scholarly journals Effective Coordination of Capstone Design Work Using Milestones

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel F. Couturier ◽  
Guida Bendrich ◽  
Francis Lang
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Engineering ◽  
Final Report ◽  
Design Work ◽  
Management Framework ◽  
Engineering Program ◽  
Continuous Feedback ◽  
Added Benefit ◽  
The University ◽  
Better Than ◽  
Capstone Design

 Abstract – A universal management framework has been developed for coordinating the work of students and mentors in the capstone design course offered in the Chemical Engineering program at the University of New Brunswick. The framework makes use of seven evenly spaced milestones to pace the students through their design project. The milestone documents describe the main tasks to be completed by students and apply to any client-based project. They also provide the marking scheme to be used by mentors when evaluating the team reports submitted at the end of each milestone. As an added benefit, the universal milestone framework also enables the progressive assembly of a high-quality final report since each milestone report is tailored to be a section of the final report. As expected, the performance of students on the final report is generally better than the average of their milestone grades. Furthermore, the universal framework ensures deliverables are consistent for every group regardless of their project, which results in a streamlined experience for both students and instructors. Student opinion surveys suggest that students appreciate the frequency of the milestones, which allows for continuous feedback and appropriate pacing.

scholarly journals DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A CROSS DISCIPLINE CAPSTONE DESIGN EXPERIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
W.C.D. DeGagne ◽  
Paul Labossiere
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Education ◽  
Real World ◽  
Capstone Course ◽  
Engineering Program ◽  
Engineering Discipline ◽  
Respective Discipline ◽  
University Of Manitoba ◽  
The University ◽  
Capstone Design Courses ◽  
Capstone Design

One of the most effective and efficient ways for an engineering program to facilitate compliance with the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) accreditation criteria is through capstone design projects and courses. Currently, the University of Manitoba Faculty of Engineering has several capstone design courses; however, each is independently focused on its own respective discipline. The resulting educational experience for students, though rigorous and challenging, is maintained within the boundaries of the students’ engineering discipline, thereby neglecting to provide the opportunity for students to work with people from multiple disciplines and across multiple fields. This style/mode of education, where students work in silos, arguably does not reflect real world engineering. Program representatives from the Faculty of Engineering agree. An interdisciplinary capstone course would provide a more rounded engineering education for students. Exposing students to other disciplines and facilitating their learning of the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to work in a multidisciplinary capacity will more effectively prepare students for the real world. Thus, to better comply with CEAB requirements and to increase the breadth and depth of students’ engineering education, an interdisciplinary capstone pilot course will be launched at the University of Manitoba.This paper explains how this multidisciplinary capstone pilot program has been developed, and touches on the early stages of its initiation and implementation.

scholarly journals Collaborative Approach for Teaching Chemical Process Design

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel F. Couturier ◽  
Guida Bendrich
Keyword(s):  
Process Design ◽  
Chemical Engineering ◽  
Local Economy ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Engineering Practice ◽  
Final Report ◽  
Collaborative Approach ◽  
Chemical Process Design ◽  
Engineering Program ◽  
Design Activities

A collaborative approach has been successfully used to teach the senior process design course in the Chemical Engineering program at UNB since 2010. Every design project in the course is sponsored by an outside client. Two teams of four or five students are assigned to each project. The teams work independently and are co-mentored by a faculty member and a practicing engineer. This collaborative approach brings engineering practice in the classroom while keeping faculty members in control of academic requirements. Eight evenly-spaced milestones pace students and co-mentors by defining the tasks that need to be accomplished, by setting the marking scheme for the deliverables and by providing a framework for the progressive assembly of a high-quality final report. Our approach has increased the number of faculty members interested in design activities and allows students to contribute to the local economy while becoming proficient in engineering design. Comments received from students, clients and co-mentors have been highly positive.

scholarly journals Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Course – CEAB Accreditation Outcomes Assessment

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Stagner ◽  
Jennifer Johrendt
Keyword(s):  
Final Report ◽  
Improvement Program ◽  
Team Interaction ◽  
Materials Engineering ◽  
Undergraduate Experience ◽  
Interdisciplinary Projects ◽  
The University ◽  
Design Proposal ◽  
A Company ◽  
Capstone Design

