Development of Engineering Laboratory Projects for General Education Engineering Courses (original) (raw)
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On the Development of Laboratory Projects in Modern Engineering Education
2019 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON), 2019
Whilst a solid theoretical foundation is important in any undergraduate engineering program, practical exercises and educational laboratories play an equally vital role in educating knowledgeable and skillful engineers that can immediately enter the industry without requiring extensive practical training. However, with the ongoing rapid advancements in technology, a constant challenge faced by educators is the need to design new and relevant laboratory projects. This can be a time-consuming and costly affair, which, if neglected, will lead to outdated laboratory projects and a degradation in learning outcomes for the students. Here, we present an approach that can overcome this challenge by means of low-cost modern equipment and supervised student labor, exemplified by the development of three different laboratory projects designed for electrical engineering students.
Instructor Friendly Introductory Laboratory Projects For Use In 2 Or 4 Year Colleges
2009
A group of educators from engineering programs at both four and two year colleges has developed laboratory modules with an emphasis on activities and perspectives shown to be successful in technological literacy courses for non-engineering students. To meet the needs of community college engineering programs, the logistical and commercial feasibility of shipping boxes or palettes of equipment was investigated. This will allow community colleges to borrow, rent, or lease rather than own the equipment. The laboratories were also developed to be completely self-contained so that all materials needed arrive in a single box in a ready-to-use condition. This was intended to minimize the preparation time for instructors in the two year college environment. These laboratories are suitable for use in either introduction to engineering or courses on engineering topics for non-engineers. The laboratories attempt to utilize insights from non-engineering students to determine themes that may enl...
A "Nifty" Laboratory For First Year Engineering Students
2000 Annual Conference Proceedings
This paper describes an innovative first-year engineering laboratory in which students design and build electromechanical models of systems by applying methods used by practicing engineers. At the University of San Diego (USD), the project is known as the eNgineering Improvement in a FirsT Year (NIFTY) Design Project. The main objective of this laboratory is to help students start developing several key engineering skills early in the curriculum. This entertaining yet challenging learning environment also helps retain engineering students. In Spring 1999, 35 students, divided into eleven teams, created working computer-controlled systems and provided full technical documentation. Projects that students chose to build included an elevator, a Ferris wheel, a car wash, and a drawbridge. At the end of the semester, students presented their projects to local high school science classes. The first offering of this lab at USD was very successful. All of the students said that the project improved their open-ended problem solving skills and their understanding of engineering practice. Despite the amount of work required, students unanimously recommended that the project be continued. Seventy-four percent of the students considered successfully completing their project to be the single highlight of the semester. We completed the first offering of this laboratory in ENGR 20 Computer Aided Engineering in Spring 1999. During that semester 35 students proposed, designed, built and documented eleven different computer-controlled projects.
2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings
Our department, which offers an Engineering Physics program, with majors in Electrical Systems, Mechanical Systems, and Physics, as well as a Biomedical Engineering program, requires all of its majors to enroll in a two-hour "Introduction to Engineering and Laboratory" course that integrates lecture, laboratory, and design components. The objective of the laboratory and design experiences is to prepare freshmen and transfer students for upper-level engineering laboratory courses, as well as senior design courses, required for our majors. Each laboratory module, presented during two-hour laboratory sessions, at a rate of one module per week, provides either an introduction to concepts and tools required to complete the course design project, or an introduction to one of the software packages the students will use in their upper-level coursework.In this paper, we will present the content of the laboratory modules, and explain how the laboratory experiences are incorporated into the pedagogy of the course. The small-group design project, a central part of the course, requires students to develop and implement a mechatronics-based design project that they propose, utilizing the knowledge, skills gained during the laboratory sessions as well as engineering processes.A primary aim of the design project and laboratory experience is to introduces students, in the early stages of their engineering education, to a subset of the general ABET student outcome criteria (engineering skills, team work, leadership, communication, etc.) The course culminates with student project presentations, including a poster, a formal report, and a demonstration of their design project. We will describe how the experiences gained in the laboratory provide a foundation for a onesemester mechatronics-based design project.
