scholarly journals The Professional Spine: Creation of a Four-year Engineering Design and Practice Sequence

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Frank ◽  
David Strong ◽  
Rick Sellens
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Student Feedback ◽  
First Year ◽  
Problem Analysis ◽  
Assessment And Evaluation ◽  
Practice Sequence ◽  
Design And Practice ◽  
First Time ◽  
Academic Year

This paper discusses the development of a four-year Engineering Design and Practice Sequence (EDPS) of project-based courses at Queen’s University. The four-year sequence is a core requirement for all engineering students, and will develop competence in design process methods and tools, problem analysis, creativity, economics and entrepreneurship, engineering communications, professionalism, and ethics. The EDPS was designed to meet requirements of the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board graduate attributes , which addresses requirements of the Washington Accord. They also target applicable elements of the CDIO syllabus. The EDPS is being delivered to first year engineering students for the first time in the 2010-2011 academic year and will continue rolling out over the next three years. The paper discusses the process involved in creating the sequence, the course objectives and delivery for each year of the program, and proposed assessment and evaluation methods. The sequence will also be compared to previously published engineering design and practice sequences. The outcomes of the first year, including student feedback and attribute assessment, will also be discussed. Upper year students who will not experience the engineering design and practice sequence are being assessed on their understanding of design methods to provide baseline data for comparison with students who progress through the sequence in future years.This paper was also published in the ASEE 2011 Annual General Conference with joint permission of ASEE and CEEA.

Implementation of the Second-year course in an Engineering Professional Spine

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Umar Iqbal ◽  
Deena Salem ◽  
David Strong
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Research University ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Employability Skills ◽  
First Year ◽  
Computer Engineering ◽  
Core Courses ◽  
Second Year ◽  
First Time ◽  
Academic Year

The objective of this paper is to document the experience of developing and implementing a second-year course in an engineering professional spine that was developed in a first-tier research university and relies on project-based core courses. The main objective of this spine is to develop the students’ cognitive and employability skills that will allow them to stand out from the crowd of other engineering graduates.The spine was developed and delivered for the first time in the academic year 2010-2011 for first-year general engineering students. In the year 2011-2012, those students joined different programs, and accordingly the second-year course was tailored to align with the different programs’ learning outcomes. This paper discusses the development and implementation of the course in the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) department.

scholarly journals UNIVERSITY-LEVEL DESIGN ENGINEERING CHALLENGES WITH STUDENT FEEDBACK

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Bazylak ◽  
Peter Wild
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
Interdisciplinary Teams ◽  
Student Feedback ◽  
First Year ◽  
Design Engineering ◽  
Electromagnetic Model ◽  
University Level ◽  
The University ◽  
Academic Year

The Design Engineering Challenge Series is a set of design events organized by the University of Victoria Design Engineering Office to enhance the undergraduate student design experience. The first of the two events run in the series was the First Year Design Engineering Challenge. This event challenged first year engineering students to design and construct a microcontroller-directed electromagnetic model crane, in a single day. The second event had students from across campus working in interdisciplinary teams to design video games. Both events were extremely successful with follow up events planned for the next academic year.

scholarly journals STUDENT’S PERSPECTIVE ON IMPROVEMENTS FOR SECOND YEAR AND OTHER UNDERGRADUATE ENGINEERING DESIGN COURSES

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona Serack
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Real World ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
First Year ◽  
Design Decision ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Second Year ◽  
Academic Year

Students and educators should work together on pushing the boundaries of expectation - "expect more to get more" - so that design courses can become increasingly effective and greater potential can be achieved. I encourage instructors and educators to consider the fact that this generation of engineering students enter university with a multitude of experiences and skills in design, decision making and communication that past generations did not have – and taking advantage of that advanced starting point will greatly improve the caliber of the course offerings. As an engineering undergraduate student at Queen’s University, I have been exposed to several engineering design courses. Starting in the 2011-2012 academic year when I was in my second year, a course referred to as APSC 200/293 was introduced. I will be critically discussing my experiences both positive and negative with this design course, as well as the first year design course, and in my opinion how they can be improved. Information and feedback regarding the design courses was obtained from the faculty and compared to my observations. Starting the design courses early on in the students’ careers gives them an excellent introduction to the real world of engineering. However, there is great room for improvement in courses of this sort, which can be assisted by utilizing the opinions of willing students. I will further discuss these courses, their downfalls and advantages, and where improvements could be made to promote the success of students.

Can Induced Gratitude Improve Creative Performance on Repurposing Tasks?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Natalie M. Sisson ◽  
Emily Impett ◽  
L.H. Shu
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Design Creativity ◽  
Creativity Research ◽  
Full Study ◽  
Societal Problems ◽  
First Time

Abstract Urgent societal problems, including climate change, require innovation and can benefit from interdisciplinary solutions. A small body of research has demonstrated the potential of positive emotions (e.g., gratitude, awe) to promote creativity and prosocial behavior, which may help address these problems. This study integrates, for the first time, psychology research on a positive and prosocial emotion (i.e., gratitude) with engineering-design creativity research. In a pre-registered study design, engineering students and working engineers (pilot N = 49; full study N = 329) completed gratitude, positive-emotion control, or neutral-control inductions. Design creativity was assessed through rater scores of responses to an Alternate Uses Task (AUT) and a Wind-Turbine-Blade Repurposing Task (WRT). No significant differences among AUT scores emerged across conditions in either sample. While only the pilot-study manipulation of gratitude was successful, WRT results warrant further studies on the effect of gratitude on engineering-design creativity. The reported work may also inform other strategies to incorporate prosocial emotion to help engineers arrive at more original and effective concepts to tackle environmental sustainability, and in the future, other problems facing society.

