Introduction of Prevention Engineering Into the Mechanical Engineering Curriculum

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zbigniew M. Bzymek ◽  
Eliot Brown
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Nuclear Research ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Engineering Practice ◽  
Engineering Curriculum ◽  
Engineering Research ◽  
Preventative Measures

Abstract In today’s fast growing world, the economy — especially the field of technology and production — are developing very rapidly. Engineering design that would predict the results of this rapid development and equip the society with tools to control them, faces a big challenge. Rapidly developing technology brings many benefits to humanity and makes life easier, friendlier and more comfortable. This has been the case for thousands of years as new branches of engineering were born and came to serve society. One might say that engineers have the privilege of creating a bloodless and peaceful revolution resulting in easier and happier lives for people. At the same time, such fast developing technology creates traps and dangers, and may cause harm. The inventions of Alfred Nobel, Samuel Colt and Eliphalet Remington, for example, or nuclear research have all brought significant technological progress to nations and societies but have also brought harms and disasters affecting both societies and individuals. The role of engineering design is to predict these harmful actions and plan to neutralize or eliminate them, or even change them from harmful into friendly. Such actions follow the way recommended by BTIPS (Brief Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) procedures [1], especially those using the Prediction module [2], [3]. When developing Prevention Engineering a system approach should be observed and hierarchy of systems established and defined. All systems should be designed in such a way that prevents harm to humans and the natural world. Recommendations for introducing Prevention Engineering as a branch of engineering practice, and as an educational and research discipline, should be created as soon as possible, and directions for introducing courses in Prevention Engineering design and practice should also be developed [4]. For example, personal protective equipment for individuals and groups as designed by ME and MEM engineering students in their courses might be considered as Prevention Engineering developments [5]. Defining and formulating Prevention Engineering as a new branch of engineering is necessity in our times. In every step of our lives we face the challenge of preventing harms and destruction that can be done by the contemporary surrounding world. The goal of Prevention Engineering [PE] is to make the world safe. Prevention and safety are connected, prevention is an action, while safety is the condition or state that we are trying to achieve. Preventative actions can be based on the recommendations of BTIPS - Brief Theory of Inventing Problem Solving - and may use BTIPS’s approach [4], [5]. The reasons for the development of PE have already been described [6]. Each of these should be pointed out and preventative measures should be found. Adding these preventative measures to the contemporary engineering research, practice and education, and especially reflecting them in the engineering curriculum would be useful now and will also be necessary in the future [7], [8].

Improving students’ freehand sketching skills in mechanical engineering curriculum

2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 274-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacek Uziak ◽  
Ning Fang
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Current Literature ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Engineering Curriculum ◽  
Communication Tool ◽  
Modern Engineering ◽  
Computer Aided

Freehand sketching is a fundamental skill in mechanical engineering and many other engineering disciplines. It not only serves as a communication tool among engineers, but plays a critical role in engineering design and problem solving. However, as computer-aided drafting has replaced traditional drawing classes nowadays, the training of students’ freehand sketching skills has been almost completely eliminated in modern engineering curricula. This paper describes the attributes of freehand sketching and its roles in several essential aspects of engineering; in particular, in its roles in problem solving, of which current literature has ignored. Representative examples are provided to show students’ freehand sketching skills in problem solving in a foundational undergraduate mechanical engineering course. Pedagogical suggestions are made on how to teach freehand sketching to engineering students.

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.

Distant Teaching and Learning of BTIPS: Application in Pandemic Situation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zbigniew M. Bzymek
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Idea Generation ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Main Challenge ◽  
New Situation

