students pick thetopics of the project recommended by the faculty, industry representatives, or chosen by thestudents based on their experience during co-op cycles. This capstone experience allows studentsto demonstrate their knowledge and skills at a professional level. The course sequence isfinalized by the completion of a working prototype and a presentation of the project to the SeniorDesign Project Committee, AET students and faculty, and general audience during the thirdweek of May.Introduction The mission of the Applied Engineering Technology program is to provide contemporary students with an academic foundation and practical education in engineering technology through an outstanding curriculum and applied research
students to gain experience in design, but experience alonedoes not guarantee learning of skills and knowledge, or the ability to transfer this knowledge tonew situations. Researchers and theorists have long trumpeted the value of reflective practice asa differentiating factor in the effectiveness of practitioners. As shown by the growing number ofpublications on the topic in engineering education literature, teaching students the process andvalue of reflection is increasingly recognized as an essential component of engineering designeducation.To support teaching and learning of reflection in engineering capstone design courses, this studyseeks to understand how students reflect—individually and as a team—as they are engaged in adesign project
AC 2010-1861: LINKING SENIOR DESIGN PROJECTS TO RESEARCHPROJECTSEvan Lemley, University of Central OklahomaBaha Jassemnejad, University of Central OklahomaMatthew Mounce, US NavyJamie Weber, ParsonsSudarshan Rai, UnknownWilly Duffle, University of Central OklahomaJesse Haubrich, University of Central OklahomaBahman Taheri, Alphamicron Page 15.845.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 LINKING SENIOR DESIGN PROJECTS TO RESEARCH PROJECTSAbstractSenior design projects form an important capstone for most engineering disciplines and mustconsist of the realistic application of the engineering design process. Some senior engineeringstudents
to cutting edge technology currently beingused by progressive industries, give students experience working in teams and making bothwritten and oral presentations. These objectives are in line with the ABET requirements forcapstone courses: (1) “draw together diverse elements of the curriculum,” and (2) “developstudent competence in focusing both technical and non-technical skills in solving problems.” TheSenior Design capstone course is a two semester course pair required of all graduating seniors inthe degree program. Students in these courses closely follow actual construction projects over thenine month course duration. Students choose from projects in commercial construction,residential subdivision construction, heavy highway or
‘relevance’ into engineering education. Among the most pressing are the culminating experience of a ‘capstone’ and incorporation of instruction in ‘real-world’ applications and in innovative thinking. This paper will examine one approach for integrating entrepreneurship, innovation and real-world design into the engineering capstone experience. The paper will report on a recent multi-disciplinary capstone course that partnered with a small business enterprise. The project enrolled senior engineering students in four disciplines, along with a supporting cast from other colleges, in design of a product to fulfill real-world needs and constraints, a production system for its serial manufacture and a business enterprise for
AC 2010-899: INVOLVING INDUSTRY PARTNERS IN CONSTRUCTIONENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT CAPSTONE COURSESPhil Lewis, North Carolina State UniversityMichael Leming, North Carolina State University Page 15.816.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Involving Industry Partners in Construction Engineering and Management Capstone CoursesAbstractThe objective of this paper is to share the experiences of faculty using a case study project in aconstruction engineering capstone course as part of a construction engineering and managementcurriculum. This case study may be used by others as a model for incorporating industrypartners in capstone courses
Capstone Mechanical Engineering Design courses with Strong Industrial ParticipationAbstractThe objective of this paper is to present our findings and experiences in how to use industrialprojects successfully, especially in terms of guidelines for selecting projects and managing themthroughout the course. This paper will convey the impact of the changes to student learning andoverall experience of the faculty involved using industry projects.The goal was to significantly elevate the quality of project work undertaken, and this wasaccomplished by having teams of three or four students working under real world constraints oftime and budget, to produce a product or process that meet client's specifications. The first stepin this
. Page 15.1334.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Using Process FMEA in an Aeronautical Engineering Technology Capstone CourseAbstractIn the Aeronautical Engineering Technology program at Purdue University, undergraduatestudents gain experience in performance improvement in the capstone project courses. Theperformance improvement proposed and implemented by the students must also consider theimpact on safety. Process Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (PFMEA) is one tool used in theaerospace industry to identify risks in products or processes, and to take action to mitigate oreliminate the risks. Using the SAE standard for PFMEA, students use a structured method toanalyze the process steps and
