Upper Level Engineering Design Instruction Using a Product Archaeology Paradigm

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kemper Lewis ◽  
Deborah Moore-Russo
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Theory ◽  
Student Perception ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Educational Strategies ◽  
Educational Innovations ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Scalable Learning ◽  
Upper Level ◽  
Design Experience

Historically, the teaching of design theory in an engineering curriculum was relegated to a senior capstone design experience. Presently, however, engineering design concepts and courses can be found through the entirety of most engineering programs. Educators have recognized that engineering design provides a foundational platform that can be used to develop educational strategies for a wide array of engineering science principles. More recently, educators have found that product archaeology provides an effective platform to develop scalable learning materials, strategies, and educational innovations across these design courses. In this paper, we focus on the upper level design experience and present a set of innovative strategies aimed at teaching design in a global perspective. Moreover, this approach facilitates meeting the challenging requirements of ABET’s Outcome h. The effectiveness of the strategies is assessed using a benchmark national survey on the Engineer of 2020. Results demonstrate a significant increase in student perception across a number of skill and knowledge areas, which are critical to the next generation of engineers.

Using Product Archaeology to Integrate Global, Economic, Environmental, and Societal Factors in Introductory Design Education

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erich Devendorf ◽  
Phil Cormier ◽  
Deborah Moore-Russo ◽  
Kemper Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Education ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Education ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Engineering Curriculum ◽  
Educational Strategies ◽  
Senior Year ◽  
Societal Factors ◽  
Design Activities ◽  
Upper Level

Design education has traditionally been incorporated into the engineering curriculum in the junior or senior year through upper level mechanical design courses and capstone design projects. However, there is a general trend in engineering education to incorporate design activities at the freshman and sophomore level. The design aspects of these courses provide a unique opportunity to integrate global, economic, environmental, and societal factors with traditional design considerations. Incorporating these early in an engineering curriculum supports a broad engineering education in accordance with ABET required Outcome h. In this paper we introduce global, economic, environmental, and societal factors into a sophomore level engineering design course using strategies adapted from a Product Archaeology paradigm. Specifically, functional modeling is synthesized with a product dissection platform to create a foundation to demonstrate the broader impacts of engineering design decisions. The effectiveness of using Product Archaeology-based educational strategies to facilitate the learning objectives of Outcome h is evaluated using student surveys taken over a two year period.

Design Experience Using Software Tools in Undergraduate Engineering Mechanics Courses

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abhijit Nagchaudhuri ◽  
Emin Yilmaz
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Software Tools ◽  
Engineering Science ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Science Courses ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering Education ◽  
Engineering Mechanics ◽  
Solid Works ◽  
Design Experience

Statics, Dynamics, and Mechanics of Materials form the basic sequence of engineering mechanics courses in engineering curricula. Traditionally, these courses have been designated as “engineering science” courses with significantly more emphasis in analysis to reinforce engineering fundamentals, and little to no importance to “engineering design”. With the outcome based approach to undergraduate engineering education adopted by Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology and the framework laid out by Engineering Criteria (EC 2000) significant reform efforts are underway to incorporate design experience throughout the engineering curricula. Most engineering programs across the nation have developed and implemented a freshman design course to introduce engineering design at the beginning of the college experience for engineering majors. To sustain the momentum, it therefore follows that subsequent courses should sustain the design emphasis in the freshman and sophomore years. Design, however, is a time consuming complex iterative process somewhat different from the convergent nature of engineering science. Modern software tools provide a time efficient and pedagogically effective way of integrating engineering design project with the engineering mechanics sequence without compromising the engineering science fundamentals. In this paper design projects that have been integrated in Statics, Dynamics, and Mechanics of Material courses offered by the author using software tools such as Working Model, MD-Solids, Pro-Engineer, Solid-works etc. supplemented by computational tools such as MATLAB and EXCEL are outlined. Discussion based on student feedback and relevance to ABET outcomes is also forwarded.

