Paper ID #11406

Implementation of a Design Spine for a Mechanical Engineering Curriculum

Dr. Kenneth Lulay, University of Portland
BSME, University of Portland, 1984 MSME, University of Portland, 1987 PhD, University of Washing-
ton, 1990 Hyster Co., 1984-1987 Boeing 1990-1998 Associate Prof, University of Portland, Current

Dr. Heather Dillon, University of Portland

Dr. Heather Dillon is an Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Portland. Her
teaching focuses on thermodynamics, heat transfer, renewable energy, and optimization of energy systems.
She currently leads a research team working on energy efficiency, renewable energy, and fundamental
heat transfer. Before joining the university, Heather Dillon worked for the Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory (PNNL) as a senior research engineer.
Dr. Timothy A Doughty, University of Portland
Dr. Timothy A. Doughty received his BS and MS from Washington State University in Mechanical and
Materials Engineering and his Ph. D. from Purdue University. He has taught at Purdue, Smith College,
and is now an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Portland. From 2009
to 2001 he served as a Faculty Scholar with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories and has served
as the Dundon-Berchtold Fellow of Ethics for the Donald. P. Shiley School of Engineering. His research
is in nonlinear vibrations as it applies to structural health monitoring, and assistive technology. He is
currently working on grants related to teaching in STEM fields and laboratory curricular development and
is active in developing international research opportunities for undergraduates.

Dr. Deborah S Munro, University of Portland

Deborah is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and teaches statics, strength of materials,
finite element analysis, biomechanics, automated manufacturing, CAD, and capstone design. She spent
multiple years in the orthopedic medical device industry prior to joining academia.

Dr. Shazib Z Vijlee, University of Portland

Dr. Shazib ”Shaz” Vijlee earned BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University
of Texas at Austin. He then spent three years at Boeing Phantom Works in Seattle, WA. He completed
his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington in 2014 and joined the faculty at
the University of Portland in 2014. He spent several summers as a visiting engineer/researcher with the
Sandia National Labs and the AIr Force Research Labs. His primary research deals with combustion and
alternative fuels.

Page 26.903.1

c American Society for Engineering Education, 2015

Implementation of a Design Spine for a Mechanical Engineering Curriculum

Abstract  

This paper explains the approach taken to develop a “design spine” within our mechanical
engineering curriculum. Developing a design spine started as a discussion about the ASME
Vision 2030 document, which encourages programs to provide design experience throughout all
four years of the curriculum. Towards this end, the mechanical engineering faculty reviewed our
curriculum and identified where and how we do teach engineering design in lecture courses,
laboratories, and in the capstone design courses. We recognized that many design elements are
already incorporated throughout the curriculum but we needed to approach design in a more
systematic manner. The very meaning of “engineering design” does not enjoy universal
definition. For our purposes, we used the ABET Criterion 5 definition and original ABET 2000
requirements.

After the design spine was defined by the faculty, a survey of senior students was administered
to evaluate the effectiveness of the design spine. Student survey responses are analyzed and a
map for developing a design spine at other universities is provided.

Introduction  

Design is inherent in engineering, yet it can be difficult to precisely define or describe what
“engineering design” actually is. It is a process involving many steps, and typically involves
teams of engineers and non-engineers. ABET in Criterion 5 (Curriculum) defines engineering
design as follows:

Engineering design is the process of devising a system, component, or process to meet

desired needs. It is a decision-making process (often iterative), in which the basic sciences,
mathematics, and the engineering sciences are applied to convert resources optimally to
meet these stated needs.

The distinguishing feature of many professional engineers is the way they think about the design
process. Engineering educators have considered the best ways to teach design for many years to
refine the education process. Problem Based Learning (PBL) is often considered one of the best
methods for exposing students to the design process [1].

Dym et al. provide assessment data on the use of PBL in introductory classes and also in a global
context [2]. Others evaluated PBL in the comparison of engineering and other education fields
[3]. Orhun and Orhun encourage incorporating creative elements into the engineering education
process to enhance problem solving skills in students [4]. The work of prior education research
supports the inclusion of PBL whenever it might enhance the traditional engineering classes.
Page 26.903.2

1
The senior level capstone course has evolved as a standard method for engineering programs to
expose students to the creative design process near the end of education. Many authors provide a
detailed review of engineering education capstone classes and benefits [5-7]. The practice of a
creative and open-ended capstone course is widely believed to offer significant benefits to the
students in professional development and engineering thinking. Our curriculum includes a
standard two-semester capstone course for seniors in the program to experience design.

