Comparing the Perspectives of Engineering Students, Business Students, and Faculty Advisors Toward Successful Planning of Capstone Projects

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Harper ◽  
Robert L. Nagel
Keyword(s):  
Design Education ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Business Students ◽  
James Madison ◽  
Engineering Project ◽  
Planning And Scheduling ◽  
Faculty Advisors ◽  
Common Goals ◽  
Capstone Projects ◽  
College Of Business

One of the common goals in engineering design education is to provide real-world experiences that mimic the design experiences a student might encounter once graduated. An approach we use in the School of Engineering (SOE) at James Madison University (JMU) is a multidisciplinary pairing of business students from the College of Business and engineering students from the School of Engineering. Engineering and business students are positioned to learn from each other, and to collaborate together as they develop a feasible project plan for a two-year engineering project. In this paper, we present a study investigating the differing perceptions between faculty advisors, engineering students, and business students related to the successful capstone plan development. We hypothesized that each of the different functional groups (business students, engineering students, and faculty advisors) would have different view points on the planning and status of the infant capstone projects. The results indicate that, in the areas of planning and scheduling, the advisors are grouped with the engineering students, and in the areas of directing and controlling, the advisors are grouped with the business students. The time horizon of the students guides how they view unresolved problems with the planning and status of the project. This led to the business students, who were on the project for only one semester, to stand apart in their pessimistic assessment of the planning and scheduling of the project. The engineering students, who are on the project for the full two years, tended to be more optimistic about the directing and controlling aspects of the project.

scholarly journals CHALLENGES IN ENGINEERING DESIGN EDUCATION: VERTICAL AND LATERAL LEARNING

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksander Czekanski ◽  
Maher Al-Dojayli ◽  
Tom Lee
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Education ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Education ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Engineering Practice ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Engineering Design Education ◽  
Advanced Analysis ◽  
Capstone Projects ◽  
Team Design

Engineering practice and design in particular have gone through several changes during the last two decades whether due to scientific achievements including the evolution in novel engineering materials, computational advancements, globalization and economic constraints as well as the strategic needs which are the drive for innovative engineering. All these factors have impacted and shaped to certain extent the educational system in North America and Canada in particular. Currently, high percentage of the engineering graduates would require extensive training in industry to be able to conduct reliable complex engineering designs supported by scientific verification and validation, understand the complete design stages and phases, and identify the economic and cultural impact on such designs. This task, however, faces great challenges without educational support in such vastly changing economy.Lots of attention has been devoted to engineering design education in the recent years to incorporate engineering design courses supported by team design projects and capstone projects. Nevertheless, the lack of integrated education system towards engineering design programs can undermine the benefits of such efforts. In this paper, observations and analysis of the challenges in engineering design are presented from both academic and industrial points of view. Furthermore, a proposed vertical and lateral engineering education program is discussed. This program is structured to cover every year of the engineering education curricula, which emphasizes on innovative thinking, design strategies, support from and integration with other technical engineering courses, the use of advanced analysis tools, team collaboration, management and leadership, multidisciplinary education and industrial involvement. Its courses have just commenced for freshmen engineering students at the newly launched Mechanical Engineering Department at the Lassonde School of Engineering, York University.

scholarly journals How to Win Friends and Influence Industry Collaborators

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Perks ◽  
Rozalina Dimitrova
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
Civil Engineering ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Recent Experience ◽  
Environmental Pressures ◽  
Faculty Advisors ◽  
Student Teams ◽  
Project Portfolios ◽  
Capstone Projects

The Capstone process helps prepare Civil Engineering students for a rapidly evolving practice now facing many urgent social, economic and environmental pressures. Recent experience in identifying suitable capstone projects and working effectively with industry collaborators and student teams will be discussed. The project portfolios will be reviewed, and the approach to recruiting and retaining collaborators, working with faculty advisors, and supporting student teams will be summarized. Lessons learned from all these perspectives provided important adjustments to the uOttawa approach, which in past semesters has succeeded in providing all students in as many as to 25 teams in a semester with an industry collaborator and a valuable opportunity to enhance their skills in communications, planning, creative engineering solutions, and interdisciplinary teamwork.  