MODELING AN ABBREVIATED PRODUCT DESIGN CYCLE IN A FIRST-YEAR ENGINEERING DESIGN COURSE

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Kristine Sheridan ◽  
Jason A Foster ◽  
Geoffrey S Frost
Keyword(s):  
Product Design ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Design Project ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
Praxis Ii ◽  
Engineering Communication ◽  
Detail Design ◽  
Praxis I ◽  
Design Experience

All Engineering Science students at the University of Toronto take the cornerstone Praxis Sequence of engineering design courses. In the first course in the sequence, Praxis I, students practice three types of engineering design across three distinct design projects. Previously the final design project had the students first frame and then develop conceptual design solutions for a self-identified challenge. While this project succeeded in providing an appropriate foundational design experience, it failed to fully prepare students for the more complex design experience in Praxis II. The project also failed to ingrain the need for clear and concise engineering communication, and the students’ lack of understanding of detail design inhibited their ability to make practical and realistic design decisions. A revised Product Design project in Praxis I was designed with the primary aims of: (a) pushing students beyond the conceptual design phase of the design process, and (b) simulating a real-world work environment by: (i) increasing the interdependence between student teams and (ii) increasing the students’ perceived value of engineering communication.

A Comparison of Function- and Affordance-Based Design

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunlong Wu ◽  
Benjamin Ciavola ◽  
John Gershenson
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Theory ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Future Work

Function-based design is the traditional approach in engineering design theory, proving useful and practical in many cases but showing limitations in others. Affordance-based design is an alternative approach that attempts to address some of function theory’s limitations by focusing attention on the interactions between systems. This paper compares function-based design with affordance-based design by examining their philosophies, tools, abilities, and suitability along a number of dimensions. We conclude that the approaches are compatible and suggest future work to realize their integration.

Introducing a Use Perspective in Product Design Theory and Methodology

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anders V. Warell
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Theory ◽  
Functional Language ◽  
Product Systems ◽  
Function Classes ◽  
Life Phase ◽  
Active User ◽  
Design Theory And Methodology ◽  
Machine Systems ◽  
And Function

Abstract In this paper it is argued that methods are needed for the design of a larger variety of product aspects than is feasible with mechanical engineering design methodology of today. Design methods found within the European schools of design are inadequate for the design of products other than machine systems of transforming character. The reason for this is that the underlying theories only describe the nature of ‘operand-transforming’ technical systems, and that the description of the process and function systems are too narrowly defined to be useful for the design of ‘non-transforming’ products, or for products where the human is involved as an active user. The paper takes as the standpoint that the functional language, in accordance with established foundation in engineering design theory, is a successful means to treat usability aspects of human-product systems. An extended process modeling view based on product life-phase thinking including a ‘use-process’ is presented, focusing the attention towards the use, and not merely the workings, of the product. Also, extended definitions of a number of concepts are proposed, and function-classes of the human-product system, leading to a more generally applicable use of functions as a modeling tool when describing products, is introduced. The proposed functional language is illustrated in a product case example.

Design Theory and Methodology in Eastern Europe

1990 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomasz Arciszewski
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Theory ◽  
Design Research ◽  
East Germany ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
Research Environments ◽  
Design Theories ◽  
Design Theory And Methodology

Abstract The paper provides a brief review of general tendencies and interesting developments in the area of engineering design theory and methodology in Eastern Europe. This review is limited to East Germany, Poland, and the Soviet Union. Particular attention was given to the design research environments in individual countries, and to developed design theories and methods in the context of these environments.

scholarly journals Assistive Technology for Freshmen Design and K-12 Outreach

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devin R. Berg ◽  
Matthew Wigdahl ◽  
Charis D. Collins
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Assistive Technology ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Societal Implications ◽  
Design Project ◽  
K 12 ◽  
The University ◽  
Design Experience

This Work in Progress paper presents on the design of project-based learning approach focused on assistive technology as applied in a freshmen level engineering course which also integrates outreach with the local K12 system. The university course targets general education topics as well as an introductory engineering design experience and includes content on the engineering design process, societal implications of engineering design, and a participatory lab-based design project. A partnering class of 5th graders from a local elementary school made use of a daily block of time set aside for academic interventions and individual project-based work to collaborate with the university class. A qualitative assessment was conducted and has thus far has revealed that the university students found the assistive technology theme of the semester-long design project to be meaningful. For the K12 students, the survey results and anecdotal observations suggest that we were only moderately successful in constructing a meaningful and purposeful design experience, from their perspective.

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