Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Aleksandra Vinogradov, Montana State University; Carolyn Plumb, Montana State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

engaged U.S. workforce ofscientists, engineers, technologists, and well-prepared citizens.” 1-4 As an important measurerequired to meet these challenges, new engineering accreditation criteria, initially known asEngineering Criteria 2000 (EC 2000), have emphasized the necessity of combining the traditionalrequirements of rigorous technical preparation, or so-called “hard” skills, and the development ofprofessional or “soft” skills, including such attributes as communication, ethics, critical thinking,and innovation.5The EC 2000 ABET criteria, now part of the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC)criteria, have created many new expectations in terms of enhancing, revising, and remodelingengineering programs. In response to new requirements

Conference Session

Approaches to Active Learning

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mark Yim, University of Pennsylvania; Katherine Kuchenbecker, University of Pennsylvania; Paulo Arratia, University of Pennsylvania; Vijay Kumar, University of Pennsylvania; John Bassani, University of Pennsylvania; Jonathan Fiene, University of Pennsylvania; Jennifer Lukes, University of Pennsylvania

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

. They also rely onstudent input to help design and improve the curriculum every year. This paper describes theapproach we have taken at the University of Pennsylvania, which integrates selected teaching Page 13.81.3techniques into a cohesive mechanical engineering curriculum aimed at facilitating our students’development into competent, motivated, independent engineers.ProgressionFull curriculum integration has several advantages over labs that are simply tied to individualcourses. The most obvious benefit is the potential for projects to apply integrated concepts thatcross many courses. At the same time, soft skills such as teamwork