Due to the comprehensive nature of the two-semester Capstone Design course for fourth-year students, many of the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) Graduate Attributes (GrAtts), and associated learning outcomes (LOs), are present within the course. As the term ‘graduate attribute’ implies, students should exhibit specific attributes upon graduation. Thus, assessing these attributes in the students’ final year enables the faculty and students to verify that the goal of achieving these attributes has been accomplished. However, it is also necessary to examine the results of the assessments to make any downstream adjustments to the curriculum, to address any weaknesses in specific attributes.The undergraduate course calendar provides the following course description for the Capstone Design course:Student design teams, operating within a "company" environment, utilize the broad range of their undergraduate experience in interdisciplinary projects selected to promote interaction between the mechanical, automotive, and materials programs. Design methodologies and team interaction simulate future professional practice. Project milestones include: a design proposal with cost analysis and scheduling, construction and commissioning of the designed apparatus, and a final report and presentation having both global and detail completeness [1].One can see that the course is comprehensive; however, it is also quite unique for each design team as it pertains to each specific project. The uniqueness of projects, along with the fact that there are multiple advisors and assessors of projects, provides challenges to ensuring accurate and consistent assessments.This paper will describe what the department of Mechanical, Automotive & Materials Engineering (MAME) at the University of Windsor has incorporated into the Capstone Design course to assess many of the CEAB GrAtts and LOs, and implement a continuous improvement program for the department.

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.

scholarly journals ONLINE LEARNING ELEMENT DESIGN – DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION EXPERIENCES

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marnie V. Jamieson ◽  
John M. Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Chemical Engineering ◽  
Independent Learning ◽  
Individual Student ◽  
Digital Learning ◽  
Design Development ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
The University ◽  
Capstone Design

The Capstone Design Course instructional team was selected to participate in the digital learning initiative at the University of Alberta. The goals of this initiative are to increase student engagement and promote flexible, independent learning. The objectives of the instructional team were to enhance the interactions between instructors and student design teams in the face of increasing enrolment and to align the course strategically with attributes expected for graduating engineers set out by the University of Alberta and elaborated in the Canadian Engineering AccreditationBoard (CEAB) Guidelines. Existing course lecture materials were redeveloped into an asynchronous online format for individual student engagement. Related inclass team-learning activities were prepared andimplemented. This report focuses on the design of online learning elements connected to in class active learning and project applications and our experiences with them over the course of a two-year pilot project. This paper is a follow up to “The University of Alberta Chemical Engineering Capstone Design Course Goes Flipped!”

scholarly journals THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA CHEMICAL ENGINEERING CAPSTONE DESIGN COURSE GOES FLIPPED!

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marnie V. Jamieson ◽  
Len Church ◽  
Frank Vagi ◽  
William Pick ◽  
Tracy Onuczko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Chemical Engineering ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Independent Learning ◽  
Individual Student ◽  
Digital Learning ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Online Format ◽  
The University ◽  
Capstone Design

The Capstone Design Course instructional team was selected to participate in the digital learning initiative at the University of Alberta. The goals of this initiative are to increase student engagement and promote flexible, independent learning. The objectives of the instructional team were to enhance the interactions between instructors and student design teams in the face of increasing enrolment and to align the course strategically with attributes expected for graduating engineers set out by the University and elaborated in the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) Guidelines. Existing course materials were redeveloped to an asynchronous online format for individual student engagement and related activities were completed in class. Course delivery effectiveness is being evaluated by comparison with previous cohorts, improvements in post course student self-assessment, student engagement and satisfaction, and will include post course interview and survey data. This preliminary report focuses on elements of course design and preliminary findings.

scholarly journals DESIGN OF A CONSISTENT INTERDISCIPLINARY AND DUAL FACULTY CAPSTONE EXPERIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
W.C.D. DeGagne ◽  
Paul E. Labossiere
Keyword(s):  
Real Life ◽  
Engineering Program ◽  
Engineering Discipline ◽  
Respective Discipline ◽  
University Of Manitoba ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Interdisciplinary Courses ◽  
The University ◽  
Capstone Design Courses ◽  
Capstone Design

