Academic Engineering Design Education in a Realistic Environment

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert Albers ◽  
Christian Sauter ◽  
Thomas Maier ◽  
Martin Geier ◽  
Jens Ottnad
Keyword(s):  
Product Development ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Education ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Academic Education ◽  
Design Engineers ◽  
Engineering Design Education ◽  
Training Concept

The objective of academic education for mechanical design engineers is to convey qualifications which are necessary for product development in an industrial environment. The goal of the work described here is to improve engineering design education and to provide a more active learning experience. Design students should be familiarized with modern methods and technologies which they will most likely encounter during their future career. Design cannot be taught sufficiently in lectures alone [1, 2] and requirements on graduates in product development are continuously increasing. Not only professional skills but also social skills as well as proficiency with new technologies and methodologies become increasingly important [3]. For meeting these requirements the Karlsruhe Education Model for Product Development (KaLeP) [4] was developed at the Institute of Product Development (IPEK) at the University of Karlsruhe in Germany. In this contribution we present KaLeP, the role of modern design tools like CAD/PDM and wikis in education, the course projects for Machine Design and Integrated Product Development including training concept as well as the technical and organizational environment in which these courses take place.

Introducing the Industrial Product Realization Process Into Mechanical Engineering Design Education

1995 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vance D. Browne
Keyword(s):  
Product Development ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Education ◽  
Process Development ◽  
Project Planning ◽  
Concept Generation ◽  
Engineering Project ◽  
Engineering Design Education ◽  
Realization Process ◽  
Product Realization

Abstract The process by which new products are brought to market — the product realization process, or PRP — can be introduced in engineering design education. In industry, the PRP has been evolving to concurrent engineering and product teams. The PRP includes components such as concept generation, analysis, manufacturing process development and customer interaction. Also, it involves the sequencing of the components and their connections which includes teamwork, project planning, meetings, reports and presentations. A capstone senior engineering project, along with classroom lectures and presentations can be structured to provide knowledge and experience to the students in many of the PRP components and the connections. This paper will give an overview of the PRP and a project/lecture structure at the author’s university. The instructor recently joined the academic ranks after years in industry with responsibility for directing product development and R&D and for leading product development teams.

Enhancing Design Education With Practical Knowledge Needed in Industry

1996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Will Pattison
Keyword(s):  
Product Development ◽  
Design Education ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Development Process ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Practical Knowledge ◽  
Product Development Process ◽  
Manufacturing Processes ◽  
Design Intent ◽  
Design Engineers

Abstract Education in design has become a major priority in modern mechanical engineering curriculums. In particular, design education has focused on using good design methodology to produce optimum solutions, promote innovation, and encourage creativity in the engineer. There are other facets of the design engineer’s position that should also be emphasized at the education level. First, design engineers must be aware of the manufacturing processes that will be used to turn their concepts into working solutions. Second, they must understand how prototypes of those solutions fit into the overall product development process, and how new technologies such as Rapid Prototyping can enhance it. Finally, they must be able to effectively communicate their design intent, both graphically, verbally, and in writing, at all stages of the product development process. These three essential engineering skills, with special emphasis given to the last two and their place in design education, are covered in this paper.

scholarly journals The Analysis of three Case Studies as a guide to the Development of Pedagogy in Engineering Design Education

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Burns
Keyword(s):  
Product Development ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Design Education ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Engineering Product ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Engineering Design Education ◽  
Dynamic Formulation

The Case Study has become a pedagogical vehicle ofchoice in helping engineering students to gain perspective on the multidisciplinary realities of design. What once were termed ‘war stories’ have evolved to a level where case studies are available and downloadable on all manner of topics. For the fundamental knowledge-based issues of engineering, example questions have commonly been created to help the student manoeuvre through all manner of possible combinations of application. The case study is not however fabricated, and relies on the reporting and documentation of a real design or engineering product development. In recent years many of these case studies have been related to ethics and communication, but very few have been related to ongoing product development and issues of Industrial Design. This is not surprising since the creation of such case studies is time consuming, and design is often a ‘messy’ process in which few companies would be keen to expose their failures along the way. Nevertheless case studies are a vital part of Engineering Design education and offer excellent potential for the development of the pedagogy vital to the dynamic formulation of Engineering Design Education. This paper references three design projects undertaken professionally by the author as an Industrial Designer working with predominantly engineering based companies. The aim is to identify critical aspects of these projects that could be used as lessons, perhaps, but not necessarily, as case studies, but to be incorporated into engineering design education.