Human-Centered and Psychological Concepts in Undergraduate Engineering Project Documentation

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 505-509
Author(s):  
Rod D. Roscoe ◽  
Samuel T. Arnold ◽  
Chelsea K. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
Engineering Project ◽  
Design Processes ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Project Documentation ◽  
And Behaviors ◽  
Psychological Concepts

The success of engineering and design is facilitated by a working understanding of human thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. In this study, we explored how undergraduate engineering students included such human-centered and psychological concepts in their project documentation. Although, we observed a range of concepts related to design processes, teams, cognition, and motivation, these concepts appeared infrequently and superficially. We discuss how this analysis and approach may help to identify topics that could be leveraged for future human-centered engineering instruction.

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.

Not Good Enough? Exploring Relationships Between Students’ Empathy, Their Attitudes Towards Sustainability, and the Self-Perceived Sustainability of Their Solutions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rohan Prabhu ◽  
Mohammed Alsager Alzayed ◽  
Elizabeth Starkey
Keyword(s):  
Design Education ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Sustainable Design ◽  
The Self ◽  
Empathy Development ◽  
Concept Evaluation ◽  
Trait Empathy ◽  
Evaluation Stage ◽  
Future Work

Abstract Empathy plays an important role in designers’ ability to relate to problems faced by others. Several researchers have studied empathy development in engineering design education; however, a majority of this work has focused on teaching designers to empathize with primary users. Little attention in empathy development research is given to empathizing with those affected in a secondary and tertiary capacity. Moreover, little research has investigated the role of students’ empathy in influencing their emphasis on sustainability, especially in the concept evaluation stage. Our aim in this paper is to explore this research gap through an experimental study with engineering students. Specifically, we introduced first-year engineering students at a large public university in the northeastern United States to a short workshop on sustainable design. We compared changes in their trait empathy and attitudes towards sustainability from before to after participating in the workshop. We also compared the relationship between students’ trait empathy, attitudes towards sustainability, and the self-perceived sustainability of their solutions in a design task. From our results, we see that students reported an increase in their beliefs and intentions towards sustainability and a decrease in their personal distress from before to after participating in the workshop. Furthermore, students’ trait empathy correlated negatively with the self-perceived sustainability of their solutions. These findings highlight the need for future work studying the role of empathy in encouraging a sustainable design mindset among designers.

scholarly journals Introductory Information Systems Course Redesign: Better Preparing Business Students

10.28945/4058 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 113-126
Author(s):  
Gina Harden ◽  
Robert M. Crocker ◽  
Kelly Noe
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Advisory Council ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Course Redesign ◽  
College Of Business ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Complete Overhaul

Aim/Purpose: The dynamic nature of the information systems (IS) field presents educators with the perpetual challenge of keeping course offerings current and relevant. This paper describes the process at a College of Business (COB) to redesign the introductory IS course to better prepare students for advanced business classes and equip them with interdisciplinary knowledge and skills demanded in today’s workplace. Background: The course was previously in the Computer Science (CSC) Department, itself within the COB. However, an administrative restructuring resulted in the CSC department’s removal from the COB and left the core course in limbo. Methodology: This paper presents a case study using focus groups with students, faculty, and advisory council members to assess the value of the traditional introductory course. A survey was distributed to students after implementation of the newly developed course to assess the reception of the course. Contribution: This paper provides an outline of the decision-making process leading to the course redesign of the introductory IS course, including the context and the process of a new course development. Practical suggestions for implementing and teaching an introductory IS course in a business school are given. Findings: Focus group assessment revealed that stakeholders rated the existing introductory IS course of minimal value as students progressed through the COB program, and even less upon entering the workforce. The findings indicated a complete overhaul of the course was required. Recommendations for Practitioners: The subject of technology sometimes requires more than a simple update to the curriculum. When signs point to the need for a complete overhaul, this paper gives practical guidance supplemented with relevant literature for other academicians to follow. Recommendation for Researchers: Students are faced with increasing pressure to be proficient with the latest technology, in both the classroom where educators are trying to prepare them for the modern workplace, as well as the organization which faces an even greater pressure to leverage the latest technology. The newly designed introductory IS course provides students, and eventually organizations, a better measure of this proficiency. Future Research: Future research on the efficacy of this new course design should include longitudinal data to determine the impact on graduates, and eventually the assessment of those graduates’ performance in the workplace.

