Developing Undergraduate Students’ Design Skills Using On Line Video Modules And Active Learning Exercises

Abstract

Biomedical Engineering undergraduates at the University of Wisconsin-Madison participate in six semesters of engineering design. In addition to engineering design aptitude, successful designers require proficiency in an auxiliary set of skills related to the design process. We have created professional development training materials on topics associated with auxiliary design skills for students within this design course series. Topics include working in teams, interacting with clients, presentation skills, design ethics and regulations, and global design. The training materials consist of an online video archive of experts speaking on such topics and associated active learning exercises. Using online, pre-recorded expert lectures makes class time available for conducting the active learning exercises, including working on design projects. The training content is modular, allowing small or large portions to be incorporated in a range of design courses. The impact on student learning related to these topics was evaluated during the 2008-2009 academic year through a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. Given that there are a number of additional topics that are critical for the practice of engineering design we embarked on a collaboration to develop a similar set of modular, on-demand learning objects focused on auxiliary skills needed in engineering design in general and biomedical engineering design in particular. We selected the UW Biomedical Engineering (BME) Department as a test case for our approach because of the rich design "backbone" that is at the center of its curriculum. Students in the UW BME program are required to complete a sixsemester design course series, such that they take a design course every semester they are in the program (sophomore through senior years). 5,6 Students work in 4-person teams and each team works on a different project. All the projects are client-based, real-world design problems,

Ideas To Consider For New Chemical Engineering Educators: Senior Design

“…≠ Cadwell et al 31 feature a series of short on-line videos on "Topics in Engineering Design" which include communication in design, design considerations, the design process, and patents and literature. ≠ The On-Line Ethics Center at the National Academy of Engineering, 32 the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, 33 40 contains a CD-ROM with the latest version of CAPCOST, a tool for evaluating fixed capital investment, full process economics, and profitability-now expanded with cost data for conveyors, crystallizers, dryers, dust collectors, filters, mixers, reactors, and screens.…”

“…The instructor should provide instruction or resources in technical writing, oral presentations, and how/when to cite. 48,49 Providing students with exemplary documents from a previous year can be very helpful in demonstrating what you expect. Some campuses have Writing and Speaking Centers on campus or in-house technical writing consultants who can assist by providing resources, giving a class lecture, or even reviewing student work.…”