Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Engineering Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 7 of 7

Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Integrating Engineering Science And Design: A Definition And Discussion, Benjamin Linder, Woodie Flowers Aug 2012

Integrating Engineering Science And Design: A Definition And Discussion, Benjamin Linder, Woodie Flowers

Benjamin Linder

An important goal of an undergraduate engineering curriculum is to facilitate students' development of an integrated understanding of engineering. Although attempts have been made to integrate engineering science and design curricula, many students are not developing knowledge and skills that synthesize the subjects covered by these two curricula. A few observations of student performance are provided that suggest this lack of integration. A definition of integration is proposed and used to discuss possible reasons why engineering science and design curricula are not well integrated. The definition is based on the observable outcomes and behavior students produce while engaged in learning …


A Blank Slate: Creating A New Senior Engineering Capstone Experience, Mark L. Chang, Jessica Townsend Jul 2012

A Blank Slate: Creating A New Senior Engineering Capstone Experience, Mark L. Chang, Jessica Townsend

Mark L. Chang

This paper presents some of the challenges, successes, and experiences in designing a new senior engineering capstone program at the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering. Senior capstone design programs in engineering colleges have evolved over many years and are often modified and reinvented to keep up with the needs of both students and external constituencies. Harvey Mudd College’s Clinic program is one of the largest and longest-running capstone programs in the country that relies heavily on industry sponsors to provide real world problems and funding to execute the projects. For many reasons, and in no small way because of …


Work In Progress - Impact Of Early Design Instruction On Capstone Experiences, Mark L. Chang, Jessica Townsend Jul 2012

Work In Progress - Impact Of Early Design Instruction On Capstone Experiences, Mark L. Chang, Jessica Townsend

Mark L. Chang

In the Olin College curriculum, students have significant, early, and continuous exposure to user-oriented design principles. As a result, our students have a very user-centered approach to problem solving that has affected our yearlong, industry-sponsored capstone in several ways. We have reflected on five years of capstone engagements in order to learn how our program has changed because of the design emphasis in our curriculum. The significance of our work is to inform the many departments that are already undertaking design-centric curriculum reform on how they may modify their capstone experiences to best take advantage of new student understanding, and …


A Blank Slate: Creating A New Senior Engineering Capstone Experience, Mark L. Chang, Jessica Townsend Jul 2012

A Blank Slate: Creating A New Senior Engineering Capstone Experience, Mark L. Chang, Jessica Townsend

Jessica Townsend

This paper presents some of the challenges, successes, and experiences in designing a new senior engineering capstone program at the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering. Senior capstone design programs in engineering colleges have evolved over many years and are often modified and reinvented to keep up with the needs of both students and external constituencies. Harvey Mudd College’s Clinic program is one of the largest and longest-running capstone programs in the country that relies heavily on industry sponsors to provide real world problems and funding to execute the projects. For many reasons, and in no small way because of …


Work In Progress - Impact Of Early Design Instruction On Capstone Experiences, Mark Chang, Jessica Townsend Jul 2012

Work In Progress - Impact Of Early Design Instruction On Capstone Experiences, Mark Chang, Jessica Townsend

Jessica Townsend

In the Olin College curriculum, students have significant, early, and continuous exposure to user-oriented design principles. As a result, our students have a very user-centered approach to problem solving that has affected our yearlong, industry-sponsored capstone in several ways. We have reflected on five years of capstone engagements in order to learn how our program has changed because of the design emphasis in our curriculum. The significance of our work is to inform the many departments that are already undertaking design-centric curriculum reform on how they may modify their capstone experiences to best take advantage of new student understanding, and …


'Kinetic Sculptures': A Centerpiece Project Integrated With Mathematics And Physics, Yevgeniya Zastavker, Jill Crisman, Mark Jeunnette, Burt Tilley Jul 2012

'Kinetic Sculptures': A Centerpiece Project Integrated With Mathematics And Physics, Yevgeniya Zastavker, Jill Crisman, Mark Jeunnette, Burt Tilley

Yevgeniya V. Zastavker

An integrated set of courses, or Integrated Course Block (ICB), developed for incoming first-year students at the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, is presented. Bound by a common theme of `Kinetic Sculptures', the individual courses in this ICB are mathematics (single variable calculus and ordinary differential equations), physics (kinetics and dynamics of linear and rotational motion, thermodynamics and fluids), and an open-ended engineering project. The project part of the ICB allows students to explore the motion through the design of kinetic (moving) sculptures while utilizing the mathematics and physics concepts learned in the accompanying courses. This paper considers the …


Faculty On Integrated Project-Based Learning, Yevgeniya Zastavker, Casey Canfield Jul 2012

Faculty On Integrated Project-Based Learning, Yevgeniya Zastavker, Casey Canfield

Yevgeniya V. Zastavker

This paper examines the experiences, perspectives, and concerns of faculty involved in implementing a first-year integrated project-based engineering curriculum as they attempt to understand and reconcile their own and students’ views, attitudes, and beliefs regarding project-based learning (PjBL). A semi-structured, open-ended interview protocol is employed with seven mathematics and physics faculty participants. Grounded theory is used to identify the following themes: divergence of faculty perceptions regarding the effectiveness of an integrated approach in teaching and learning, the value of projects, and conflicting student expectations.