An Undergraduate, Entrepreneurial Design Sequence: A Decade Of Development And Success
- Conference
- Location
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Honolulu, Hawaii
- Publication Date
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June 24, 2007
- Start Date
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June 24, 2007
- End Date
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June 27, 2007
- ISSN
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2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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Design in Engineering Education
- Page Count
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16
- Page Numbers
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12.235.1 - 12.235.16
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--2452
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/2452
- Download Count
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491
Paper Authors
Frederick Berry Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
Dr. Frederick C. Berry received the BS, MS, and DE degrees from Louisiana Tech University in 1981, 1983, and 1988 respectfully. He taught in the Electrical Engineering Department at Louisiana Tech University from 1982-1995. Currently Dr. Berry is Professor and Head of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
Patricia Carlson Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
William Eccles Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
William J. Eccles has been teaching electrical engineering courses since 1954. He holds SBEE and SM degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the PhD degree from Purdue University. He has been at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology for fifteen years after retiring from the University of South Carolina. His primary activities have been in the senior design sequence and in circuits and systems. His three-volume text, Pragmatic Circuits, was published in 2006 by Morgan and Claypool.
Bruce Ferguson Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
Bruce A. Ferguson received the B.S., M.S., and the Ph. D. degree in EE from Purdue University. He is currently an associate professor in the ECE department at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, IN. His technical interests include communication systems and fiber optic systems. He has previously worked with space and ground communication systems and photonics. Dr. Ferguson is a member Eta Kappa Nu, IEEE, and ASEE.
Daniel Moore Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
Dr. Dan Moore is the associate dean of the faculty and professor in the Electrical and Engineering Department at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. He received his PhD in Electrical Engineering from N. C. State University in 1989 in the area of compound semiconductors. He directed the departmental senior design program for several years and now oversees externally sponsored multidisciplinary graduate and undergraduate projects. His current research interests include engineering design methodologies, student learning styles and active/cooperative education. He was the 2001 – 2003 chair of the Educational Research Methods (ERM) division of ASEE, is a senior member of IEEE, and an ABET evaluator
Mihaela Radu Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Terry Schumacher Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Department of Engineering Management
Terry Schumacher is an Associate Professor of Engineering Management at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. During the past 8 years he has taught Project Management, Marketing, Technology Forecasting, Strategy, Intercultural Communication and Organizational Behavior in the MS program. Prior to joining Rose-Hulman, Terry developed courseware at the Open University Business School. His industrial experience includes 3 years in a software research center in Munich and 7 years as policy analyst in the electric utility industry. Terry earned his Ph.D. in Systems Science from Portland State University in1992.
David Voltmer Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
David R. Voltmer received degrees from Iowa State University (BSEE), University of Southern California (MSEE), and The Ohio State University (PhD EE). During nearly four decades of teaching, Dr. Voltmer has maintained a technical focus in electromagnetics, microwaves, and antennas. His more recent efforts are directed toward the design process and project courses. He has served in many offices of the ERM division of ASEE and in FIE. Dr. Voltmer is an ASEE Fellow and a Life Senior member of IEEE.
Mark Yoder Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
Mark A. Yoder - Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rose- Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana. Co-authored the books DSP First: A Multimedia Approach and Signal Processing First with Jim McClellan and Ron Schafer which were published by Prentice Hall in 1998 and 2003. And he has also co-authored Engineering Our Digital Future with Geoffrey Orsak, et. al. published 2004 by Prentice Hall. Mark's biography isn't complete without some mention of his family. His wife Sarah has her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University, and they have ten wonderful children ages 23, 23, 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 7, and 4. Three boys and seven girls.
Edward Wheeler Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
Edward Wheeler is Associate Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. He received a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla in 1996. His interests include electromagnetic compatibility, engineering education, and the electrical and optical properties of materials.
Abstract
NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract
An Undergraduate, Entrepreneurial Design Sequence: A Decade of Development and Success Abstract - A commitment by the ECE Department of Rose-Hulman to develop and offer an entrepreneurial design sequence as a curricular hallmark has been rewarded by satisfied clients and design-savvy graduates over the past decade. The highly-coordinated, four-course sequence features a wide range of topics including creativity, teamwork skills, design methodology, systems engineering, product design specifications, conceptual design, design reviews, intellectual property, project management, budgeting, scheduling, proposal writing, social impact considerations, prototype fabrication and testing, client briefings, and project reporting. Students apply these concepts as they propose, undertake, and complete projects for a variety of clients. The tenor of the sequence focuses on the underlying principle that engineering is a profession in which services for clients are rendered in an equitable, economical and ethical manner. This paper describes the learning objectives, evolution, current status, and assessment of the four-course sequence. This paper details the content, implementation, activities, teaching loads, assessment, and student reactions to the design sequence.
Index Terms – Creativity, Teamwork, Design, Project, Professional . Introduction “. . . the proper study of mankind is the science of design . . .”, Herbert A. Simon1 In the mid-90’s, the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology completed a thorough curricular review with a special focus on the design component. Many (and sometimes contradictory) views of the design process were presented and discussed during the intense and lengthy process. The process was concluded by a deep departmental commitment to enhance and strengthen the design component of the curriculum. In reaching this decision, the department made the painful decision to replace three, senior-level technical electives—those courses that are fun to teach since they are taken by students who choose to be there— with a coordinated, four-course, design sequence.
During this curricular design process, a number of underlying principles emerged and provided the guidelines by which the ECE design sequence was developed.
Engineering is a serving profession. Design is the basis of all engineering activities. Modern engineering design requires teamwork skills. Decision-making and communications are vital components of design. Learning the process of design is best accomplished by designing solutions to real problems. Useful design techniques and models must be provided to students. Students must be responsible for the success of their project. The design sequence must be well-coordinated. Faculty workloads within the design sequence must not be burdensome. High-quality design is challenging, but this creative process is highly rewarding and FUN.
Based upon these principles a four-course design sequence has evolved over the past decade; the process, its implementation, and its results are described in the remainder of this paper.
The Design Sequence v1.0
The professional nature of engineering is a value that must be deeply ingrained within the students. Accordingly, the original version of the design sequence spanned the sophomore, junior, and senior years. Personal responsibility and team work were the hallmarks of the design sequence. Students were confronted with situations that required them to practice the principles of design and to make decisions. The problems were devised to be increasingly challenging, required additional team skills, and demanded more creative thinking as the students progressed through the sequence. Each team had a faculty mentor who asked probing questions and raised important issues, but very purposely avoided the role of problem solver. The sequence concluded with each team developing and realizing
Berry, F., & Carlson, P., & Eccles, W., & Ferguson, B., & Moore, D., & Radu, M., & Schumacher, T., & Voltmer, D., & Yoder, M., & Wheeler, E. (2007, June), An Undergraduate, Entrepreneurial Design Sequence: A Decade Of Development And Success Paper presented at 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Honolulu, Hawaii. 10.18260/1-2--2452
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