In our program we considered methods for better-preparing the engineering students for the
design process prior to the capstone course. Leaders in engineering education have argued that
the engineering curriculum should be evolving to allow more creative and open-ended elements
through the full curriculum [8-11]. Other programs have addressed this idea using integrated
design spaces [12] and Design-Build-Test (DBT) problems in the curriculum [13-15]. The
“design spine” discussed in this paper builds on these works to document and assess how we
have integrated design in all four years of a traditional mechanical engineering program.

Overview  of  the  Design  Process  

Engineering projects may be broken into several distinct phases, although in reality, the phases
overlap or may be even be entirely different from that presented here. Design is rarely a linear
process, it is iterative in nature. Each design project is unique, there is no one process to follow
for design. In general, the design process can be described as:
• Define the problem (which includes establishing objectives and criteria, and developing a
plan),
• synthesize math, science and engineering knowledge to develop alternatives,
• evaluate the alternatives (through testing, analysis, literature search, etc.) and synthesize
knowledge to select the best alternative.
• define and refine the details.

Through testing and analysis, detailed design work progresses from the design concepts. This
process starts with conceptual design and commences to ever-more refined details until the
finished product or design has been completed. Figure 1 summarizes the design process using a
flow diagram.

ASME Vision 2030 for Mechanical Engineering Education [16] encourages mechanical
engineering programs to have a “design spine” or “design portfolio” in their curriculum where
students experience design throughout all four years. In 2012 the University of Portland
mechanical engineering faculty reviewed the curriculum and identified where and how
engineering design was being taught. Through this process we came to recognize that we indeed
already have design elements throughout the curriculum. Our “design spine” has evolved over
many years, and before making significant changes we recognized the need to assess how
effective it is, pedagogically. Towards that end, by surveying seniors we collected data to
indicate how effective the current curriculum is at helping students learn each step of the design
process.
Page 26.903.3

2
 Define and refine the problem

Conceptual design
Synthesize knowledge Define and refine
Parametric design
to develop alternatives design details
Detailed design

Evaluate alternatives and down-

select the “best” alternative.

Figure 1 – flow diagram of the design process

Thirteen classes were identified by program faculty as relevant regarding pedagogy of various
elements of the design process (Table 1). Faculty identified seven of the thirteen classes as
“focus” courses. These “design focus” courses span the four years of the curriculum and include
both thermal and mechanical systems. Each of the focus classes has a significant design project.
In the first semester, students are introduced to the design process through an open-ended project
in the Introduction to Engineering course. During the sophomore and junior years, the
curriculum develops specific skills (such as setting design goals and objectives, using analysis
and testing in open-ended problems) as well as helping students understand the design process as
a whole. In the final year, students are involved with a year-long culminating design project of
their choosing. This incorporates all that they have learned about engineering design.

This paper discusses the seven focus classes identified in Table 1. We will briefly explain the
context of each of these courses and the elements of design in which they help students develop
skills. We will then discuss two forms of assessment for each of these courses: instructor’s
assessment and results of a student survey. This paper will not discuss the senior capstone
design course (which involves a two semester long project).

Page 26.903.4

3
Table 1 – Mapping of courses to the fundamental elements of the design process.
Year: 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4

Engineering Graphics
Intro to Engineering*

Mech. Systems Lab*

Finite Element Anal.
Strength of Mat’ls

Fluid Mechanics*

Machine Design*
Thermodynamics

Capstone Design
Materials Lab*

Heat Transfer*

Thermo Lab*
Dynamics
Define and Refine the Problem
Gather information, identify and
understand the needs of the real x x x x x x x X
problem
Set goals, objectives, define criteria
x x X X X X X
for the solution to the problem
Establish criteria that includes
multiple realistic constraints such as
economic, environmental, social, x X
political, ethical, health and safety,
manufacturability, and sustainability.
Develop a plan to solve the problem x X x X x X
Synthesize Knowledge to
Develop Alternatives
Generate ideas and concepts
x X X x X X X X x X X
(brainstorm, etc.)
Evaluate Alternatives
Evaluate through literature search X X
Evaluate through analysis x X X x X X X X
Evaluate through testing X X X x X X X
Synthesize knowledge to down select
x x x X X X X
to best alternative

Define and Refine Design Details

Evaluate details to make sure the

x X x X x x X
alternative is acceptable
Lower case “x” indicates minor coverage, upper case “X” indicates more extensive coverage.
The asterisk (*) indicates courses discussed in this paper.
Page 26.903.5

4
Survey  Assessment  

To assess how student’s perceived the design spine project outcomes in each course a survey was
administered to senior level students in the Fall of 2014. The survey asked the students to rank
how effectively each class project helped them learn each aspect of the design process. An
example question from the survey is shown below.

