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Session 2137

Providing a Real World Experience in the Teaching of Computer Technology

By Joel Weinstein, Andrew Gilchrist IV, Kyle Hebsch, Jefferey Stevens

Northeastern University

Abstract

One of the greatest challenges facing engineering technology educators is preparation for what graduates will face in the real world. Unlike the classroom, problems are not predefined, solutions do not come from answer books and personnel are not nearly as expert as the instructors that have prepared the students. This paper describes a course and its methodology that helps to better prepare students for the real challenges that they will face—most of which are not technological in nature. In the course, students are exposed to a deadline-based problem, given little formal guidance and chartered with the responsibility for solving a real problem. The results were encouraging and the students ranked the class activity as one of their best.

Introduction

Modeling the real world is one of the greatest challenges for engineering technology educators. Technology training has always been easy because students are surrounded by computers, innovation and course work. What is needed is a program that will show students what they will face in the real world and teach them about important skills such as teamwork, communications, time management and problem recognition/solution skills.

Simulating an industrial environment in the classroom is difficult. This paper describes a model for providing this kind of culture wherein students are randomly assembled into teams and given a poorly-defined task to complete within a ten-week period. The students are given little technical guidance and are required to deliver a working prototype of a software-based project.

In the course, students deal with “customers” through weekly meetings with the instructor who poses as an employee from a fictitious company. At those meetings, the students learn how to develop solutions to problems and also discover an important lesson in corporate culture: They quickly find out that corporations may understand their own missions, but do not understand how to complete the missions. At the end of the course, students submit a working prototype and a presentation to the faculty who pose as the corporation. The results of these efforts were enlightening and educational at the same

Proceedings of the 2002 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright ® 2002, American Society for Engineering Education

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Hebsch, K., & Stevens, J., & Gilchrist IV, A., & Weinstein, J. (2002, June), Providing A Real World Experience In The Teaching Of Computer Technology Paper presented at 2002 Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada. 10.18260/1-2--10734