Interdisciplinary Design Teams Lessons Learned From Experience
- Conference
- Location
-
Chicago, Illinois
- Publication Date
-
June 18, 2006
- Start Date
-
June 18, 2006
- End Date
-
June 21, 2006
- ISSN
-
2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
-
Systems Engineering Constituent Committee
- Page Count
-
9
- Page Numbers
-
11.815.1 - 11.815.9
- DOI
-
10.18260/1-2--228
- Permanent URL
-
https://peer.asee.org/228
- Download Count
-
648
Paper Authors
Paul Leiffer LeTourneau University
PAUL R. LEIFFER, PhD,PE
Paul R. Leiffer is a professor in the School of Engineering and Engineering Technology at LeTourneau University, where he has taught since 1979. He is currently co-developer of the program in BioMedical Engineering. He received his B.S.E.E. from the State University of New York at Buffalo and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Drexel University. Prior to joining the faculty at LeTourneau, he was involved in cardiac cell research at the University of Kansas Medical Center. His professional interests include bioinstrumentation, digital signal processing, and engineering ethics. Email: paulleiffer@letu.edu
Roger Gonzalez LeTourneau University
Thomas Hellmuth LeTourneau University
THOMAS E. HELLMUTH, PhD, P.E.
Dr. Tom Hellmuth is Dean of the School of Engineering and Engineering Technology at LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas. He obtained a B.S.M.E. from Rice University in 1978, an M.S.M.E. from Colorado State University in 1980, and a Ph.D. from New Mexico State University in 1995. He worked in industry in the area of machine and thermal system design for about five years before beginning his teaching career. He has taught for 19 years in mechanical engineering and engineering technology programs. Current interests are in modeling of thermal systems and engineering design. Email:
TomHellmuth@letu.edu
Abstract
NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract
Interdisciplinary Design Teams – Lessons Learned by Experience Introduction
Capstone design has traditionally been a highlight of a student’s study at LeTourneau University. As a general engineering program offering a B.S. in Engineering with concentrations in Electrical, Mechanical, Computer, Biomedical, and Materials Joining, it is our goal to involve as many students as possible in an interdisciplinary design experience involving two or more concentrations. As we offer projects each year, we define more clearly the purposes and guidelines for the senior design experience, important lessons in interdisciplinary design, and the factors for project success.
Student involvement in interdisciplinary teams is not only an expectation of industry but also has become a required outcome of the ABET engineering criteria. EC2000 criteria now include outcome 3d which states that “engineering programs must demonstrate that their graduates have…an ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams.”1 This requirement can be met in a number of ways, including a structured simulated experience or by an actual capstone project that requires the involvement of several disciplines.
Obstacles to multi-disciplinary teamwork, including disciplinary competition, communication problems, and scheduling difficulties often limit the effectiveness of such teams. We previously reported2 on a series of curriculum “tools” which have been initiated in our program to insure that students will have a measure of success in project teamwork. These methods include (1) multiple and varied opportunities for projects in teams, (2) early involvement in senior project teams, (3) specific training for teamwork, (4) coursework in and application of project management techniques, and (5) the use of multiple items of feedback to determine the contribution of each team member.
Purposes and Guidelines
Senior design projects in our engineering curriculum serve a number of purposes for the students: 1. Experience involvement in a capstone design, using prior course material to solve an ill-defined problem and to develop a workable solution. 2. Bring a “paper” design to reality and learn from the experience of solving unexpected problems. 3. Gain familiarity with design techniques and project management tools. 4. Interface with a client, develop specifications, and present reports. 5. Develop teamwork skills. 6. Learn new techniques, which become required as the project develops. 7. Gain exposure to significant interdisciplinary work wherever possible. 8. Mimic industry approaches on a small scale.
Senior design faculty in our program have developed the following guidelines for the senior design courses:
Leiffer, P., & Gonzalez, R., & Hellmuth, T. (2006, June), Interdisciplinary Design Teams Lessons Learned From Experience Paper presented at 2006 Annual Conference & Exposition, Chicago, Illinois. 10.18260/1-2--228
ASEE holds the copyright on this document. It may be read by the public free of charge. Authors may archive their work on personal websites or in institutional repositories with the following citation: © 2006 American Society for Engineering Education. Other scholars may excerpt or quote from these materials with the same citation. When excerpting or quoting from Conference Proceedings, authors should, in addition to noting the ASEE copyright, list all the original authors and their institutions and name the host city of the conference. - Last updated April 1, 2015