Ac 2007-3119: a Design Methodology for Empowering Project-based Learning

One of our primary objectives is to equip undergraduate engineering students to be successful global engineers, ready to face the challenges of the 21 st century. Students need to develop self-directed learning skills, systems level thinking, the ability to integrate principles of sustainability into design solutions and recognize that they serve a global community. Project-based learning (PBL) has been identified as an effective process for developing these skills; however, to be effective, project-based learning activities require a clearly articulated design methodology. Engineering students must learn to recognize the similarities and differences between the scientific and design methods. Both can be looked at as systems for solving problems; however, the input for the scientific method is a theory with the output being increased knowledge while the input for the design method is an application with the output being a device or process. Design is a method that involves both creativity and innovation but it is also constrained by such practical factors as time-to-market and cost-effectiveness. Throughout their undergraduate education students are immersed in the scientific method but often they are not exposed to design methods until their capstone senior project. We have developed a seven-step method that guides students through projects and enables them to achieve the skills we have identified as essential to their success as global engineers. The steps include 1) identifying user’s needs, 2) developing product concepts, 3) translating performance requirements from the language of the customer into technical functional requirements, 4) brainstorming several conceptual designs and choosing the optimum solution, 5) developing a detailed design solution, 6) fabricating a prototype and testing to ensure that it meets the performance requirements and 7) determining the commercial feasibility of the design solution. An example of how we implemented this design method in our junior level electrical and optical properties of materials course is presented along with an assessment of our student’s confidence in being able to apply the design method to the types of unstructured problems they faced in their PBL activities. Equipping the Global Engineer One of the primary objectives as an educator is to equip engineering students with the tools necessary to become successful global engineers, ready to face the challenges of the 21 st century. Students need to develop self-directed learning skills, systems-level thinking, the ability to integrate principles of sustainability into design solutions and recognize that they serve a global community. Project-based learning (PBL) has been identified as an effective process for developing these skills 1 . However, to be effective, project-based design activities require a clearly articulated design methodology. Engineering students must recognize the similarities and differences between the scientific and design methods. Both can be looked at as systems for solving problems, but the input for the scientific method is a theory with the output being increased knowledge while the input for the design method is an application with the output being a device or process. Design is a method that involves both creativity and innovation but it is also constrained by such practical factors as time-to-market and cost-effectiveness. Throughout their undergraduate education students are immersed in the scientific method but often they are not exposed to the design method until their capstone senior project. At Cal Poly, we have developed a seven-step design method that guides students through their project-based learning activities and enables them to achieve the skills that are essential to their success as global engineers. Design is a Key Element in the PBL Tool Kit The dictionary defines design as “a process to create, fashion, execute, or construct according to a plan.” The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) defines it as “a process of devising a system, component, or process to meet desired needs.” Practically, design is an iterative decision making process that applies the basic principles of the sciences, mathematics and engineering to solve a problem. A good design solution requires engineers to approach the problem with a systems perspective. It requires them to recognize how the design will operate in relationship to the world around it. Moreover, being proficient at design requires creativity and judgment as well as a mastery of technical fundamentals 2-5 . Design is a methodology that blends science with engineering 6 . It involves inquiry and innovation but it is also constrained by practical factors such as time-to-market and costeffectiveness. Engineering students must learn to recognize the similarities and differences between the scientific and design methods. The goal of the scientific method focuses on the establishment of fundamental truths from theories that have been proven by extensive observation, testing and analysis. The goal of the design method is to produce a product that satisfies the functional requirements derived from a customer or market application. Looking at the design method as a system, a customer’s application would provide the inputs with the output being a product that meets the requirements of that application, as illustrated in Figure 1. Within the system, there is a loop that begins with establishing the performance and functional requirements of the application, then establishing a design solution that must be verified against the original requirements. This is an iterative process that continues until all of the performance requirements for the application have been achieved. Minimizing the number of iterations is the key to minimizing time-to-market and costs which also increase the likelihood of the product’s success in the marketplace. Figure 1 – Looking at the design method as a system