Harper, K. A. (2023, July), WIP:  Varying the Design Experience in First-Year Engineering  Paper presented at 14th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience (FYEE) Conference, University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. 10.18260/1-2--44852

\bibitem{asee_peer_44852}
  Harper, K. A. (2023, July), \emph{WIP:  Varying the Design Experience in First-Year Engineering}
  Paper presented at 14th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience (FYEE) Conference, University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee.
  10.18260/1-2--44852

Kathleen A Harper.  "WIP:  Varying the Design Experience in First-Year Engineering".  14th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience (FYEE) Conference, University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, 2023, July.  ASEE Conferences, 2023.  https://strategy.asee.org/44852 Internet.  13 May, 2024

\bibitem{asee_peer_44852}
  Kathleen A Harper.
  "WIP:  Varying the Design Experience in First-Year Engineering".
  \emph{14th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience (FYEE) Conference, University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, 2023, July}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2023.
  https://strategy.asee.org/44852 Internet.  13 May, 2024

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_44852
author = "Kathleen A Harper"
title = "WIP:  Varying the Design Experience in First-Year Engineering"
booktitle = "14th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience (FYEE) Conference"
year = "2023"
month = "July"
address = "University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://strategy.asee.org/44852}
number = {10.18260/1-2--44852}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - The first-year engineering experience at X University is structured around a series of two-week modules that introduce students to cooperative engineering problem solving using a variety of tools and techniques.  Most modules are built on a foundation of MATLAB coding and electronic device building.  Each module is inspired by one of the engineering majors available on campus and culminates with a 75-minute design project.  Each project lends itself to highlighting different aspects of the design process, as well as different ways in which prototypes might be shared.  Here we share two examples of design projects from the course:  a water filter from the environmental engineering module and a spy gadget from the materials science module.  

The water filter follows after students have learned about turbidity and how to measure it using a sensor, an Arduino microcontroller, and MATLAB.  Students design, build, and test a few prototypes before creating their final prototype.  The filters are evaluated in an in-class competition based on two criteria:  the speed of the filter and its effectiveness in reducing the turbidity of the filtered water.  The spy gadget design is more open-ended and comes after the students have worked with a piezoelectric film, Arduino, and oscilloscope to write MATLAB code for detecting knocks on the piezoelectric film.  The students choose additional electrical components to incorporate with the Arduino and film to create their devices.  The designs are shared in a format resembling a conference poster presentation during class.  Students provide feedback to their classmates regarding the creativity, uniqueness, practicality, and other positive aspects of the designs.

This paper compares and contrasts these two projects, both from the standpoint of the challenges themselves and the ways the students present their products.  We share some of the sources that inspired the technical content and pedagogical approaches, as well as our observations and some student feedback.  Finally, we describe a few variations on these projects we have developed, along with potential future variations.

AU  - Kathleen A Harper
CY  - University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee
DA  - 2023/07/30
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - WIP:  Varying the Design Experience in First-Year Engineering
UR  - https://strategy.asee.org/44852
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--44852
ER  -