Abstract The world’s technology is developing very rapidly. To anticipate the course and results of such development is a task that is very crucial for the success of many technological undertakings and expansions. Engineering design is the branch of engineering that should predict the results of that rapid development. It should equip society with the tools for directing and controlling that development. It is a complex task that faces big challenges. The main challenge comes from society advancement and from the technology development itself. If the directing and controlling are done right the development would bring many benefits to humanity and would make human life easier and more comfortable. Doing it right however requires increased knowledge of the new features of technology and more skills in its application. In the difficult pandemic situation that knowledge and skills should be even greater because the outbreak of the disease creates additional traps and dangers. These conditions have to be taken under consideration and accepted as normal. The role of engineering design is to predict what harmful elements would be coming from both technological and social sources. The real goal however would be to exceed the expectations and not only neutralize them but change them from harmful into neutral, and then from neutral into friendly and helpful. Such actions follows recommendations of BTIPS (Brief Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) and is outlined in the BTIPS’s module “Prediction”. At the same time the developing civilization brings dangers for humans that were unknown before. These are bacterial and viruses’ attacks that limit personal relations between humans, requires new ways and new elements of communications, especially in internet contacts and in distant learning procedures. The contents of these components should be accurately predicted, well-orchestrated, well designed and precisely described. Recommendations for introducing BTIPS as a tool of engineering education in new situation should be carefully proposed and illustration examples, using new communication tools, should be developed. These should be applied in engineering theoretical courses and in practical applications during the senior design course of study and in industrial practice. This should be precise, clearly anticipating difficulties, pointing possible errors and ways of avoiding them. Teaching examples of problem solving and personal ways of communications between individual students, between groups of students, as well as between students and instructors should be further discussed. The examples of design ideas and problem solutions generated by students in design courses that were described in previous works of the author and his co-workers [1] should be related to pandemic situation. To define and formulate rules of teaching BTIPS in the pandemic situation is the necessity of our times. On every step of our lives we face the challenge of preventing harms and destruction that can be done by the contemporary surrounding world. The preventing actions can be designed by following rules of BTIPS and by apply approach recommended in its modules. The proposal of utilizing BTIPS application examples using the internet as a tool of expression is described in this paper. All of these are pointed out and some recommendations and examples are called. Adding description of corrections to the engineering curriculum is necessary in the new situation. It is an intention of the author to demonstrate a fragment of practical distant lecturing by internet during the IMECE 2020 internet sessions using the internet network and distant support from UConn computer Laboratory in Storrs, CT. Some example solutions of the idea generation are quoted in this paper. The comments coming from author’s teaching experience will be given during the presentation and practical advices for students and instructors will be passed to the audience. This paper is a companion to IMECE 2017-70438 [1]. Some original examples given in the paper 79418 are recommended for following and will be run by internet in pandemic situation of IMECE 2020.

scholarly journals What can engineers learn from the past? A potential role for history in engineering education.

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 43-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Gaynor ◽  
Greg Crebbin
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Energy Transport ◽  
Engineering Problem ◽  
Historical Narratives ◽  
Engineering Practice ◽  
The Past ◽  
Technical Solutions ◽  
Ecologically Sustainable

At present, in many societies, engineers play a significant role in solving problems of energy, transport, accommodation and production; but similar problems have been solved through technical and non-technical means for thousands of years. Numerous historical examples therefore exist, in which the ends of different approaches to problem-solving are apparent: some tending to produce socially and/or ecologically sustainable outcomes, and some less positive. Historians do not simply narrate the past, they explain and interpret changes and continuities by paying attention to larger issues of, for example, class, gender, polity and economy. Such historical narratives, we argue, may have a useful role to play in efforts to shift the perspective of engineering students away from a narrow focus on complex technical solutions, towards the broader context in which their problem-solving will take place. This ability to assess the relationships between engineering problem-solving and the broader social and environmental context is critical to the development of a more sustainable and socially-just engineering practice.

Introducing Human-Centered Design Early in the Engineering Curriculum

1995 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 389-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel S. Greenstein
Keyword(s):  
Product Development ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Development Process ◽  
Team Building ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Product Development Process ◽  
Engineering Practice ◽  
Engineering Curriculum ◽  
Human Centered Design

This paper focuses on the development and implementation of a cross-disciplinary, project-driven course on human-centered design. The sophomore-level course is required of all students in the industrial engineering major. The course prerequisites are a part of the college-wide freshman engineering curriculum, enabling students in other engineering majors to take the course as well. The primary objective of this course is to introduce the product development process and human-centered methodologies for designing engineering systems into the engineering curriculum. Additional objectives are to: • Let the students experience the product development process through a semester-long, real-world design project. • Prepare students to work with other specialists in the kind of cross-functional design teams employed in engineering practice. • Educate students to focus early and continually on the customers and users of their products. • Use a variety of writing and speaking activities to achieve active participation in the educational process, team building, and a class environment dedicated to professional success. • Enhance retention of engineering students by emphasizing collaborative learning and the product development process early in the curriculum.

