Using The Experiential Learning Model And Course Assessment To Transform A Multidisciplinary Senior Design Course Sequence
- 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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Multidisciplinary Engineering
- Page Count
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14
- Page Numbers
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12.1571.1 - 12.1571.14
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--2484
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/2484
- Download Count
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386
Paper Authors
Margaret Bailey Rochester Institute of Technology
MARGARET BAILEY, registered professional engineer, is the Kate Gleason Chair and Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at RIT. She earned her BSE at Pennsylvania State University in 1988 and her Ph.D. at University of Colorado at Boulder in 1998. She conducts research with students using advanced thermodynamic analyses and neural network modeling applied to various, energy-intensive, complex mechanical systems. Dr. Bailey serves in numerous leadership roles within her college, including Executive Director of RIT’s Women in Engineering Program (WE@RIT); ME Department Advocate for Engineering Honors Program; and Member of Multidisciplinary Capstone Design Leadership Team.
Elizabeth DeBartolo Rochester Institute of Technology
ELIZABETH A. DEBARTOLO is an Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Rochester Institute of Technology. She earned her BSE at Duke University in 1994 and her MSME and Ph.D. at Purdue University in 1996 and 2000, respectively. She works with several students on predicting and enhancing fatigue life in aircraft materials and structures. Dr. DeBartolo serves on her college's leadership teams for both multi-disciplinary capstone design and outreach program development.
Abstract
NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract
Using the Experiential Learning Model and Course Assessment to Transform a Multidisciplinary Senior Design Course Sequence
Abstract
Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) has long been committed to experiential learning within its undergraduate engineering curriculum. With one of the oldest cooperative education programs in the country, RIT firmly believes in learning through doing. This paper describes how an experiential learning model is also incorporated within the classroom in order to improve student learning within a large-scale, multidisciplinary capstone design course. The experiential learning model is referenced while redesigning a course to ensure that planned activities give full value to each stage of the process. The learning methodology is based on an existing educational model which includes four basic stages; active experiences, reflective observations, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. Motivations for course transformation are based on continuous course assessment which revealed improvement opportunities within student learning. Beginning in 2006/07, student-centered workshops replaced traditional lectures for instruction of product design and development. An annual course assessment conducted during the summer of 2006 motivated the course modifications and feedback (faculty and student) from the first offering of the workshop series in the fall of 2006, reveals an improvement in student learning and engagement.
This paper includes an overview of the course assessment process, which involves faculty from four engineering departments; the redesigned course delivery methodology, created through the application of an experiential learning model; results of feedback from students and faculty; and future plans for continued course refinement.
Key Words
Capstone design, experiential learning, engineering education, multidisciplinary teams, engineering design process, design education, course assessment, active learning, textbook selection
Introduction
Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) has long been committed to experiential learning within its undergraduate engineering programs. With one of the oldest cooperative education programs in the country, RIT firmly believes in learning through doing. RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering offers accredited undergraduate degree programs in mechanical (ME), electrical (EE), industrial and systems (ISE), computer (CE), and microelectronic engineering. As a degree requirement, each year almost 400 fourth and fifth year engineering students from ME, EE, ISE, and CE enroll in a multi-disciplinary senior design (MSD) course sequence which spans two academic quarters (22 weeks). The MSD experience is a studio course in that it adopts a
Bailey, M., & DeBartolo, E. (2007, June), Using The Experiential Learning Model And Course Assessment To Transform A Multidisciplinary Senior Design Course Sequence Paper presented at 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Honolulu, Hawaii. 10.18260/1-2--2484
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