The Status of Design for Sustainability in Mechanical Engineering Design Education

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey R. Mountain
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Carbon Balance ◽  
Design Education ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Design For Sustainability ◽  
Engineering Design Education ◽  
The Status

Sustainability is gaining national and global prominence as a key external constraint in engineering design. Courses in solar energy and wind energy have been common offerings, but due to their power production focus, do not address sustainability in the broader context of design. The question becomes, are undergraduate mechanical engineering programs evolving to introduce design for sustainability concepts, such as life cycle assessment, the triple bottom line, and carbon balance, in the broader context of mechanical engineering design? A review of mechanical engineering programs at well recognized universities indicates that most course offerings with definable sustainable design content remain focused on sustainable energy production. In addition, most of these courses are primarily graduate level offerings, indicating a substantial population of recent graduate engineers with limited knowledge of the scope of design for sustainability. Isolated efforts to broaden awareness of sustainability concepts were also identified and will be reported. These programs may serve as models for integration of sustainability into the general mechanical design education.

Training the Participatory Renaissance Man: Past Creative Experiences and Collaborative Design

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Sauder ◽  
Yan Jin
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Collaborative Design ◽  
Design Education ◽  
Protocol Analysis ◽  
Creative Cognition ◽  
Collaborative Environment ◽  
Engineering Design Education ◽  
Renaissance Man ◽  
Current Engineering ◽  
And Training

Students are frequently trained in a variety of methodologies to promote their creativity in the collaborative environment. Some of the training and methods work well, while others present challenges. A collaborative stimulation approach is taken to extend creative cognition to collaborative creativity, providing new insights into design methodologies and training. An experiment using retrospective protocol analysis, originally conducted to identify the various types of collaborative stimulation, revealed how diversity of past creative experiences correlates with collaborative stimulation. This finding aligns with previous research. Unfortunately, many current engineering design education programs do not adequately provide opportunities for diverse creative experiences. As this study and other research has found, there is a need to create courses in engineering design programs which encourage participation in diverse creative activities.

A Pillar of Mechanical Engineering Design Education in Australia: 25 Years of the Warman Design and Build Competition

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Warren F. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Education ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
National Committee ◽  
Engineering Design Education ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Institutional Learning ◽  
History Of

The “Warman Design and Build Competition”, running across Australasian Universities, is now in its 26th year in 2013. Presented in this paper is a brief history of the competition, documenting the objectives, yearly scenarios, key contributors and champion Universities since its beginning in 1988. Assuming the competition has reached the majority of mechanical and related discipline engineering students in that time, it is fair to say that this competition, as a vehicle of the National Committee on Engineering Design, has served to shape Australasian engineering education in an enduring way. The philosophy of the Warman Design and Build Competition and some of the challenges of running it are described in this perspective by its coordinator since 2003. In particular, the need is for the competition to work effectively across a wide range of student group ability. Not every group engaging with the competition will be competitive nationally, yet all should learn positively from the experience. Reported also in this paper is the collective feedback from the campus organizers in respect to their use of the competition as an educational experience in their classrooms. Each University participating uses the competition differently with respect to student assessment and the support students receive. However, all academic campus organizer responses suggest that the competition supports their own and their institutional learning objectives very well. While the project scenarios have varied widely over the years, the intent to challenge 2nd year university (predominantly mechanical) engineering students with an open-ended statement of requirements in a practical and experiential exercise has been a constant. Students are faced with understanding their opportunity and their client’s value system as expressed in a scoring algorithm. They are required to conceive, construct and demonstrate their device with limited prior knowledge and experience, and the learning outcomes clearly impact their appreciation for teamwork, leadership and product realization.

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