scholarly journals Compustress: The Fear Of Computer Usage Among College Of Business Administration Students

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Nykodym ◽  
Jack L. Simonetti ◽  
Joseph C. Christen
Keyword(s):  
Computer Anxiety ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Computer Training ◽  
Business Administration ◽  
Computer Usage ◽  
Midwestern University ◽  
Business Administration Students ◽  
College Of Business Administration ◽  
College Of Business ◽  
Administration Students

This study explores the area of computer apprehension among College of Business Administration students at a Midwestern university. The fear of computer usage has been termed Cyberphobia, Computer Apprehension, Computerphobia, Computer Anxiety, Computer Vertigo and Terminal Anxiety The authors have coined the word: Compustress. A review of the literature revealed that little has been published on this subject A variety of anecdotal data are provided by a number of authors. These brief data are explored. It was noted that business students may experience terminal shock when they are appraised of the widespread use of computers in their field. Data were collected from College of Business Administration majors on level of computer apprehension, number of hours of computer usage and number of hours of computer training. Results indicate that the higher the number of hours of computer usage and training, the lower the compute apprehension.

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.

Emotional Tools Design: A Project to Increase Empathy, Engagement and Interest in Industrial Design Students

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan-Carlos Rojas ◽  
Gerardo Muniz ◽  
Juan Luis Higuera-Trujillo
Keyword(s):  
Design Education ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Fundamental Aspect ◽  
Positive Perception ◽  
Wide Acceptance ◽  
Emotional Aspects ◽  
Design Students ◽  
Second Year ◽  
Second Period ◽  
Project Dynamics

Abstract Empathy is the ability of people to identify emotional aspects of others. A fundamental aspect to teaching in design education must be empathy. This paper presents the design process of an emotional tools using emoticons or emojis for evaluated products as educational exercise. The dynamics behind of the tool is the empathy experimented during the develop of the emojis characters. The project was implemented in the second period of the second year, with an execution time of 5 weeks. A series of surveys were conducted to assess perception of aspects such as utility, novelty, sensitivity and relevance of the project, in addition to knowing the progress of empathy evoked by the students dynamic. The results revealed the following findings: The opinion of 25 students describe their wide acceptance of this project methodology. Students considered the relevance of assessment processes, their recommendation to use those processes, and invited other students to develop it. Also, student’s positive perception about utility, novelty, sensibility and relevance of project dynamics are not determined by acceptance of this type of project. The preliminary results suggest that this educational exercise has the potential to cultivate or train empathy and other skills in design and engineering students.

Developing Engineering Students' Communication and Information Retrieval Skills Utilizing Capstone Projects

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron S. Blicblau ◽  
Jamal Naser
Keyword(s):  
Information Retrieval ◽  
International Students ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
The World ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
Capstone Projects ◽  
Key Aspects

The pedagogy of engineering requires a better understanding of the requirements of students' abilities to learning the skills necessary for working in the engineering community. In many engineering courses around the world, one of the key aspects required of the students is that they complete an independent project in their final year of studies incorporating information retrieval and subsequent communication skills. The current work provides details teaching and learning approaches to enhance student abilities and expertise involving research skills, communication skills, and information retrieval integrated within capstone projects. Findings from this the work indicated that both domestic and international students benefited from the intensive tutorial activities involving computer based information retrieval skills. The implementation of active tutorial sessions resulted in increased grades for the majority of students, highlighting the importance of intensive active learning events for final year capstone engineering students.

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