Engineering design has been a requirement in the curriculum for engineering accreditation since the mid-90 s. This emphasis on engineering design has introduced significant changes to engineering curricula in freshmen and senior years with many engineering programs offering capstone (senior) and/or cornerstone (freshmen) design courses. Yet design-related content and experiences in the second and third years of the engineering curricula remain less common due to the heavy emphasis on fundamental engineering science courses in the middle years. This study investigated the possibility of developing design ability (thinking, process, and skills) in one of these courses. The method used was to incorporate real world, open-ended problem solving, specifically authentic engineering problem centered learning (AEPCL), into a junior-level heat transfer course. AEPCL uses authentic engineering problems (AEPs) as the backdrop to develop students' design abilities through solving open-ended, ill-structured problems. Results indicate that students who experienced AEPCL showed better design abilities than comparable students who did not experience AEPCL. Through AEPCL, students learn how to collect better information, make more reasonable assumptions, engage in better processes, and arrive at a more plausible, error-free, and high-quality solution in engineering design.
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December 2018
Research-Article
Enhance Engineering Design Education in the Middle Years With Authentic Engineering Problems
Yen-Lin Han,
Yen-Lin Han
Mem. ASME
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Seattle University,
901 12th Avenue,
Seattle, WA 98122
e-mail: hanye@seattleu.edu
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Seattle University,
901 12th Avenue,
Seattle, WA 98122
e-mail: hanye@seattleu.edu
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Kathleen Cook,
Kathleen Cook
Department of Psychology,
Seattle University,
901 12th Avenue,
Seattle, WA 98122
e-mail: kathcook@seattleu.edu
Seattle University,
901 12th Avenue,
Seattle, WA 98122
e-mail: kathcook@seattleu.edu
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Gregory Mason,
Gregory Mason
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Seattle University,
901 12th Avenue,
Seattle, WA 98122
e-mail: mason@seattleu.edu
Seattle University,
901 12th Avenue,
Seattle, WA 98122
e-mail: mason@seattleu.edu
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Teodora Rutar Shuman
Teodora Rutar Shuman
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Seattle University,
901 12th Avenue,
Seattle, WA 98122
e-mail: teodora@seattleu.edu
Seattle University,
901 12th Avenue,
Seattle, WA 98122
e-mail: teodora@seattleu.edu
Search for other works by this author on:
Yen-Lin Han
Mem. ASME
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Seattle University,
901 12th Avenue,
Seattle, WA 98122
e-mail: hanye@seattleu.edu
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Seattle University,
901 12th Avenue,
Seattle, WA 98122
e-mail: hanye@seattleu.edu
Kathleen Cook
Department of Psychology,
Seattle University,
901 12th Avenue,
Seattle, WA 98122
e-mail: kathcook@seattleu.edu
Seattle University,
901 12th Avenue,
Seattle, WA 98122
e-mail: kathcook@seattleu.edu
Gregory Mason
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Seattle University,
901 12th Avenue,
Seattle, WA 98122
e-mail: mason@seattleu.edu
Seattle University,
901 12th Avenue,
Seattle, WA 98122
e-mail: mason@seattleu.edu
Teodora Rutar Shuman
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Seattle University,
901 12th Avenue,
Seattle, WA 98122
e-mail: teodora@seattleu.edu
Seattle University,
901 12th Avenue,
Seattle, WA 98122
e-mail: teodora@seattleu.edu
1Corresponding author.
Contributed by the Design Education Committee of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL DESIGN. Manuscript received November 19, 2017; final manuscript received July 5, 2018; published online September 18, 2018. Assoc. Editor: Gul E. Okudan Kremer.
J. Mech. Des. Dec 2018, 140(12): 122001 (9 pages)
Published Online: September 18, 2018
Article history
Received:
November 19, 2017
Revised:
July 5, 2018
Citation
Han, Y., Cook, K., Mason, G., and Shuman, T. R. (September 18, 2018). "Enhance Engineering Design Education in the Middle Years With Authentic Engineering Problems." ASME. J. Mech. Des. December 2018; 140(12): 122001. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4040880
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