The primary design project in EGR110 Introduction to Engineering helped me learn to:

Strongly Strongly
Agree Disagree
Define and refine the problem 5 4 3 2 1
Synthesize knowledge to develop 5 4 3 2 1
alternatives
Evaluate the alternative and down- 5 4 3 2 1
select to the “best” alternative
Define and refine design details 5 4 3 2 1

The survey was completed by 37 students in the senior class representing most of the possible 45
students in the class. The student responses indicated that nearly all the projects offered some
assistance in the design process, however some of the projects were perceived as more beneficial
than others.

The full survey results were analyzed and the results for each part of the design process are
shown in Table 2. Overall the design projects were ranked as most successful at helping students
learn to define the problem and refine the design. The projects were slightly less helpful for the
students at synthesizing knowledge in the design process and down-selecting alternatives. Since
students learn to “evaluate” and to some extent “synthesize knowledge” through conventional
closed-form assignments used in the preponderance of courses, it is less critical for the design
projects to focus on these aspects. Design projects have the unique opportunity to help students
learn to define problems and to refine the design details so those should be their focus. It is good
to see that the projects are viewed as particularly beneficial in those respects.

Table 2. Summary of survey results by stage of the design process.

Average Response Distribution Details
Define and refine the problem 3.95 Figure 1

Synthesize knowledge to develop 3.79 Figure 2

alternatives
Evaluate the alternative and down- 3.73 Figure 3
select to the “best” alternative
Define and refine design details 3.87 Figure 4
Page 26.903.6

5
Figures 1 through 4 show student responses for each of the four primary design elements. Data
for each class are combined to show the design spine results, comprehensively.

Figure 1. Student survey responses for defining the problem indicating the majority of students
“agreed” or “strongly agreed” that they learned to “define the problem” through the design spine
projects.

Figure 2. Student survey responses for synthesizing knowledge to develop design alternatives. The
great majority of students generally expressed a neutral to “strongly” agree response for overall
Page 26.903.7

effectiveness of the design spine with regards to “synthesizing knowledge.”

6
Figure 3. Student survey responses for evaluating alternatives and down-selecting the design. Most
students generally expressed a neutral to “strongly” agree response for overall effectiveness of the
design spine with regards to “evaluating alternatives.”

Figure 4. Student survey responses for defining and refining the design details. . Most students
expressed that they “agree” that the design spine projects are effective at teaching “defining and
Page 26.903.8

refining design details.”

7
A summary of student responses by project is shown in Figure 5. This summary indicates that
the projects in Machine Design, Systems lab, and Thermodynamics lab were the most helpful for
defining the design problem. For synthesizing knowledge the System lab, Machine design, and
Heat transfer were the most useful. Students perceived the projects in Machine design, Systems
lab, and Heat transfer as helpful for evaluating design alternatives. For refining the design they
reported that Machine design, Systems lab, and Thermodynamics lab were the most helpful. And
by experiencing the design spine, students believe they have learned the design process and each
of its primary elements. The weakest response in the student survey is in regards to “evaluating
alternatives.”

Figure 5. Student perception of the design elements in each class project. On average, the survey
results show neutral to “strongly agree” that each project effectively teaches various elements of the
design process.
Page 26.903.9

8
The results of the survey show that most students believe the design projects are helpful to learn
the design process. They have further identified several of the class projects were more helpful in
building specific design skills. In the case of the project in Machine Design this outcome is not
surprising since the class is designed to be taken in the Spring of the Junior year before the
students enter the Capstone design course and focuses on the full design process.

Other courses like the Introduction to Engineering class were not ranked as highly by the
students, however the class project was re-designed by the faculty in 2012 and the seniors who
completed the survey experienced the older class project that may have been less effective as an
introduction to the design process. In general the survey results provided feedback that will be
used to identify opportunities for strengthening the design spine in the coming years.

Assessment  of  Specific  Courses  

Faculty members that teach each of the focus courses have outlined the design projects used in
the class and provided a summary of how students have performed (instructor assessment).
Survey results for the course are then presented. All of the projects discussed here involve
student teams with two to four students per team. Some of the projects culminate with some
form of competition, and some do not.

Introduction to Engineering (EGR110); Fall of first year.

Primary Fundamental Design Elements:
Define the problem
Synthesize knowledge to develop alternatives
Evaluate Alternatives
Define and refine the design details

The project provides students the opportunity to experience the entire design process including
Design-Build-Test, but at a relatively superficial level.

