Post-Graduation Assessment of the Effectiveness of an Industrially Sponsored Senior Design Capstone Course

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vito Moreno ◽  
Bryan Weber ◽  
Thomas Barber
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Student Perspectives ◽  
Capstone Course ◽  
Senior Design ◽  
Recent Graduates ◽  
Course Outcomes ◽  
The University ◽  
University Of Connecticut ◽  
Level Of Effort

Results of a survey of recent graduates who completed the Mechanical Engineering Senior Design Capstone course at the University of Connecticut are presented. Student perspectives on level of effort, effectiveness of course outcomes, and value of the course in their current jobs are presented. Overall results suggest that the industrially sponsored projects together with the class lectures have provided valuable experiences.

scholarly journals FROM MECHANICAL ENGINEERING CAPSTONE DESIGN TO DESIGN IMPLEMENTATION

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Dumond ◽  
Eric Lanteigne
Keyword(s):  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Capstone Course ◽  
Capstone Courses ◽  
Engineering Theory ◽  
Teaching Design ◽  
The University ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Capstone Design

Traditionally, mechanical engineering capstone courses focused on teaching students the application of fundamental engineering theory to complex mechanical designs. Recently, there has been a transition towards experiential learning initiatives, such as prototyping, in engineering design. This paper looks at the relationship between the mechanical engineering design capstone course and a course in product design and development, which provides students with the opportunity to build prototypes of their designs, at the University of Ottawa. The importance of the traditional capstone course is considered and the implications of implementing these designs are examined. Many capstone design projects would require extensive work so that they could be implemented. A large hurdle appears to exist between analytical design and design implementation, and the term time constraints limit the complexity of designs intended for prototyping. In fact, students require many design iterations before they can build full-scale functional prototypes of their design. Therefore, we have observed that simple products work best for teaching design implementation.

Structuring Senior Design Capstone to Develop Competencies

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahed Siddique
Keyword(s):  
Learning Community ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Energy Industry ◽  
Student Outcome ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
University Of Oklahoma ◽  
Senior Design ◽  
Student Teams ◽  
The University

Senior Design Capstone is a required component of many undergraduate engineering programs. The School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Oklahoma has incorporated industry sponsored design projects, with Experiential Learning as the model, to develop technical and meta-competencies through the Senior Design Practicum Program. The Mechanical Engineering Capstone program has been developed to provide a learning environment, where students in teams work closely with an industry sponsor and a faculty advisor. The student teams work as a consulting group to produce useful results on an open-ended project to the sponsors’ satisfaction within the constraints of time and budget. Three major program elements, are (1) Student teams to learn and perform the tasks to achieve the desired goals of the project (2) Sponsor to define the problem, guide and accept or reject the results, and (3) Faculty to advise, coordinate, and evaluate. The Capstone program has targeted the energy industry, with a focus on oil and gas, which has a very strong presence in the region. The program, working closely with industry partners as mentors, prepares students for the energy industry. The student outcome and program are evaluated with extensive participation from industry. The program was implemented during 2002–2003. Over the last 10-years the program been able to sustain and grow. The plan that was used to sustain the program relied on developing a learning community of students, faculty and industry to support development of student competencies.

Development of an Industrially Sponsored Senior Design Capstone Program: A University and Sponsor Perspective

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vito Moreno ◽  
Eric Cutiongco ◽  
Vinay Patel
Keyword(s):  
Academic Community ◽  
Capstone Course ◽  
Senior Design ◽  
Program Manager ◽  
Design Program ◽  
Critical Feedback ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Local Companies ◽  
The University ◽  
Academic Year

The University of Connecticut Department of Mechanical Engineering Senior Design (Capstone) Course utilizes projects that are sponsored by local companies. While this approach offers many immediate benefits to near-graduating seniors, it introduces many unique problems to the academic community. Developing and sustaining an industrially-sponsored capstone design program requires an understanding of the synergies and differences between academia and industry.[1] Key issues that are addressed in this paper are project identification, oversight, mentorship and critical feedback. This paper is a collaboration between the Program Manager and 2 of the industry Sponsors from the 2015 2016 academic year. Following a brief discussion of several projects, sponsor comments on the value and areas of continued improvement are provided.

Design-Build-Test Senior Design Project

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas G. Boronkay ◽  
Janak Dave
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Technology ◽  
Bachelor Of Science ◽  
Design Project ◽  
Technology Students ◽  
Senior Design ◽  
Design Build ◽  
Course Sequence ◽  
Capstone Projects ◽  
The University

Abstract Every student in the Mechanical Engineering Technology Department must complete a Senior Capstone Design Project course sequence as a requirement for the partial fulfillment of the Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology degree. Mechanical Engineering Technology students at the University of Cincinnati must design, build, and test their product for the satisfactory completion of the Senior Design Project course sequence. At many institutions the capstone projects do not include the build and test components. This paper gives a short description of the Senior Design course sequence, the list of pre-requisite design courses, the design process used by the students to complete their projects. It addresses issues, such as, team versus individual projects, industrial versus personal projects, etc. It also describes typical projects, two of which are being used in industry with minor modifications.

