The ill-structured nature of design problems makes them particularly challenging for problem-based learning. Studio-based learning (SBL), however, has much in common with problem-based learning and indeed has a long history of use in teaching students to solve design problems. The purpose of this ethnographic study of an industrial design class, an architecture class, and three human-computer-i...

There are numerous approaches and techniques for setting up an environment for collaborative design. The most common approach is to extend the desktop environment to include tools for meeting and sharing files. This approach takes the individual work environment and adds tools for communicating with others. An alternative approach is to create a virtual world environment in which the collaborat...

This paper describes the development of a studio-based approach for teaching ergonomics and human factors to undergraduate engineering students. Studio-based methods in engineering education draw on the concept of a “design studio” as the basis for learning and applying fundamental skills and knowledge through a series of directed exploration and design projects under the guidance of the course...

This paper describes networking in Industrial Design education between students from a number of international universities that worked independently on a vehicle-design project. The results were presented in a joint exhibition, held in Tokyo Japan, to leading Asian vehicle manufacturers such as Nissan, Mazda and Isuzu motors. The paper describes the networking that occurred between the univers...

In this paper we discuss theDrexel Collaborative Design Studio (DCDS), an environment for distributed engineering under development at the Geometric and Intelligent Computing Laboratory at Drexel University. DCDS is intended to enhance collaborative design work, focusing in particular on design of electro-mechanical artifacts. Our goal is to provide transparent collaborative work and archival s...