Project: The central focus of this course is a semester-long design project. Students work to
solve an open-ended challenge of the teams’ choice from a selection of assistive technology
projects. The challenges are designed to emphasize the essence of engineering and computer
science; that is to solve a problem under a variety of constraints and multiple criteria. Successful
completion of the challenge involves following through the design process from a conceptual
design to a functioning concept-demonstration prototype, but also emphasizes non-technical
aspects of engineering. The process involves innovative thinking, teamwork brainstorming,
sketching, hands-on building, technical writing, and oral communication. To assist students with
this process, the instructors have lectures, labs, and interactive discussions on topics such as
brainstorming, the design process, technical writing, oral presentations, library research, and
ethical conduct.
Page 26.903.10

9
Instructor Assessment: Being first year students, they are not prepared to solve complex
engineering problems. However, this project provides an excellent opportunity for students to
learn the essence of the engineering design process. Faculty believe this project allows students
to practice engineering design, but being an introductory project that requires little formal
engineering training, students do not fully appreciate how realistic the experience actually is.

Student Survey: As shown in Figure 6 students surveyed perceived this project as being a
somewhat effective educational experience for all aspects of engineering design. Students
perceive the project in this course to be best at helping them learn the early aspects of the design
process in problem definition and synthesis. The average survey scores were: define the problem
3.64, synthesize knowledge 3.52, evaluate alternatives 3.52, and refine details 3.60.

Figure 6. Histogram of student survey responses for Introduction to Engineering.

Materials Laboratory (EGR270); Spring of sophomore year

Primary Fundamental Design Elements:
Define the problem:
Develop a plan to solve a problem (answer an engineering question)
Evaluate testing alternatives:
Literature search

Project: The main features of Materials Laboratory are hands-on experiments in materials
testing and processing. The “design content” of this course is a group-based Independent
Laboratory exercise in which students study an engineering design question regarding materials
topics such as creep or corrosion. In parallel with regular weekly laboratory work, about eight
weeks of the semester are spent outside of class on this laboratory doing literature search,
planning, and conducting the experiment. As part of the literature search, students must
investigate relevant ASTM testing standards as well as other widely used professional resources
such as the ASM Handbooks. The project culminates by reporting on the results in a formal
presentation followed by a question and answer period. This provides the instructor the
Page 26.903.11

opportunity to assess how well the students designed and conducted the experiment.

10
Instructor Assessment: This project is believed to help students learn to study a problem
independent of guided class-room lectures, to develop a plan and to execute the plan to answer
an engineering question, and to interpret the results. Students evaluate alternatives by
considering various ASTM standardized tests and adapting them to their specific needs. While
the instructor is pleased with this project’s outcomes, there is room to improve this experience.
Currently, the project work-statement leads students to view this as another school assignment;
in other words, they are doing the work for the instructor. They try to “figure out what the
instructor wants.” Revisions will be made in the work-statement to help students approach the
problem as if they were a professional engineering answering a question for a client. This would
require students to understand the importance of experimentation in engineering design rather
than just performing another class exercise for the instructor.

Student Survey: As shown in Figure 7 students surveyed perceived this project as being a
somewhat effective educational experience for all aspects of engineering design, but a neutral
response for “evaluating alternatives.” The project appears to offer the most value in the problem
definition stage of design. The average survey scores were: define the problem 3.56, synthesize
knowledge 3.47, evaluate alternatives 3.12, and refine details 3.50.

Figure 7. Histogram of student survey responses for Materials Laboratory.

Mechanical Systems Laboratory (ME351); Fall of junior year

Primary Fundamental Design Elements:
Define the problem (set goals and objectives)
Synthesize knowledge to develop alternatives
Evaluate alternatives:
Primarily through testing

Project: Students learn how to interface with machines through a few different methods,
including Programmable Logic Controllers, Motion Controllers, and LabVIEW. The skills
learned are then applied to a student-identified project relating to assistive technology. Examples
include designing a walker to sense and adjust to the height of stairs, an automatic transmission
Page 26.903.12

for a bicycle, and automated blinds that open or close based on the brightness outside.

11
Instructor Assessment: Many components of design are addressed, but the course stresses
developing student creativity. Gathering information leads to appropriately set goals, and
students are encouraged to reflect on how their research shapes the objectives, criteria, and
constraints. Students are assessed on the appropriateness of their projects both in the context of
the issue they are addressing and in the relevance to the course. The instructor believes that
pedagogical improvements can be made in-part by making students more aware of how various
project tasks relate to design. Starting this term, students will take a survey that explicitly states
the design components emphasized in the course, and this material will be used to enhance
student learning.

Student Survey: As shown in Figure 8 students surveyed perceived this project as being an
effective educational experience for all aspects of engineering design; especially “defining the
problem” and “synthesizing knowledge.” The average survey scores were: define the problem
4.23, synthesize knowledge 4.29, evaluate alternatives 4.03, and refine details 4.17.