laboratory facilities development for the program. Dr. Looft’s research interests have evolved from the analysis and modeling of tactile neural responses to now being focused on student capstone projects, systems engineering programs, and global education. Outside of the academic world, Dr. Looft is an avid sailplane enthusiast, pilot and flight instructor, and is a lifelong fitness enthusiast. Page 15.370.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Designing Robotic Systems: Preparation for an Interdisciplinary Capstone ExperienceAbstractThe Robotics Engineering (RBE
AC 2010-156: A CAPSTONE APPROACH TO EXPLORING TEACHEROUTCOMES FROM PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTHoward Kimmel, New Jersey Institute of Technology HOWARD KIMMEL is Professor of Chemical Engineering and Executive Director of the Center for Pre-College Programs at New Jersey Institute of Technology. He has spent the past thirty years designing and implementing professional development programs and curricula for K-12 teachers in science and technology. At the college level, he collaborates on projects exploring teaching methodologies and assessment strategies in first-year college courses in the sciences, engineering, and computer science.Ronald Rockland, New Jersey Institute of Technology RONALD H
AC 2010-1448: ASSESSMENT OF ABET 3 A-K IN AN OPEN-ENDED CAPSTONE?Ronald Welch, University of Texas, Tyler Ronald W. Welch is Professor and Chair for the Department of Civil Engineering at The University of Texas at Tyler in Tyler, Texas. Until Jan 2007, Dr. Welch was at the United States Military Academy (USMA) where he held numerous leadership positions within the Civil Engineering Program and the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Virginia. Ron Welch received a B.S. degree in Engineering Mechanics from USMA in 1982 and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana IL in 1990 and 1999
. Fewstudents had taken any additional design courses before their capstone course. In the capstone,they were learning further aspects of the design process, and were organized into teams to workon different problems posed by actual clients. None of the teams were working on KMCphototherapy. Students were not informed about our conception of the stages of modeling. Theyperformed the activities for our study as regular activities for the course, for which they receivedcredit. They were informed that their work on these activities would be helpful to their owndesign project and that they would also be analyzed as part of a research project.Implementation StrategyIteration 1: This phase was designed to assess student ideas of what constitutes modeling
small scale problem so theybecome comfortable with this engineering design process. The required courses in the majoralign with program educational outcomes and are the methods and formulation courses shown inFigure 2 for the department learning model. These courses also emphasize specific phases of theSDP. For example, SE385 Decision Analysis provides cadets with advanced methods to use inthe Decision Making phase. EM411, Project Management enables cadets to understand how toimplement a systems solution.Systems engineering majors culminate their education in two Capstone Design courses, SE402and SE403, which are listed under the required electives in Figure 5. Cadets use the SDP to workon a new, significant problem with a real client who is
Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department at the United States NavalAcademy has introduced a novel project-based thematic learning approach by incorporating arobotics project into its curriculum. This project first and foremost captures the student interest,while being flexible enough to present ECE topics at all levels of the undergraduate ECEprogram of study. The robot project spans from Introductory Circuits and Digital Logic Coursesthrough to Capstone Design. In the introductory courses, the student receives a broad overviewof ECE with projects designed to capture the student’s interest while covering the many facets ofthe course. Additionally, students in the first year digital logic course are presented withinnovative projects that
. Page 15.665.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Immersive Learning using Lean Six Sigma Methodology in the Manufacturing Engineering Technology Capstone CourseAbstractThis paper will discuss how Lean Six Sigma immersive learning projects were used to satisfyrequirements for Manufacturing Engineering Technology (MfgET) capstone experiences andLean Six Sigma Black Belt certification projects; as well as satisfying an important componentof Ball State University’s strategic plan. The three driving components will be summarized and ahistory of how Lean Six Sigma projects became the core which links the three drivingcomponents will be provided. Seven Lean Six Sigma projects (four of which also served asMfgET
