An effective design course to inspire active learning in undergraduate education

摘要

The ABET engineering criteria was first formulated and introduced to the American education system in the middle 1990s. The ABET accreditation system defines an engineering graduate according to Blooms Taxonomy. As a part of the continuing curriculum improvement at Bucknell University, a new junior-level design course has been recently introduced into the curriculum. The course title is ECEG 301: Praxis for Engineering Design. The objectives of this course are manifold, but is primarily designed to pave the way to improved student performance in senior design projects, promote team-work and hands-on experiences, and to enhance student completion of ABET outcomes, particularly criteria (c to h). Examples of the course contents include computer aided design (Solidworks®), 3-D printing, design process elements, functional decomposition, fabrication, implementation, and simulation of photovoltaic systems. The course also aims at introducing students to crucial and current societal and environmental issues. In this paper, the results of the multiple projects are discussed. Based on anecdotal data analysis and feedback from students and faculty, the assigned projects have encouraged students' creativity and enhanced their ability to work on multidisciplinary teams. The inclusion of similar courses in undergraduate engineering curriculum would definitely improve students' hands on experiences and prepare them for more complex design challenges.