Figure 8. Histogram of student survey responses for Mechanical Systems Laboratory.

Mechanics of Fluids II (ME312); Spring of junior year (second course in fluid mechanics)
Primary Fundamental Design Elements:
Synthesize knowledge to develop alternatives
Evaluate Alternatives:
Analysis and mostly testing
Synthesize knowledge to select best alternative

Project: Students design, build, test, and demonstrate a hydro turbine from a kit that is provided
to them. The kit consists of a plastic impeller shaped either like a fan or blower of approximately
4 inches in diameter. Students build turbines which use the water from a permanent test stand to
lift a weight of one kilogram through a distance of three meters in the shortest time. This contest
was a part of the Waterpower and Hydro conferences in the past and students from various
universities in US and the world participated for prizes. The contest is no longer conducted by
these conferences. However, for the last 20 years this has been part of Mechanics of Fluids II
Page 26.903.13

curriculum at the University of Portland. The cost of construction is quite minimal, less than ten
dollars per team.

12
Instructor Assessment: The primary educational objective for this project is for students to learn
that theory and analysis can at times take you only so far in engineering design, and that testing
should be an integral part of the design process rather than an activity done at the end of the
process for validation. Teams that test early and often and make incremental improvements are
able to achieve the design goal. Teams that do not test before the competition usually fail to
achieve the goals. In the design report, students reflect on what they should have done
differently to have greater success. “We should have tested earlier” is the most common lesson
learned. For the instructor, this is a sign of a successful educational project.

Student Survey: As shown in Figure 9 students surveyed perceived this project as being a
somewhat effective educational experience for all aspects of engineering design with a near
neutral response for “synthesizing knowledge.” The students observed the project provided the
most value for refining the problem. The average survey scores were: define the problem 3.59,
synthesize knowledge 3.06, evaluate alternatives 3.34, and refine details 3.59.

Figure 9. Histogram of student survey responses for the Fluid Dynamics course.

Heat Transfer (ME336); Spring of junior year

Primary Fundamental Design Elements:
Synthesize knowledge to develop alternatives
Generate ideas and concepts
Evaluate alternatives
Testing and analysis
Synthesize knowledge to select best alternative
Define and refine design details (iterate through the design process)

Project: the project is a semester-long design-build-test project. It is introduced very early in

the class with the stated objective of keeping a cup of coffee as warm as possible for one hour.
Students experience the opportunity to iterate on the design over the course of the semester and
during the last week of class they test their design that they have constructed. There is also an
Page 26.903.14

economic constraint: they may not spend more $20 on the project.

13
The first phase of the project is due shortly after the students learn the resistor circuit analogy for
thermal analysis. They develop 2-3 design concepts and use a simple 1-D resistor analysis to
optimize the design to minimize heat loss. This phase of the project reinforces the concepts
learned in the course in a practice setting where material properties are unknown, cylindrical
coordinates are critical, and assumptions about coffee temperature must be made.

As the course progresses the students move to the second phase of the project, where they select
the best design concept and improve the modeling. They are required to add a transient analysis
technique to the simple resistor analysis. This part of the project occurs after the students have
learned about transient heat transfer methods, but many of the techniques are mathematically
very difficult and this is the most challenging aspect of the project. In this phase of the project
the students are encouraged to augment the theoretical analysis with preliminary experimental
results to get a feel for accuracy in the analytical models.

The final testing day allows the students to write down the predicted temperature change for the
coffee and compare it to the temperature change measured during class. The team that achieves
the lowest temperature change in one hour of in-class testing is rewarded with bonus points on
the project report. In general the students find the project to be a fun and practical application of
the theoretical heat transfer knowledge they have gained during the course of the project.

Instructor Assessment: theory-based analysis is required in this project, not necessarily to predict
performance, but rather to optimize the design. Final testing is done with all students present –
so all students become aware of each other’s design creativity. Through this project, students
gain an appreciation for using analysis to optimize design and using testing to validate the
analysis.

Student Survey: As shown in Figure 10 students surveyed perceived this project as being an
effective educational experience for all aspects of engineering design. The project was most
helpful for synthesizing knowledge, an outcome that is consistent with the instruction objectives
of system optimization using heat transfer theory. The average survey scores were: define the
problem 4.15, synthesize knowledge 4.06, evaluate alternatives 3.97, and refine details 3.88.

Page 26.903.15

Figure 10. Histogram of student survey responses for Heat Transfer.