enjoyed the interaction withthe students. This paper will describe in detail the course objectives, course outline, placementstrategies, assessment procedures, and the successes and failures of the method with localengineering firms and agencies of varying size.IntroductionEngineering capstone courses are excellent tools for preparing traditionally-educated engineersfor the real world of design. As a result, a plethora of schools use such courses and knowledgein the area is vast. For example, as of 1997 there were approximately 100 papers related toengineering design courses 1 and at the time of this writing, at least 150 papers were published.Several of these previous studies focus on student design projects involving real-world projects.Some
Design CourseAbstractThe paper describes a civil engineering capstone design course led by faculty and practitioners.The objectives, content, and organizational structure of the two-quarter capstone course aresummarized. The primary student activity involves work on a multidisciplinary private sectordevelopment or public works project. During the first term, the students prepare a writtenStatement of Qualifications in response to a specific Request for Qualifications. During thesecond term, the students prepare a written Design Report with a full set of calculations anddesign drawings. Each term, the students present their ideas orally to a panel of faculty andpractitioners. An instructional team of three to five faculty members and up to thirty
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNINGAbstractThe Mechanical Engineering Technology program at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)has implemented an alternative to the capstone project technique commonly used to satisfy theABET Criterion 5 Curriculum section d. (Capstone or other integrating experiences must drawtogether diverse elements of the curriculum and develop student competence in focusing bothtechnical and non-technical skills in solving problems.)1A majority of Engineering Technology and Engineering Science programs rely upon a capstoneproject for providing an integrating experience which, by their very nature, are burdensome tothe program resources and invariably suffer many disadvantages in their operation. Due to thesize and complexity of capstone
whendealing with documentation. This is especially true of any technical professional who isinvolved with projects that must be designed for a competitive bidding process.The simple structure must also be flexible. Just as projects undertaken by practicingengineers can differ in scope and focus, multidisciplinary capstone projects vary indiscipline specific content. The system must be able to accommodate projects withdeliverables that are real and full size, to models of large systems and even softwarebased simulations of control system design.The basic document list required in the subject capstone program also allows projects toexpand their documentation where necessary or desirable. For example, a project thatdelivers a prototype mechanical device
simulation, internships and cooperative education, guest speakers,guest instructors, field trips, bioethics instruction and problem-centered instruction.5 AtBucknell, a four course sequence over the Junior and Senior Years was implemented in order tointroduce students to such skills as regulatory issues, teamwork, environmental impacts, formaldecision making, computer-aided design, machining, rapid prototyping, cell culture andstatistical analysis.4 Importantly these skills are taught and practiced prior to embarking on thesenior capstone design project.4 At the University of Virginia professional skills such as jobsearching, interviewing, written and oral communication, ethics, negotiation skills, leadership,intellectual property and
Helps Engineering Technologists Hit the Job Market!IntroductionThe purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the “laboratory/design based problemsolving learning environment” that has been developed with financial and technicalassistance from local industries. The discussion will also identify how the “need” for thistype of project based curriculum became obvious. Four prerequisite courses are brieflydescribed before focusing on the project based capstone course. These four coursesprovide the students with the technical skill sets needed to succeed in the senior levelcapstone course. Accomplishments and outcomes from the student perspective, theUniversity perspective, and the industry perspective will also be shared.Our advancing world
manufacturing technology, product design, and engineering economics. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in Illinois and holds memberships in SPE and ASEE. Page 15.134.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Alumni Perceptions of Project Management InstructionAbstractAfter teaching a project-oriented capstone course several semesters, the author observed someteams failed to provide quality solutions for their semester-long, team-based project. The rootcause appeared to be poor project management skills. This prompted the author to considerasking alumni, who have demonstrated success leading teams in their
