Paper Authors

Abstract

NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract

Main Menu Session 1453

Introduction of Design into a Freshmen Fundamentals of Engineering Course

Dr. Jonathan Smalley, P.E., Dr. Robert Ward, P.E. Ohio Northern University

Abstract

A Fundamentals of Engineering course for all freshmen in the College of Engineering was developed in 1995. This course has evolved over its 6-year life into a 3 credit hour course taught during the fall quarter of an engineering student’s initial year. The course combines lecture format and computer laboratory work using MS Word and Excel. The focus is on engineering analysis during the first half of the term and engineering design during the remainder of the quarter. The interrelationship between analysis and design is emphasized. The course also emphasizes strong oral and written communication skills in a professional setting

The students are introduced to an engineering analysis methodology through the use of “exact solution” analysis problems. Two examples of analysis problems used are part of this article. The solutions include specific formatting of the problem using word processing text, as well as advanced menus in the word processing that include a drawing editor and an equation editor. The use of a spreadsheet program is incorporated to provide ease of calculations, graphing capabilities, and some statistical analysis.

The design component of the course begins with discussions of a six-step design process. Particular emphasis is given to “constraints” on the design within the problem statement and the use of measurable “criteria” for a successful design. The choice for the best design alternative is made using a decision matrix based upon multiple design solutions and measurable criteria. Three design problems are then considered; one each in the areas of civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering. Examples of the types of design problems used are presented in the article. The class is divided into 3 or 4 person teams to perform the design. One of the three designs is chosen for completion through the construction and testing of a prototype.

The quarter concludes with each team making a professional Microsoft PowerPoint presentation on one of the design problems. Each team also writes a formal technical report for one of the other design problems. The course concludes with a student evaluation of the course outcomes and an evaluation of the course structure and methodology. The paper in no way is advocating this method of introducing design as being better than any other, but is showing a structured approach and that it works well for us.

I. Introduction

Ohio Northern University (ONU) is a 3250 student, United Methodist affiliated, undergraduate institution. The University has undergraduate Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, Engineering, and Pharmacy (which graduates students with a Pharm. D. degree)

“Proceedings of the 2002 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright @ 2002, American Society for Engineering Education”

Main Menu

• Citation

• Format
  • APA
  • APA - LaTeX bibitem
  • MLA
  • MLA - LaTeX bibitem
  • Bibtex
  • EndNote - RIS

Ward, R., & Smalley, J. (2002, June), Introduction Of Design Into A Freshmen Fundamentals Of Engineering Course Paper presented at 2002 Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada. 10.18260/1-2--10135