14
Machine Design (ME328); Spring of junior year
Primary Fundamental Design Elements:
Define the problem
Establish criteria
Developing a plan to solve the problem
Synthesize knowledge to develop alternatives
Evaluate alternatives
Test subsystem function, test prototype
Analysis (power transmission system)
Synthesize knowledge to select alternatives
Define and refine design details (iterate through the design process)

Project: This project is unique in our curriculum in that it mimics in several respects the
expectations for capstone projects. It requires similar documentation (project plan, mid-project
documentation, and a final design report). It also requires similar project management practices
including formal team meetings with written agenda, maintaining an action item log, and
providing the instructor concise weekly updates. These were introduced in the ME 328 project
several years ago as a response from seniors who expressed a sense of being overwhelmed by
“project and team management” more than the technical challenges. Providing juniors the
opportunity to practice using project and team management tools equips them for the capstone
project.

The technical side of the project requires students to design, construct, and test a vehicle to
compete against other teams. Only material from a LEGO Mind-storm kit may be used (the
same kits used by first-year students in the fall semester). The main functional design challenge
is to select a single gear ratio to achieve two different requirements (a steep hill climb and
quickly traversing a flat track). Before doing so, students must understand motor performance
(torque and speed relationship). Students must also satisfy economic and safety criteria. In
order to have an effective design, the students are required to synthesize their knowledge of
power transmission, gear ratios, and motor performance. The most successful teams iteratively
evaluate their design by integrating testing with analysis early in the project.

Instructor Assessment: Projects similar to this have been used for several years in this course.
What the instructor has identified as being the primary design challenge for students is creating a
plan to solve the problem; from the beginning, many seem unable to determine what engineering
work is needed. Most students approach design linearly: determine best gear ratio, build vehicle,
test, and then compete – with little detail about what is required to determine best gear ratio or
what the purpose of testing is. After the plans are submitted, the instructor facilitates an open
class discussion about what really needs to be done to solve the design problem. Through this
process, students are led to clearly understand the challenging technical problems and to identify
what knowledge is needed to solve them. Students then re-do their plans using this class
discussion as the framework. This new plan usually includes clear and specific tasks of analysis,
construction, and testing to solve design problems incrementally and iteratively.
Page 26.903.16

15
Prior to this class, the students have experienced various elements of design. This project is their
first opportunity to “put it all together” in a single design project.

Student Survey: Of all the projects in the design spine, this project is most intended to be a full
design project, from planning through design, building and testing, preparing students for their
capstone design course. The high survey scores shown in Figure 11 indicate the machine design
project is very effective as an overall design experience. Students reported the project was
overwhelmingly helpful in learning about all aspects of the design process. The average survey
scores were: define the problem 4.31, synthesize knowledge 4.19, evaluate alternatives 4.28, and
refine details 4.34.

Figure 11. Histogram of student survey responses for Machine Design.

Thermodynamics Laboratory (ME376); senior year

Primary Fundamental Design Elements:
Define the problem (establish criteria)
Synthesize knowledge
Generate ideas and concepts
Evaluate alternatives
Analysis
Testing
Synthesize knowledge to select the best alternative

Project: The final project for Thermodynamics Laboratory is a three week design project that
encourages the students to iteratively design, analyze, and test a device to heat water. The course
is typically taken during the senior year after completion of Fundamental Thermodynamics
(ME331), Applied Thermodynamics (ME332), and Heat Transfer (ME336).

The primary goal is to determine, within given constraints, how to generate the largest change in
temperature of 250 mL of water in three minutes. Students are given a 400 mL Pyrex® beaker
and four standard birthday candles. They are allowed to use insulation and building materials,
but they are not allowed to add more fuel to the system or do any thermodynamic work on the
Page 26.903.17

system during testing.

16
During the first week the students brainstorm ‘boiler’ designs that try to utilize the modes of heat
transfer (conduction, convection, and radiation) to their advantage. They should be considering
concepts to help transfer heat into the water from the candles while also minimizing heat loss to
the environment. In parallel, fundamental thermodynamics can help them estimate the
temperature rise that they could expect. At the end of the first week they should have built a
concept that they believe will heat the water more than any other team. The second week is
intended to be the time for evaluating design alternatives through testing. Inevitably, students
will need to iterate on their design. Some students will find that most of their heat is being lost
to the environment. Other students will find that their structure or insulation will ignite and
cause a “raging fire.” At the end of the second week, the students will have iteratively analyzed
and built systems that they believe will be able to heat the water more than any other team. The
last week culminates in a ‘boil off’ competition where each design is tested and compared
against one another for the largest change in temperature.

Instructor Assessment: The students respond very well to this project. It is an open-ended,
creative competition that forces them to formulate problem statements and specifications. In
general, teams with more analysis during the design iterations fair better during the competition.
It also gives the students a chance to see first-hand the relative impact of the heat transfer modes,
and the feasibility of transferring heat via multiple modes.

