Structuring Senior Design Capstone to Develop Competencies

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahed Siddique
Keyword(s):  
Learning Community ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Energy Industry ◽  
Student Outcome ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
University Of Oklahoma ◽  
Senior Design ◽  
Student Teams ◽  
The University

Senior Design Capstone is a required component of many undergraduate engineering programs. The School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Oklahoma has incorporated industry sponsored design projects, with Experiential Learning as the model, to develop technical and meta-competencies through the Senior Design Practicum Program. The Mechanical Engineering Capstone program has been developed to provide a learning environment, where students in teams work closely with an industry sponsor and a faculty advisor. The student teams work as a consulting group to produce useful results on an open-ended project to the sponsors’ satisfaction within the constraints of time and budget. Three major program elements, are (1) Student teams to learn and perform the tasks to achieve the desired goals of the project (2) Sponsor to define the problem, guide and accept or reject the results, and (3) Faculty to advise, coordinate, and evaluate. The Capstone program has targeted the energy industry, with a focus on oil and gas, which has a very strong presence in the region. The program, working closely with industry partners as mentors, prepares students for the energy industry. The student outcome and program are evaluated with extensive participation from industry. The program was implemented during 2002–2003. Over the last 10-years the program been able to sustain and grow. The plan that was used to sustain the program relied on developing a learning community of students, faculty and industry to support development of student competencies.

scholarly journals CAPSTONE DESIGN IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph O. Buchal
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Primary Sources ◽  
Career Goals ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Engineering Program ◽  
Student Teams ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The University ◽  
Centres Of Excellence ◽  
Capstone Design

All engineering programs in Canada must culminate in a significant design experience. This paper describes the capstone design course in the Mechanical Engineering Program at the University of Western Ontario. Self-selected student teams choose from several types of projects: faculty-defined projects, student-defined entrepreneurial projects, student design competitions, and industry-sponsored projects. These choices accommodate a wide range of interests and career goals. The primary sources of project funding are industry sponsorship fees and matching funding through the Ontario Centres of Excellence Connections Program. The majority of project expenses are for parts, materials, prototype construction and testing.

Cognitive Empathy in Design Course for a More Inclusive Mechanical Engineering

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Wong (Lau) ◽  
Rebecca L. Norris ◽  
Zahed Siddique ◽  
M. Cengiz Altan ◽  
James Baldwin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Cognitive Empathy ◽  
Student Survey ◽  
Student Body ◽  
Empathy Training ◽  
University Of Oklahoma ◽  
Senior Design ◽  
Undergraduate Programs ◽  
The University ◽  
New Generation

Cognitive Empathy, often referred to as perspective taking, refers to the ability to identify and understand details about another’s experience so that one can understand why people may think and feel the way that they do. In recent years the need for designers to develop Cognitive Empathy skills has been recognized and has given rise to human-centered design and empathic design. Many mechanical engineering and design departments offer courses and have programs in these emerging topics. Mechanical engineers need to have basic understanding of Cognitive Empathy to function in today’s workplace. In addition, most mechanical engineering undergraduate programs do not have a diverse student body representative of the general population. Although there are many reasons, we believe that having a welcoming, inclusive environment is a precursor to improving diversity and thus should be an important consideration in mechanical engineering education. We propose that introducing carefully designed training on Cognitive Empathy in design courses could result in (i) a more welcoming and inclusive environment and (ii) a new generation of designers better equipped to consider the users. In this paper we present an “Intercultural Cognitive Empathy” training that was given to all mechanical engineering seniors at the University of Oklahoma to create a more inclusive environment. The students in a senior design course received the training at the beginning of the semester, before forming their design teams, so that they could use the skills to better communicate with each other. Cognitive Empathy research provided the foundation for the training and intercultural active learning components were also integrated. A student survey, done at the end of the semester, showed that students retained and used different components of the training throughout the semester. The assessment strongly suggests that this training should be part of the regular curriculum.

Benchmarking the Integration of Complex Systems Study in Mechanical Engineering Programs in the Southeastern United States

2007 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 256-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia Kellam ◽  
Michelle Maher ◽  
James Russell ◽  
Veronica Addison ◽  
Wally Peters
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Complex Systems ◽  
Engineering Education ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Southeastern United States ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
University Websites ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering Education ◽  
The University

Complex systems study, defined as an understanding of interrelationships between engineered, technical, and non-technical (e.g., social or environmental) systems, has been identified as a critical component of undergraduate engineering education. This paper assesses the extent to which complex systems study has been integrated into undergraduate mechanical engineering programs in the southeastern United States. Engineering administrators and faculty were surveyed and university websites associated with engineering education were examined. The results suggest engineering administrators and faculty believe that undergraduate engineering education remains focused on traditional engineering topics. However, the review of university websites indicates a significant level of activity in complex systems study integration at the university level, although less so at college and department levels.

Design-Build-Test Senior Design Project

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas G. Boronkay ◽  
Janak Dave
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Technology ◽  
Bachelor Of Science ◽  
Design Project ◽  
Technology Students ◽  
Senior Design ◽  
Design Build ◽  
Course Sequence ◽  
Capstone Projects ◽  
The University

Abstract Every student in the Mechanical Engineering Technology Department must complete a Senior Capstone Design Project course sequence as a requirement for the partial fulfillment of the Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology degree. Mechanical Engineering Technology students at the University of Cincinnati must design, build, and test their product for the satisfactory completion of the Senior Design Project course sequence. At many institutions the capstone projects do not include the build and test components. This paper gives a short description of the Senior Design course sequence, the list of pre-requisite design courses, the design process used by the students to complete their projects. It addresses issues, such as, team versus individual projects, industrial versus personal projects, etc. It also describes typical projects, two of which are being used in industry with minor modifications.

