Adopting a Common Product Design Process across  the Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Curriculum

Katherine Mathieu; Micah Lande; Karim Heinz Muci-Kuchler

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Conference: 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Baltimore , Maryland
Publication Date: June 25, 2023
Start Date: June 25, 2023
End Date: June 28, 2023
Conference Session: Design in Engineering Education Division (DEED) Technical Session 7
Tagged Division: Design in Engineering Education Division (DEED)
Page Count: 13
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--42583
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/42583
Download Count: 106

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Paper Authors

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Katherine Mathieu

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Micah Lande South Dakota School of Mines and Technology orcid.org/0000-0003-4964-5654

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Micah Lande, PhD is an Assistant Professor and E.R. Stensaas Chair for Engineering Education in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. Dr. Lande directs the Holistic Engineering Lab & Observatory. He teaches human-centered engineering design, design thinking, and design innovation courses. Dr. Lande researches how technical and non-technical people learn and apply design thinking and making processes to their work. He is interested in the intersection of designerly epistemic identities and vocational pathways. Dr. Lande received his B.S. in Engineering (Product Design), M.A. in Education (Learning, Design and Technology) and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering (Design Education) from Stanford University.

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Karim Heinz Muci-Kuchler Texas State University orcid.org/0000-0002-2272-2886

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Dr. Karim Muci-Kuchler is a Professor and Mechanical Engineering Program Coordinator at the Ingram School of Engineering of Texas State University. Before joining Texas State University, he was a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Experimental and Computational Mechanics Laboratory at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. He received his Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics from Iowa State University in 1992. His main interest areas include Computational Mechanics, Solid Mechanics, Product Design and Development, and STEM Education. He has taught several different courses at the undergraduate and graduate level, has over 80 publications, is co-author of one book, and has done consulting for industry in Mexico and the US. Dr. Muci-Kuchler is an ASME Fellow.

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Abstract

Although most mechanical engineering undergraduate programs in the US include a capstone senior design experience, the level of training that the students receive in the product design and development process can vary considerably between programs. In some cases, students learn the product design process in parallel with their capstone senior design project. In others, there are one or more previous courses that focus on teaching different phases of the product design and development process. Also, there are other factors that impact student learning such as variations in the design process favored by each faculty member supervising a capstone senior design project, the specific design process presented and the terminology used in different product design textbooks, and the product design textbook selected for each course of a product design course sequence.

To provide students a comprehensive education in product design and development, the Mechanical Engineering Department at University X decided to implement a holistic multi-pronged strategy. First, it adopted a specific product design process as the standard reference that faculty, students, and product design related courses would consistently use. Then, it identified a design spine sequence of project courses throughout the curriculum in which the students would be exposed to different aspects related to that product design and development process. This information was codified in the department’s website and brochures where current students and prospective students could find general information about the product development process and the product design topics that students would learn in each course in the sequence.

The product design process selected is based on an existing reference and is well-suited for products of low to moderate complexity that are engineered, discrete, and physical. The course sequence includes courses at the freshman, sophomore, and junior levels, and culminates with a comprehensive capstone senior design project that is conducted over two semesters. In some of the courses in the sequence students are introduced to basic systems thinking and systems engineering concepts to help them pursue a holistic approach while conducting design tasks. To further complement their product design education, interested students can also take a senior elective course that places a strong emphasis on design thinking.

This paper describes in detail the multi-pronged approach used in University X’s mechanical engineering undergraduate program to provide students a comprehensive education in product design and development. The product design process selected as the common reference is presented, the product design and development topics covered in each course of the sequence are given, and examples of key learning activities that take place in each course are given. Faculty members from other educational institutions may find the information useful to develop strategies to increase the training that their students receive in product design and development.

Citation
Format

Mathieu, K., & Lande, M., & Muci-Kuchler, K. H. (2023, June), Adopting a Common Product Design Process across the Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Curriculum Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--42583

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Although most mechanical engineering undergraduate programs in the US include a capstone senior design experience, the level of training that the students receive in the product design and development process can vary considerably between programs. In some cases, students learn the product design process in parallel with their capstone senior design project. In others, there are one or more previous courses that focus on teaching different phases of the product design and development process. Also, there are other factors that impact student learning such as variations in the design process favored by each faculty member supervising a capstone senior design project, the specific design process presented and the terminology used in different product design textbooks, and the product design textbook selected for each course of a product design course sequence.

To provide students a comprehensive education in product design and development, the Mechanical Engineering Department at University X decided to implement a holistic multi-pronged strategy. First, it adopted a specific product design process as the standard reference that faculty, students, and product design related courses would consistently use. Then, it identified a design spine sequence of project courses throughout the curriculum in which the students would be exposed to different aspects related to that product design and development process. This information was codified in the department’s website and brochures where current students and prospective students could find general information about the product development process and the product design topics that students would learn in each course in the sequence.

The product design process selected is based on an existing reference and is well-suited for products of low to moderate complexity that are engineered, discrete, and physical. The course sequence includes courses at the freshman, sophomore, and junior levels, and culminates with a comprehensive capstone senior design project that is conducted over two semesters. In some of the courses in the sequence students are introduced to basic systems thinking and systems engineering concepts to help them pursue a holistic approach while conducting design tasks. To further complement their product design education, interested students can also take a senior elective course that places a strong emphasis on design thinking.

This paper describes in detail the multi-pronged approach used in University X’s mechanical engineering undergraduate program to provide students a comprehensive education in product design and development. The product design process selected as the common reference is presented, the product design and development topics covered in each course of the sequence are given, and examples of key learning activities that take place in each course are given. Faculty members from other educational institutions may find the information useful to develop strategies to increase the training that their students receive in product design and development.

AU  - Katherine Mathieu
AU  - Micah Lande
AU  - Karim Heinz Muci-Kuchler
CY  - Baltimore , Maryland
DA  - 2023/06/25
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Adopting a Common Product Design Process across  the Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Curriculum
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/42583
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--42583
ER  -