Using Case Studies to Characterize the Broader Meaning of Engineering Design for Today's Student

Abstract

Numerous organizations have undertaken the task of envisioning the education required to meet the engineering demands of the future. The ABET study EC2000, ASCE's Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge and Body of Knowledge 2 and the National Academy of Engineering have documented the need to change engineering education from its historical focus on technical content knowledge to include greater emphasis on professional issues and to integrate engineering practice into education. To this end teaching methods such as project-based learning, and the use of case studies are being explored to address these broader learning outcomes. Case studies in particular facilitate telling the stories of professional practice. This paper discusses the use of engineering case studies in design coursework with specific application to third year architectural engineering student learning. Introduction, application and discussion of several case studies are presented in the context of teaching building structural design. Along with the technical execution of system and member selection, computer analyzes and structural detailing that occur in these courses, broader concepts relating to professional roles and responsibilities, design team interplay, the design process, the construction process and professional practice ethics are investigated. The advantages of this altered approach to teaching engineering design are discussed.

Implementation of a Case Study in an Engineering Science Course: A Pilot Project for Increasing Experiential Learning

“…In other words, cases should involve "everyday" people. Case studies drawn upon personal experiences are no less important for their education 7 . Cases that use multi-media are usually better 3 since they are a more exciting format and provide a better connection to the real world 5 .…”

“…A student's education should be balanced, especially between engineering science and design 7 . Engineering curricula can often separate Page 26.902.3 these two streams 16 .…”

“…The open-ended nature of cases reinforces problem-based learning and encourages active participation 3 . They can also appreciate that there are multiple solutions 5 which promotes creativity and innovation 4 , as well as encourages tolerance for ambiguity 1,6,7 .…”

“…A case study is an effective tool 1 that has shown to improve higher-order cognitive skills 11 and critical thinking 4 . Evidence suggests that cases create a positive attitude towards learning, and any skills obtained can carry into future endeavours 9,7 . Students are known to learn more effectively when they are actively involved with their learning, and it challenges them to accept responsibility for their own education 5 .…”

“…Other case studies are implemented to a certain extent; however, they are less common and traditionally used in engineering design or ethics courses 6,7,15 . The main reason for this is that ethics and design require context and complexity in order to properly demonstrate the disorder and unrestrained environment of real-world problems.…”