The final deliverable is a formal project report including a discussion of the design process,
analysis, testing, and results. As successful as this project is, it is possible that more freedom
with the design choices could help the students realize more potential for heating the water. For
example, if we allow them to use different vessels they may be able to appreciate the importance
of material properties like thermal conductivity. Students who choose to use a larger vessel may
be able to appreciate the importance of surface area. In a sense, allowing for more options
during the design process will most likely result in more solutions.

Student Survey: As shown in Figure 12 students surveyed perceived this project as being an
effective educational experience for all aspects of engineering design. The students reported the
project was most successful at helping them learn to define the problem and refine the design.
This is consistent with the instructional objective that they will focus on verifying performance
of the design experimentally and refine the design as appropriate. The average survey scores
were: define the problem 4.21, synthesize knowledge 4.05, evaluate alternatives 3.95, and refine
details 4.11.

Page 26.903.18

17
Figure 12. Histogram of student survey responses for Thermodynamics Laboratory.

Lessons  Learned  

The projects introduced in the first two years of the curriculum were perceived by the students as
being less beneficial than projects in junior and senior level courses. The authors believe this is
not due to the inherent differences of the projects, but rather that juniors and seniors are better
prepared to learn from open-ended design experiences. In other words, the course work and
design projects in freshmen and sophomore courses prepare students for a better educational
design experience as juniors and seniors. We believe that allowing students to practice various
aspects of engineering design throughout the entire curriculum is an effective and important
process for teaching design, but that the emphasis during the first two years should be on
preparing students to solve engineering problems with some (limited) practice solving open-
ended design problems. During the junior and senior years, after completing fundamental
engineering science courses, is when students are best able to learn the design process by
practicing it more fully.

Incorporating Lessons Learned

As a result of developing a design spine and the evaluating survey results, we are in the process
of making revisions to our courses and projects. We are hoping to develop very simple projects
that can span two or more sophomore-level courses; each course addressing certain design
elements of the project. It is hoped that such small-scaled projects will allow faculty to guide
students by incrementally stepping through the design process. It is also hoped that such multi-
course projects will help students appreciate that engineering is a multi-discipline field not
segmented along clear boundaries (like courses sometimes are). Although individual faculty are
hoping to make improvements in their course projects (as discussed in the respective courses
above), overall, the faculty are satisfied with the junior and senior level projects for now.

Map for developing a design spine

We recommend the following steps regarding developing a design spine. The entire program
faculty should be involved with this as this process involves an evaluation of the entire program
curriculum. This must be a team effort:
Page 26.903.19

• Identify or define in writing what “engineering design” actually is with respect to your
program. The ABET definition is a good place to start.
18
 • Identify the elements or “steps” of engineering design appropriate for your institution.
Each individual and each group of faculty has their own perspective.
• Identify in your existing curriculum where various elements of design are already being
addressed. Existing homework problems, specific lectures, course projects, etc., may
already incorporate many elements of design.
• Survey seniors to evaluate if their perceptions are similar to the faculty perspective. We
recommend in addition to asking students to evaluate individual projects or assignments,
also ask the students to evaluate the overall curriculum itself – how well do the student
feel they achieved the various elements of design regardless of how or in what class they
learned it. Also ask for comments, not just numerical scores.
• Having full design-build-test opportunities in the junior year was shown to be a
significant part of our design-spine. As much as reasonably possible, at least one project
at the end of the junior year should mimic your program’s expectations for capstone
projects. This should including requiring similar documents and project management
expectations (see the discussion for Machine Design (ME328)). By end of the junior
year, students have most of the technical tools needed for a working on a substantial
design problem. Allowing them to apply those tools in a semester-long open-ended
design project utilizing project management methods prepares them for more challenging
capstone design projects.
• Review existing curriculum and identify opportunities to strengthen design. This need
not require new courses, but may involve introducing new assignments or design projects
within existing courses.
• Annually, re-evaluate by surveying seniors and identifying opportunities for
improvements.
• Finally, we recommend making the design spine well known to the students, don’t keep it
a secret. The more clearly students see individual assignment and projects as part of a
larger pedagogical plan, the more they likely they will take ownership in it.

Conclusions    

Having a design spine that incorporates various elements of engineering design throughout the
four-year curriculum can be an effective method for teaching engineering design. Even if
individual projects do not address all aspects of design, each project can make a significant
contribution to pedagogy of design. The starting point for the creation of our design spine was to
define what design is and to identify where various design elements were already being taught.
Student surveys were used to evaluate how well the curriculum teaches various design elements,
and the surveys will be used to guide curricular and project changes.

