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Session 2525

Concurrent Engineering : A New Way to Introduce the Engineering Profession to High School Students

Denis Proulx University of Sherbrooke

Abstract

SEEHIGHS program was developed to introduce high school students to the engineering profession. Initiated in 1993 by two engineering students from the University of Sherbrooke (Quebec), the program’s main activity is a design project applying the principles of concurrent engineering. The program targets third year high school students who spend three hours per week for a full academic year working on a group project. The multifunctional approach of concurrent engineering is supported by industrial partners who introduce participating students to basic notions in marketing, product development, production and quality control. These partners also contribute to the funding of the program. In order to provide the reader with an appreciation for the scope of a typical project assigned to the students, one such project and its outcome are explained in detail. SEEHIGHS is now in its third year, and has generated much enthusiasm among students, professors and the participating industries. The program is currently offered in three schools and is projected to expand to 17 more schools by the year 2000.

Introduction

This paper describes a high school program developed to provide high school students with hands-on design and project experience and to introduce them to the engineering profession. Called SEEHIGHS (for Simultaneous Engineering Experienced by HIGH School students), the program was initiated in 1993 by two of our engineering students who submitted the concept at a Canadian engineering student competition. As their idea was well received (they won first prize), they decided to follow up by convincing one of their former high school teachers to experiment with the approach.

Our engineering students were first introduced to the concurrent engineering approach through a pilot program. Initiated in 1992 by our mechanical engineering department, the program is centered around a comprehensive 15 credit design project during which the students are required to design a product to meet identified client needs and fabricate a functional prototype.

The pilot program has proved two things: first, it is possible to use the multifunctional concurrent engineering approach for teaching design in a university environment if you have the proper facilities and tools, and if you devote enough time and energy to the process. Secondly, we firmly believe that the approach we use makes better designers out of our engineering students. This has been confirmed by employers of graduates who have completed the program.

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Proulx, D. (1996, June), Concurrent Engineering : A New Way To Introduce The Engineering Profession Paper presented at 1996 Annual Conference, Washington, District of Columbia. 10.18260/1-2--5934