Observations of Problem-Solving by Engineering Students

1974 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 172-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. P. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Student Response ◽  
Tertiary Level ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Educational Implications ◽  
The University ◽  
Academic Record

The educational objectives of professional courses at tertiary level are usually stated in terms of (a) imparting knowledge and (b) developing problem-solving skills. In engineering, however, little empirical research has been undertaken into the problem-solving skills of either students or professionals. The paper examines the responses of second and third year engineering students in the University of Melbourne to a number of open-ended exercises which tap problem-solving skills in engineering design. The results show two major features of interest. First, an extremely wide variety of student response was observed, and secondly, there was little correlation between the students' problem-solving skills and their academic record. The educational implications of these findings are discussed.

Questioning the Impact of Personality on Design Outcomes: Should We Take It Into Account?

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gül E. Okudan ◽  
Linda C. Schmidt ◽  
Noe Vargas Hernandez ◽  
Kathryn Jablokow ◽  
Chun-yu Lin
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Personality Factors ◽  
Creative Problem Solving ◽  
Traffic Light ◽  
Personality Dimensions ◽  
Design Task ◽  
Creative Problem ◽  
The Impact

To investigate the impact of personality factors on the novelty and variety of design outcomes, we conducted an experiment with 33 engineering students of various class standings. All students were enrolled in an introductory engineering design class and completed the same design task, improving the functionality of a traffic light while making sure that it runs sustainably. Our results indicate significant impact of two personality dimensions on design outcomes: openness and agreeableness. These results match findings in the literature that show significant impact of certain personality dimensions of individual scientists on creative problem solving outcomes. We argue that creative problem solving in the engineering domain can be different, as it might require a higher level of tactile thinking in comparison to science; thus, investigation of the impact of personality on creative outcomes was necessary. Accordingly, we recommend measuring and using the personality dimensions as co-variates in empirical observations of design outcomes.

scholarly journals CANADA'S NEWEST ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING CURRICULUM: DRIVING FACTORS AND CRITICAL REQUIREMENTS

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Grami ◽  
M. A. Rosen
Keyword(s):  
Computer Simulation ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Electrical Engineering ◽  
Driving Factors ◽  
Development Effort ◽  
Engineering Curriculum ◽  
Engineering Community ◽  
Engineering Program

UOIT’s Electrical Engineering program was launched in September 2005. The driving factors and critical requirements for this program were unique, and led to the development of a curriculum which is innovative in many respects, yet maintains the best features of traditional EE programs. The development effort focused on the quality of the curriculum, in terms of content, pedagogy and delivery, as quality is important to students, prospective employers, graduate schools, accreditation bodies and the engineering community. Since the notion of quality is always multi-dimensional, we provide here the rationale for the EE program from many perspectives: generalized vs. specialized,, problem solving vs. engineering design, technical vs. complementary studies, circuits vs. signals, analog vs. digital, lab experimentation vs. computer simulation, and knowledge-sake vs. market-oriented.

scholarly journals AN ENGINEERING DESIGN COURSE TO DEVELOP AND ASSESS CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan P. Mulligan ◽  
Natalie Simper ◽  
Nerissa Mulligan
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Civil Engineering ◽  
Standardized Test ◽  
Objective Evaluation ◽  
Learning Assessment ◽  
Final Design ◽  
Practice Sequence

A challenging new engineering design course is developed as part of the Engineering Design and Practice Sequence in the Civil Engineering program. This course engages students in a cyclical design process where they plan, build, test, and evaluate a model-scale tidal current turbine. They then use their own observations and analysis to iteratively inform, improve and re-test their design.The two objectives of this paper are to provide a description of the development and structure of this design course, and to assess student learning. The Final Design Reports were externally evaluated using the Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education rubrics. Students also completed a standardized test called the Collegiate Learning Assessment as an objective evaluation of longitudinal learning gains. The Civil Engineering students demonstrated significant improvement in critical thinking, problem solving, and written communication skills.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document