The survey results indicate that the students are learning the engineering design process, and
each class project has its strengths and weaknesses. There are many opportunities for
improvement, and the faculty will be addressing these in the near future. Changes may include
revisions to existing projects, adding new projects or replacing current projects, and integrating
projects across courses. Changes will also include clearer communication with the students so
Page 26.903.20

that they can better appreciate how individual projects are helping them learn the design process.

19
The research team believes that the project will benefit from continued assessment and plan to
collect survey data from senior students annually to understand how successful enhancements
will be over time. As the design spine matures additional assessment measures may be added in
specific courses or in the form of individual alumni interviews.

References  

1. Hmelo-Silver, C. E. (2004). Problem-Based Learning: What and How Do Students

Learn? Educational Psychology Review, 16(3), 235–266.
doi:10.1023/B:EDPR.0000034022.16470.f3
2. Dym, C., Agogino, A., Eris, O., Frey, D., & Leifer, L. Engineering Design Thinking,
Teaching, and Learning, Mechanical Engineering (2005). Retrieved from
http://digitalcommons.olin.edu/mech_eng_pub/22
3. Perrenet, J. C., Bouhuijs, P. A. J., & Smits, J. G. M. M. (2000). The Suitability of
Problem-based Learning for Engineering Education: Theory and practice. Teaching in
Higher Education, 5(3), 345–358. doi:10.1080/713699144
4. Orhun, E., & Orhun, D. (2013). Creativity and Engineering Education. In SEFI (pp. 16–
20). Leuven, Belgium. Retrieved from
http://www.kuleuven.be/communicatie/congresbureau/congres/sefi2013/eproceedings/18
7.pdf
5. Dutson, A. J., Todd, R. H., Magleby, S. P., & Sorenson, C. D. (1997). A Review of
Literature on Teaching Engineering Design Through Project- Oriented Capstone Courses.
Journal of Engineering Education, (January).
6. Todd, R. H., Magleby, S. P., Sorensen, C. D., Swan, B. R., & Anthony, D. K. (1995). A
Survey of Capstone Engineering Courses in North America. Journal of Engineering
Education, 84(2), 165–174. doi:10.1002/j.2168-9830.1995.tb00163.x
7. Atman, C. J., Chimka, J. R., Bursic, K. M., & Nachtmann, H. L. (1999). A comparison of
freshman and senior engineering design processes. Design Studies, 20(2), 131–152.
doi:10.1016/S0142-694X(98)00031-3
8. Felder, R. M., & Rogers, C. R. (1988). Creativity in Engineering Education, 22(3), 120–
125. Retrieved from
http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Papers/Creativity(CEE).pdf
9. Kazerounian, K., & Foley, S. (2007). Barriers to Creativity in Engineering Education: A
Study of Instructors and Students Perceptions. Journal of Mechanical Design, 129(7),
761. doi:10.1115/1.2739569
10. Charyton, C., & Merrill, J. A. (2009). Assessing General Creativity and Creative
Engineering Design in First Year Engineering Students. Journal of Engineering
Education, 98(2), 145–156. doi:10.1002/j.2168-9830.2009.tb01013.x
11. Cropley, D. H., & Cropley, A. J. (2000). Fostering Creativity in Engineering
Undergraduates. High Ability Studies, 11(2), 207–219. doi:10.1080/13598130020001223
12. Lamancusa, J. S., Jorgensen, J. E., & Zayas-Castro, J. L. (1997). The Learning Factory-A
New Approach to Integrating Design and Manufacturing into the Engineering
Page 26.903.21

Curriculum. Journal of Engineering Education, 86(2), 103–112. doi:10.1002/j.2168-

9830.1997.tb00272.x

20
13. Elger, D. F., Beyerlein, S. W., & Budwig, R. S. (n.d.). Using design, build, and test
projects to teach engineering. In 30th Annual Frontiers in Education Conference.
Building on A Century of Progress in Engineering Education. Conference Proceedings
(IEEE Cat. No.00CH37135) (Vol. 2, pp. F3C/9–F3C13). Stripes Publishing.
doi:10.1109/FIE.2000.896572
14. Andersson, S. B., & Malmqvist, J. (2005). A Systematic Approach to the Design and
Implementation of Design-Build-Test Project Courses, 2374. Retrieved from
http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=394175802391107;res=IELENG
15. Hermon, J. P., McCartan, C. D., & Cunningham, G. (2010). Group design-build-test
projects as the core of an integrated curriculum in product design and development.
Engineering Education, 5(2), 50–58. doi:10.11120/ened.2010.05020050
16. Vision 2030 for Mechanical Engineering Education: An Action Agenda for Educators,
Industry, and Government, ASME Board on Education, V2030 Task Force, September
19, 2011

Page 26.903.22

21