to design an effective interdisciplinary course or project. Thecollaborative experience model for construction undergraduates has been initiated to promotecollaboration between architecture and construction management students2. The cooperativemodel is important to promote interaction between design and building education, and to developother multidisciplinary approaches for integrating pedagogical models in many discipline-specific topics.Many efforts have been made on design engineering capstone courses3-5. For example, Page 15.997.2integrating senior capstone courses using different pedagogical strategies have been designed
. Page 15.198.2© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Assessing Curriculum Improvement through Senior ProjectsAbstractSenior project and/or capstone design courses are intended to provide a culminating designexperience for students and to demonstrate their understanding of engineering knowledge andtheir ability to apply that knowledge to practical problems. It is expected that the quality andattributes of students’ senior design projects can be used as a good measure of determining howwell the curriculum prepares students to engage in engineering design as well as a measure offaculty teaching and student learning. This paper reports the results of a study designed to assesswhether the new computer engineering curriculum
psychrometrics in cooling units-understanding the implications involved in converting salt water into freshwaterWith the goal of encouraging creativity the performance of each design was minimallyweighted in the grading and the design aspect was completely open-ended. Theinstructor was available for questions and to help recognize potential issues but refrainedfrom offering suggestions during the design phase. As heat transfer or fluid mechanicscourses typically follow thermodynamics the project was not intended to be a capstone,but did provide valuable experience from which a student could build from in a futuresenior design project. The project also provided an opportunity to present a qualitative
-recipient the NEA’s Bernard M. Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education, the Campus Compact Thomas Ehrlich Faculty Award for Service-Learning; the NSPE’s Educational Excellence Award.Steve Chenoweth, Rose Hulman Institute Of Technology Steve Chenoweth is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. His principle areas of work relate to the design of complex systems and also these systems’ associated people concerns – such as how to get all the stakeholders in a large project to understand each another and the system being proposed. He was a visiting Fellow for EPICS in 2009-2010
forest. In this metaphor, an engineer“tree” can have an infinite variety of branches and leaves, while still retaining a core trunkof design and project management expertise which distinguishes them as an engineer.While the paradigm may sound fanciful, the author uses an example course plan from theCanadian experience to illustrate how this different paradigm can be more receptive tostudent interests, and to industry needs yet still support the foundations of the profession.The proposed paradigm shows that, in accordance with the role of engineers in industry,the ability of design, project management and teamwork are central, while the specifictechnical specialities are supporting “branches”.IntroductionIt is an ongoing enterprise to continue to
AC 2010-1374: AN OUTLINE OF EDESIGNM. Reza Emami, University of Toronto M. Reza Emami, Ph.D. in robotics and mechatronics from the University of Toronto, worked in the industry as a project manager in 1997-2001. He is a professional engineer and has been a faculty member at U. Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies since 2001. He is currently the Director of Space Mechatronics group and Coordinator of the Aerospace and Design Laboratories at the University of Toronto.Michael G. Helander, University of Toronto Michael G. Helander received the B.A.Sc. in engineering science from the University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada, in 2007. He is currently working towards the M.A.Sc. in
by exposing the students to open ended projects that can develop theirdesign skills. From this we can conclude that the three main pedagogical components of asuccessful educational design experience are: the design skills, the design methods andthe design projects. On one hand, the individual design skills must be properly developedin the student prior to the project experience, making it an overwhelming challenge. Onthe other hand the design methodologies can be difficult to implement pedagogically,therefore the student struggles to learn, and even more important, to embrace suchmethodologies.We present an approach to design engineering teaching through four main steps: First,define the desired knowledge and skills to be acquired by the
these preconceptions. Consequently, student learningin design is hampered.The intent of this study was to identify preconceptions students bring to design and to framethem in terms of the cognitive literature. The preconceptions were explored using two sequentialfocus group discussions based on the questions, “What did you learn about design?” and “Whatdid you need to un-learn to do design?”The participants in this study had completed an intermediate level design class. The class usedmultiple design-build-test projects supported by lectures to teach design. The semester followingthis class, one design team was selected for the focus group discussions because they initiallydemonstrated low design ability but performed at a high level by the end