scholarly journals Transforming the Learning Environment of Undergraduate Physics Laboratories to Enhance Physics Inquiry Processes

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory P. Thomas ◽  
Al Meldrum ◽  
John Beamish
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environment ◽  
Early Years ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Physics Laboratory ◽  
Physics Classes ◽  
Mixed Method Design ◽  
Physics Laboratories ◽  
First Time ◽  
Academic Year

Concerns persist regarding the lack of promotion of students’ scientific inquiry processes in undergraduate physics laboratories. The consensus in the literature is that, especially in the early years of undergraduate physics programs, students’ laboratory work is characterized by recipe type, step-by-step instructions for activities where the aim is often confirmation of an already well-established physics principle or concept. In response to evidence reflecting these concerns at their university, the authors successfully secured funding for this study. A mixed-method design was employed. In the 2011/2012 academic year baseline data were collected. A quantitative survey, the Undergraduate Physics Laboratory Learning Environment Scale (UPLLES) was developed, validated, and used to explore students’ perceptions of their physics laboratory environments. Analysis of data from the UPLLES and from interviews confirmed the concerns evident in the literature and in a previous evaluation of laboratories undertaken in 2002. To address these concerns the activities that students were to perform in the laboratory section of the course/s were re/designed to engage students in more inquiry oriented thinking and activity. In Fall 2012, the newly developed laboratory activities and tutorials, were implemented for the first time in PHYS124; a first year course. These changes were accompanied by structured training of teaching assistants and changes to the structure of the evaluation of students’ laboratory performance. At the end of that term the UPLLES was administered (n = 266) and interviews with students conducted (n = 16) to explore their perceptions of their laboratory environments. Statistically significant differences (p<.001) between the students in the PHYS 124 classes of 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 across all dimensions were found. Effect sizes of 0.82 to 1.3, between the views of students in the first semester physics classes of 2011/2012 and 2012/2013, were also calculated suggesting positive changes in the laboratory inquiry orientation. In their interviews, students confirmed and detailed these positive changes while still noting areas for future improvement.

Can Gratitude Promote More Creative Engineering Design?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie M. Sisson ◽  
Emily A. Impett ◽  
L. H. Shu
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Design Creativity ◽  
Creativity Research ◽  
Full Study ◽  
Societal Problems ◽  
First Time

Abstract Urgent societal problems, including climate change, require innovation, and can benefit from interdisciplinary solutions. A small body of research has demonstrated the potential of positive emotions (e.g., gratitude, awe) to promote creativity and prosocial behavior, which may help address these problems. This study integrates, for the first time, psychology research on a positive and prosocial emotion (i.e., gratitude) with engineering-design creativity research. In a pre-registered study design, engineering students and working engineers (pilot N = 49; full study N = 329) completed gratitude, positive-emotion control, or neutral-control inductions. Design creativity was assessed through rater scores of responses to an Alternate Uses Task (AUT) and a Wind-Turbine-Blade Repurposing Task (WRT). No significant differences among AUT scores emerged across conditions in either sample. While only the pilot-study manipulation of gratitude was successful, WRT results warrant further studies on the effect of gratitude on engineering-design creativity. The reported work may also inform other strategies to incorporate prosocial emotion to help engineers arrive at more original and effective concepts to tackle environmental sustainability, and in the future, other problems facing society.

Biomedical Engineering Design Education at King Saud University: A First of Its Kind Approach

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harcharan Singh Ranu ◽  
Aman Sweet Bhullar
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Biomedical Engineering ◽  
Design Education ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
King Saud University ◽  
Research Education ◽  
Medical Centers ◽  
Engineering Design Education ◽  
Established Firms ◽  
First Time

Biomedical Engineering in the Millennium is building the future of biology and medicine. New products, from biotechnology and novel devices for diagnosis and treatment, are marketed through interactions between universities, medical centers, small start-up companies, and large, more established firms. The role of biomedical engineering in the 21st century has already been highlighted by Ranu as far as research, education and space age technologies are concerned. Therefore, educating the modern biomedical engineering students in design processes is extremely important. This paper highlights how biomedical engineering design is taught for the first time to King Saud University students in Saudi Arabia. The conclusion drawn from this is that for the first time an innovative design course has been developed to teach the biomedical engineering students at King Saud University to meet the needs of tomorrow’s biomedical engineers.

scholarly journals Teaching Design to First-Year Engineering Students

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael McGuire ◽  
Kin Fun Li ◽  
Fayez Gebali
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
First Year ◽  
Considerable Effort ◽  
Student Teams ◽  
Product Engineering ◽  
Teaching Design ◽  
Integrated Communication ◽  
The University

Design is associated with the invention,planning and building a product. Engineering design, inparticular, takes considerable effort, skills, andintegration of knowledge; hence, it is difficult to teachfreshmen this subject since they have not possessed ordeveloped the proper skill set yet. The Faculty ofEngineering at the University of Victoria has beenteaching engineering design (in two successive courses)to all first-year engineering students. In addition toattending plenary lectures, student teams are working oncompetitive projects in the laboratory, while participatingin highly integrated communication modules. In thiswork, we discuss the curricula of these design courses,model of delivery and share our experience for the pastthree years.

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