) is helping to achieve these objectives, as well as its alignment with the Investment Theory of Creativity (ITC) developed by Sternberg and Lubart. 5-8 Creativity assessment was grounded on the Consensual Assessment Technique that is based on the idea that the best measure of creativity regardless of what is being evaluated, is the assessment by experts in that field. 9 The two major projects from this course were presented to experts in the field that assessed student creative thinking by means of a rubric adapted from ITC, which provides a multidimensional assessment of creativity. 6-8 Possible performance levels were from exemplar (value of 4) to benchmark (value of 1). Additionally projects were assessed using the Creative Thinking VALUE Rubric that is made up of a set of attributes that are common to creative thinking across disciplines. 1, 10 Possible performance levels were entitled capstone or exemplar (value of 4), milestones (values of 3 or 2), and benchmark (value of 1). Mean values from Creative Thinking VALUE Rubric assessment of two major projects from the studied course were close to the highest milestone performance level. In general, mean values from ITC Rubric assessment of two major projects from the studied course were at an intermediate level of performance and even lower for the product itself, which in these cases are the two designed products for corresponding projects. The vast majority of students attained projects' expected outcomes at an intermediate level. Therefore, it is suggested to further integrate creativity in subsequent pillar courses in order to foster meaningful development of Chemical, Food, and Environmental Engineering students' creative thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]