Laboratory Projects Appropriate for Nonengineers and Introduction toEngineering
Many engineering programs are facing unfamiliar challenges in the area of curriculum development and course offerings. Some engineering departments are working with a new constituency of students through newly offered courses on engineering and technological topics for non-engineering students. At the same time increased emphasis has been directed to the importance of a high quality first year engineering experience. Both of these changes have been motivated by several factors including calls for improved undergraduate education and increased technological literacy for all students. Another unfamiliar challenge is the increasing need for engineering departments to maintain stable levels of enrollment. Two year or community colleges are faced with additional demands to maintain an affordable and academically appropriate gateway into higher education and a viable means of transferring into four year programs. In achieving an effective engineering course, laboratory projects are universally identified as a key component. However creating and operating laboratories for large enrollment classes is a demanding task especially in the community college environment. To address these needs, this work investigates the feasibility of developing and shipping self-contained laboratories in a box. This will allow institutions to borrow, rent, or lease rather than own the equipment. The laboratories are intended to be completely self-contained so that all materials arrive in a single box in ready-to-use condition. This will minimize the preparation time for instructors. These laboratories are suitable for use in either introduction to engineering courses or courses on engineering topics for non-engineers. The laboratories attempt to utilize insights from non-engineering students to determine themes that help to make the laboratories appealing to both non-engineers and those students who have self-selected into engineering. Key themes include using material that focuses on technology familiar to the students in their everyday life, use of extensive verbal and graphical explanations, and inclusions of practical information that helps to establish a sense of empowerment regarding technology. Eight laboratory projects are being created and tested in both two or four year schools. Results will be presented from work done during the 2009-2010 academic year.
Work in progress - Using insights from non-engineers to help develop laboratory projects
2009 39th IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, 2009
A group from engineering programs at both four and two year colleges has been assembled to explore creating laboratory modules with an emphasis on activities and perspectives shown to be successful in technological literacy courses for non-engineering students. To meet the needs of community college engineering programs, the logistical and commercial feasibility of shipping a complete laboratory in a box will be investigated. This will minimize the laboratory preparation time for community college instructors. These laboratories will be suitable for use in either technological literacy or introduction to engineering courses. The laboratories will attempt to utilize insights from non-engineering students to determine themes that may help interest students in engineering and enliven introduction to engineering courses. Technological literacy courses on a number of campuses have found that non-engineers respond positively to material that focuses on technology familiar to the students in their everyday life, uses extensive verbal and graphical explanations, and includes useful information that helps to establish a sense of empowerment regarding technology. Eight laboratory projects will be created and tested at a variety of two and four-year schools.
2000 Annual Conference Proceedings
A set of hands-on laboratory projects has been developed for undergraduates who are not majoring in science or engineering. The projects are intended to help explain the principles of physics to non-science majors. The projects explore both the technological and scientific aspects of familiar technological devices, and demonstrate how technology incorporates a scientific understanding of nature. All projects result in tangible evidence of accomplishment such as construction of a simple radio, a loudspeaker, a one-octave electronic keyboard, and a compact disc-to-cassette tape adapter. The projects are made from inexpensive and simple materials so that each student can take home the working device. It was expected that projects which the students take home serve to amplify the impact of the work to include peers and family members. None of the projects require specialized equipment or facilities, and all of the projects can be modified to suit different institutional circumstances. General characteristics of the types of projects that were found to be effective for the target audience of non-science students are also summarized.
2011
This mini workshop is organized to provide an interactive forum for the introduction a set of six new curriculum modules developed under IEEE's Real World Engineering Projects (RWEP) program. The modules, which are representative of a larger collection of curriculum modules available to the public via an open-access RWEP web portal, are designed for use in the first-year engineering and computer science classroom, and are hands-on, team-based projects that emphasize the societal impact of the work that engineers do. After a brief introduction to the RWEP program and the six showcased curriculum modules, the authors of the modules will present their ideas and demonstrate the laboratory activities associated with their modules in interactive, informal simultaneous sessions.
2009
This special session is organized to provide an interactive forum for the introduction of a set of curriculum modules developed under IEEE's Real World Engineering Projects (RWEP) program. The modules, available to the public via a RWEP web portal, are designed for use in the first-year engineering and computer science classroom, and are hands-on, teambased projects that emphasize the societal impact of the work that engineers do. After a brief introduction to the RWEP program and the curriculum modules, the authors of the modules will present their ideas and demonstrate the laboratory activities associated with their modules in interactive, informal simultaneous sessions.