Session W2D
Workshop - WCDE Design Case Study Steve Lambert and Oscar Nespoli University of Waterloo,
[email protected],
[email protected] Abstract – Waterloo Cases in Design Engineering (WCDE) was established with the support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), General Motors of Canada Limited (GMCL) and the University of Waterloo (UW) to enhance the teaching and learning of engineering design in all courses across the Faculty of Engineering using design case studies. The design case studies are developed from a large sustainable source of co-op engineering student work term reports. Communicating the benefits of case studies and the case method is best performed in an active learning format and environment. The workshop format is therefore an appropriate format to demonstrate the benefits of the case method for facilitating the learning of engineering design in particular, and professional practice knowledge and skills in general. The primary goal of this workshop is to educate participants in the use of case studies to promote active learning and assessment of engineering design and other ABET/CEAB graduate attribute requirements using the case method. A case study that was developed as an interrupted case study will be used to demonstrate learning and implementation of engineering design, where each module represents a phase in the design process. The workshop plan includes reflection and discussion after each module of the case is implemented. Index Terms – Case studies, Case method, Active learning, Engineering design GOAL OF THE WORKSHOP The primary goal of this workshop is to educate participants in the use of case studies to promote active learning and assessment of engineering design and other ABET/CEAB graduate attribute requirements using the case method. WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION Communicating the benefits of case studies and the case method is best performed in an active learning format and environment. The workshop format is therefore an appropriate format to demonstrate the benefits of the case method for facilitating the learning of engineering design in particular, and professional practice knowledge and skills in general. The Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) has recently revised their requirements to include such knowledge and skills in the form of so called graduate attributes. Engineering schools must show that graduates possess these attributes upon graduation.
TABLE I CANADIAN ENGINEERING ACCREDITATION BOARD (CEAB) GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES [1] Criteria A knowledge base for engineering Problem analysis Investigation Design Use of engineering tools Individual and team work Communication skills Professionalism Impact of engineering on society and the environment Ethics and equity Economics and project management Life-long learning
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Case studies differ from traditional text-book problems in that they provide rich context for an engineering problem or design situation. They offer opportunities to integrate theoretical knowledge gained by traditional lecture and tutorial teaching methods. Case studies offer students opportunities to develop procedural knowledge and skills in applying and integrating theoretical concepts to the real situations described in the case studies. Case studies provide an opportunity for a natural integration of these complementary engineering skills, in addition to the scientific and engineering principles learned. The workshop will consist of a short introductory lecture portion to describe the case method and then a design case published by the WCDE will be given out to the participants. The case study will feature a design situation faced by a protagonist. The case study is designed as an interrupted case, which emphasizes steps in the engineering design process. It also features design synthesis and the novel resolution of a design conflict. WORKSHOP AGENDA The workshop will begin with an introductory lecture on Waterloo Cases in Design Engineering (WCDE) and the case method. The design case will be then be delivered to the participants. Participants will be asked to convene in groups to solve the case study. The workshop plan is as follows: •
Introduction and welcome (15 minutes) o Introduction of presenters o Introduction of the workshop purpose o List of the expected learning outcomes for participants o Description of workshop plan and logistics
978-1-4244-6262-9/10/$26.00 ©2010 Crown October 27 - 30, 2010, Washington, DC 40th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference W2D-1
Session W2D
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(Participants may already have been given the case study at registration as preparatory work) Lecture presentation (30 minutes) o Introduction of Waterloo Cases in Design Engineering (WCDE) o Introduction to case studies and the case method o Benefits of case studies for addressing ABET and CEAB accreditation Break (15 minutes) o Refreshments o Participants reassemble into groups o Distribution of case study materials Case study implementation (35 minutes) o Participants read case study module (-01) o Situation summary by participants Facilitation by presenters o Need analysis task assignment o Need analysis task presentation by groups o Discussion Facilitation by presenters o Summary Break (15 minutes) o Refreshments o Distributions of additional case study materials Case study implementation (35 minutes) o Review of need analysis module (-02) o Discussion o Review of conceptual design module o Conceptual design task Synthesis and sketching o Conceptual design presentation by groups o Discussion Summary (35 minutes) o Presentation of solution module(s) o Reflection and class discussion o Presenter concluding remarks o Survey
ANTICIPATED AUDIENCE Audience participants would consist of engineering educators wanting to explore new methods of teaching engineering design and preparing engineering students for professional practice. Educators would be willing to consider facilitation-type roles (coaching models). Engineering administrators may be interested in the potential that case studies have in addressing teaching and assessment of ABET outcomes and CEAB graduate attribute requirements. Finally, professors looking for better ways to impart real understanding to engineering and theoretical concepts would be interested in the workshop and the implementation practices. LIST OF EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS It is expected that the room, tables and chairs will be arranged to promote small group work, or that the available furniture can be re-arranged as such. A lecture style setting is not appropriate for this workshop. The WCDE facilitators will provide a laptop with electronic presentation material, including a video clip, for the workshop. Facilitators will require color copies of the case studies printed for each participant prior to the workshop. Large presentation style writing pads on easels will be required at the front. Markers will be required at each table for the participants to record information and/or sketch concepts for presentation to the class. REFERENCES [1] Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board, "Accreditation Criteria and Procedures 2008", text-only version, September 2008, available from www.engineerscanada.ca , accessed January 2009.
978-1-4244-6262-9/10/$26.00 ©2010 Crown October 27 - 30, 2010, Washington, DC 40th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference W2D-2