Post-Graduation Assessment of the Effectiveness of an Industrially Sponsored Senior Design Capstone Course

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vito Moreno ◽  
Bryan Weber ◽  
Thomas Barber
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Student Perspectives ◽  
Capstone Course ◽  
Senior Design ◽  
Recent Graduates ◽  
Course Outcomes ◽  
The University ◽  
University Of Connecticut ◽  
Level Of Effort

Results of a survey of recent graduates who completed the Mechanical Engineering Senior Design Capstone course at the University of Connecticut are presented. Student perspectives on level of effort, effectiveness of course outcomes, and value of the course in their current jobs are presented. Overall results suggest that the industrially sponsored projects together with the class lectures have provided valuable experiences.

Teaching Capstone Thermal Systems Design Using ANSYS ICEPAK Based Projects

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin R. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Systems Design ◽  
Thermal Design ◽  
Heat Sinks ◽  
Electronic Systems ◽  
Thermal Systems ◽  
Private Industry ◽  
Senior Design ◽  
Student Teams ◽  
Learn By Doing

Abstract This paper describes the use of ANSYS ICEPAK software in teaching a senior level capstone thermal systems design course in a Mechanical Engineering curriculum. The use of ANSYS ICEPAK software tools in the thermal design course allows our undergraduates the preparation they need to become competitive and productive in today’s private industry sector. The paradigm of learn-by-doing adopted by the college is used in the thermal design course by exposing students to the use of ANSYS ICEPAK software in order to complete a design project in the thermal design course. The senior level capstone thermal design course is a three-unit semester course. Students are broken into teams and are tasked to solve a variety of thermal-fluid, heat transfer related design problem scenarios. The student teams are tasked to design an electronic systems thermal management system using PCBS, fans, heat sinks, heat pipes, etc. in order to meet a set of pre-defined requirements. In this manner, the use of the ICEPAK projects serves to build the soft skills (report writing and technical presentation) of the students. This paper will include examples of ANSYS ICEPAK based thermal design projects and methods of assessment and illustrations of how the thermal design course addresses the Mechanical Engineering program’s ABET objectives and outcomes related to senior design capstone design courses.

A Six-Legged Walking Robot as a Senior Design Project

1997 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-71
Author(s):  
H. B. Gürocak ◽  
J. M. Ancona
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Design Criterion ◽  
Walking Robot ◽  
Research Committee ◽  
Design Project ◽  
Senior Design ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Minimum Number ◽  
Leg Motion ◽  
The University

In this article the design of a six-legged walking robot as a mechanical engineering senior design project is presented. The design criterion was to use a minimum number of motors for leg motion while the robot would have the ability to turn when it ran into an object. The project proved to be a good example for the application of fundamental mechanical engineering concepts such as kinematics, statics and machine design. This project was funded by the Faculty Research Committee of the University of the Pacific.

scholarly journals INTRODUCTION OF AN ACTIVE LEARNING COMPONENT THROUGH RESEARCH REPORTS IN A LABORATORY COURSE

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Abelló ◽  
Paul Labossière
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Student Feedback ◽  
Learning Skills ◽  
Laboratory Course ◽  
Credit Hours ◽  
Student Teams ◽  
University Of Manitoba ◽  
Upper Level ◽  
The University

Abstract –Mechanical Engineering Laboratories is a third-year course at the University of Manitoba that covers the application of mechanical engineering principles to relevant experimental problems. The course spans two terms, counts for two credit hours per term and traditionally required student teams to prepare formal laboratory reports only. An active learning component was introduced by assigning students to write research reports on topics that would otherwise have been covered in the lectures. This allowed us to enable additional laboratory groups during former lecture slots and accommodate the program’s enrollment increase from 80 to 120 students. Introducing research reports also allowed students to learn independently, research beyond the level of detail in the course if they wished, and practice their lifelong learning skills along with teamwork skills. Most students did well in this component of the course.  Student feedback comments on the research reports were mostly positive. This experience suggests that an active learning component through research reports in lieu of some lectures may be a useful active learning tool in an upper-level laboratory course.  

Learning Experiences From an Industrially Sponsored Senior Design Capstone Program: A Student Perspective

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vito Moreno ◽  
Meagan Ferreira ◽  
Peter Malicki ◽  
Seth Morris ◽  
John DePasquale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Peer Group ◽  
Student Perspective ◽  
Employment Opportunities ◽  
Senior Design ◽  
Program Manager ◽  
Student Teams ◽  
Design Program ◽  
Capstone Projects ◽  
The University ◽  
University Of Connecticut

A key element of the Department of Mechanical Engineering Senior Design Program at the University of Connecticut is the industrial sponsorship of virtually all Capstone projects. This paper is a collaborative effort between the Program Manager and two of the current 2016–2017 student teams. The students discuss their initial reasons for selecting their projects and their experiences in working with a peer group in the planning and execution of a project. Learnings from their interaction with the industrial sponsor, achievement of the ABET objectives and the value that the project experience has provided in obtaining post-graduation employment. Opportunities and actions, based on this feedback, for continued development of the program to improve effectiveness are also identified.

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