Abstract - One of the most effective and efficient ways for an engineering program to facilitate compliance with the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) accreditation criteria is through capstone design projects and courses, [1]. Currently, the University of Manitoba Faculty of Engineering has several capstone design courses; however, each is independently focused on its own respective discipline. The resulting educational experience for students, though rigorous and challenging, is maintained within the boundaries of the students’ engineering discipline, thereby neglecting to provide the opportunity for students to work with people from multiple disciplines and across different faculties. This style/mode of education, where students work in silos, arguably does not reflect real world engineering. Program representatives from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Manitoba agree that the capstones should be more reflective of real life situations. For this paper, we were hoping to present the research results of a pilot interdisciplinary capstone that was to be launch in the winter of 2017. Unfortunately, the pilot course was not offered because of low student enrollment. So we decided to take an innovative and creative approach to the research. Since, at the University of Manitoba, the Dean of Engineering is also the Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, rather than team with an outside industry focus group, we decided to develop a holistic course with the Faculty of Architecture. The Dean supports this strategy. Interdisciplinary courses are most important because they "…articulate the difference between educational problems and workplace problems" [2]. And allow "(students) persons from different disciplines to work collaboratively and are integrated to combine their knowledge to solve a problem"[3]. This paper explores and explains how that Engineering/Architecture Multidiscipline Capstone and Dual Faculty course will be developed, touches on the early stages of its initiation and implementation, and outlines how the success of the new course will be evaluated.  

scholarly journals DESIGN OF A WESTERN ENGINEERING "GREEN" BUILDING

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. O'Carroll ◽  
E. K. Yanful ◽  
F. Berruti ◽  
R. O. Buchal
Keyword(s):  
Interdisciplinary Collaboration ◽  
Integrated Design ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Multidisciplinary Teams ◽  
Design Work ◽  
Existing Building ◽  
Engineering Consulting ◽  
The University ◽  
Capstone Design Courses ◽  
Capstone Design

The Faculty of Engineering proposes to replace an existing building at the University of Western Ontario with a modern, state of-the-art, environmentally friendly, and energy-efficient building designed by students. This is an ideal opportunity to expose students to an interdisciplinary design project involving every engineering discipline. Students were commissioned to design a building that achieves the highest possible Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design accreditation. Initial design work was performed by students as part of their capstone design courses in 2004/2005. In 2005/2006, two competing multidisciplinary teams of students conducted detailed integrated design work in collaboration with industry - including architects and engineering consulting firms - to tackle the structural, environmental, materials, mechanical and electrical requirements. The experience was very positive, but the degree of interdisciplinary collaboration was less than expected due to the departmental nature of existing capstone design courses.

scholarly journals Improving Classroom Engagement to Maximize Learning in an Interdisciplinary Dual Faculty Capstone Experience at the University of Manitoba

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
William C.D. DeGagne ◽  
Paul E. Labossiere
Keyword(s):  
Real Life ◽  
Capstone Course ◽  
Engineering Program ◽  
Capstone Courses ◽  
Future Assessment ◽  
Education Association ◽  
University Of Manitoba ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The University ◽  
Capstone Design

One of the most effective and efficient ways for an engineering program to facilitate compliance with the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) accreditation criteria is through capstone design projects and courses [2]. Currently, The University of Manitoba Faculty of Engineering has several capstone design courses; however, each is independently focused on its own respective discipline. The resulting educational experience for students, though rigorous and challenging, is maintained within the boundaries of the students’ engineering discipline, thereby neglecting to provide the opportunity for students to work with people from multiple disciplines and across different faculties. This method of education, where students work in isolation, arguably does not reflect real world engineering. Through internal focus group meetings, program representatives from the Faculty of Engineering at The University of Manitoba agree that the capstones should be more reflective of real life situations. Interdisciplinary courses are most important because they “…articulate the difference between educational problems and workplace problems” [1]. Hence, to allow “(students) persons from different disciplines to work collaboratively and are integrated to combine their knowledge to solve a problem” (sic)[4], interdisciplinary capstone courses are essential to a rounded engineering education. Furthermore, teaming with the Faculty of Architecture will provide several benefits for both facilities such as: develop lifelong learning patterns; foster cooperative and collaborative team relationships; and, allow both facilities to learn the other’s cultures and technical languages.Since 2016, The University of Manitoba has presented research papers at the Canadian Engineering and Education Association (CEEA) conferences on the development and future assessment of an interdisciplinary capstone course. These papers have shown the evolution of the course from a multidisciplinary engineering program to an interdisciplinary Engineering and Architectural dual faculty offering. The course was launched in January, 2018, and will be evaluated through the winter session and into the fall.This paper, will explore, define, and explain how the proposed new engineering/architecture interdisciplinary capstone and dual faculty course will be developed, highlight the early stages of its initiation, describe the ongoing implementation, outline how the performance of the new course will be evaluated, delve into how the new course will be improved to make it more meaningful and practical to both faculties and students, and; discover how engagement can improved student learning.

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