Implementing a Freshman Engineering Design Experience at the University of Washington

Abstract

A project-oriented introductory engineering design course has been developed within the University of Washington’s College of Engineering to enhance the first-year student experience. The role of engineering was de-mystified, explaining the difference between trade specialists and engineers. The students learned that the “art of engineering” is in solving complex problems. Throughout the course, students learned about programming, computer-aided design, and 3D printer technology to assist in the development of team projects. As each new prototype was unveiled, teams learned important lessons about the transition from conception to implementation. One of the biggest outcomes of the course was learning to work effectively in teams. At the end of the course, each team was assessed not only on quality of design project but also team efficacy. The students developed their professional socialization skills while preparing technical reports and oral (PowerPoint and poster) presentations. On the closing day of the program, students presented their group projects in front of campus and industry partners.

Term Design Project in Fundamentals of Engineering Course

“…A wide variety of Arduino boards are available [3]. In this course we used the Arduino Uno which is a high-performance 8-bit RISC-based microcontroller.…”

“…Engineering design projects provide students with a broad view related to the material presented in lectures. Through project-based learning, students are encouraged to assume responsibility for their learning experience and to shift from a passive to an active learning style [3,4,5,6,7]. Multiple active learning projects and hands-on activities are incorporated in our Fundamentals of Engineering course to provide an active learning environment to incoming freshman students.…”

Middle School Capstone Engineering Projects (Work in Progress)

“…A design review is carried out by outside experts. The experts have technical knowledge of the project and project experience on other similar projects [14]. Mars 2021 will invite engineers from the community, possibly parents of the students, to participate as reviewers.…”

Walking on Water Term Design Project in Fundamentals of Engineering

“…Engineering design projects provide students with a broad view related to the material presented in lectures. Through project-based learning, students are encouraged to assume responsibility for their learning experience and to shift from a passive to an active learning style [2,10,11,12,13].…”