Implementing A Cross Course Design Project

Abstract

Juniors at Ohio Northern University are typically enrolled in three Mechanical Engineering courses during the fall quarter. These include ME 311, Process of Mechanical Design, ME 341, Manufacturing Processes, and ME 371, Numerical Methods. In the fall of 2002, the design project for the ME 311 course was altered to integrate material from these three courses. Student teams designed a part in ME 311, optimized its design (minimizing the material used) in ME 371, and built the part using what they learned in ME 341. In addition, finished parts were tested using a tension test, and students redesigned the part based on the results of that test. It is hoped that these changes will allow students to see connections between various courses, and force students to consider manufacturability, cost, and available materials when creating and evaluating a design. A student survey, as well as the functionality of the finished design, will be used to assess this new approach. Using projects to help teach design and integration of courses are certainly not novel ideas. Faste,