Design and Fabrication of a Self-Cleaning Toilet: Developing a Student Invention

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephan Maric ◽  
Joey Phelps ◽  
Zbigniew M. Bzymek ◽  
Vito Moreno
Keyword(s):  
Uv Light ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Durability Test ◽  
Capstone Course ◽  
Senior Design ◽  
Toilet Seat ◽  
Self Cleaning ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Cleaning Methods ◽  
The University

The University of Connecticut Senior Design Capstone course developed by the Department of Mechanical Engineering is widely recognized by the Connecticut industry. The course provides fourth year students the opportunity for a major design experience in which they apply principles of engineering staring with the conceptual design through the basic science and mathematics, up to model, analysis, design of physical systems its components or processes as well as prepares students to work professionally [9]. This paper will discuss the issues and challenges associated with one of the Senior Design (SD) projects that was based on student generated inventive concept and sponsored by the student-inventor. The project demonstrated the design and prototyping problems on the example so called “Self-Cleaning Toilet”. The project addresses “self-cleaning” of facilities where infectious bacteria and viruses are prevalent in frequently used installations such as public restrooms. These areas tend to be difficult to keep clean often, without obstructing the functionality of the facility. The solution being proposed in this project is an intelligently designed, self-regulating, cleaning system that is able to be retroactively fitted onto a variety of toilet seats. UV germicidal irradiation was chosen as the primary method to eliminate germs for this device for several reasons. Using a UV light allows for more efficient, effortless elimination of germs as compared to conventional cleaning methods. The light encourages hands off operation, meaning that the user will not have to physically touch the toilet seat to clean it. Additionally, it allows the toilet seat surface to be cleaned continually throughout the day and in between uses, which is an unrealistic task to replicate with methods currently being employed. Multiple experiments were conducted that tested the ability of the UV light to reach all surfaces on a toilet seat. The germicidal effectiveness experiment tested the sanitation capability of the light under its intended operating conditions. Finally, the durability test indicated that the device would be able to withstand the conditions of the working environments commonly associated with bathrooms. Designs, building and testing of the prototype of such a toilet seat are described in the paper. Results from each of the testing experiments and experience gained in the creation of the Clean Light toilet design are described in the paper.

A Six-Legged Walking Robot as a Senior Design Project

1997 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-71
Author(s):  
H. B. Gürocak ◽  
J. M. Ancona
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Design Criterion ◽  
Walking Robot ◽  
Research Committee ◽  
Design Project ◽  
Senior Design ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Minimum Number ◽  
Leg Motion ◽  
The University

In this article the design of a six-legged walking robot as a mechanical engineering senior design project is presented. The design criterion was to use a minimum number of motors for leg motion while the robot would have the ability to turn when it ran into an object. The project proved to be a good example for the application of fundamental mechanical engineering concepts such as kinematics, statics and machine design. This project was funded by the Faculty Research Committee of the University of the Pacific.

Cognitive Empathy in Design Course for a More Inclusive Mechanical Engineering

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Wong (Lau) ◽  
Rebecca L. Norris ◽  
Zahed Siddique ◽  
M. Cengiz Altan ◽  
James Baldwin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Cognitive Empathy ◽  
Student Survey ◽  
Student Body ◽  
Empathy Training ◽  
University Of Oklahoma ◽  
Senior Design ◽  
Undergraduate Programs ◽  
The University ◽  
New Generation

Cognitive Empathy, often referred to as perspective taking, refers to the ability to identify and understand details about another’s experience so that one can understand why people may think and feel the way that they do. In recent years the need for designers to develop Cognitive Empathy skills has been recognized and has given rise to human-centered design and empathic design. Many mechanical engineering and design departments offer courses and have programs in these emerging topics. Mechanical engineers need to have basic understanding of Cognitive Empathy to function in today’s workplace. In addition, most mechanical engineering undergraduate programs do not have a diverse student body representative of the general population. Although there are many reasons, we believe that having a welcoming, inclusive environment is a precursor to improving diversity and thus should be an important consideration in mechanical engineering education. We propose that introducing carefully designed training on Cognitive Empathy in design courses could result in (i) a more welcoming and inclusive environment and (ii) a new generation of designers better equipped to consider the users. In this paper we present an “Intercultural Cognitive Empathy” training that was given to all mechanical engineering seniors at the University of Oklahoma to create a more inclusive environment. The students in a senior design course received the training at the beginning of the semester, before forming their design teams, so that they could use the skills to better communicate with each other. Cognitive Empathy research provided the foundation for the training and intercultural active learning components were also integrated. A student survey, done at the end of the semester, showed that students retained and used different components of the training throughout the semester. The assessment strongly suggests that this training should be part of the regular curriculum.

Undergraduate Research Into Motorsports Safety at UNC Charlotte

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edwin R. Braun
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Project Planning ◽  
Engineering Technology ◽  
Capstone Course ◽  
Senior Design ◽  
Engineering Design Process ◽  
Research Decision ◽  
The University ◽  
Process Elements

Abstract The Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte) has encouraged industrial collaboration in its Senior Design capstone course. Very few projects have drawn the interest and enthusiasm as a recent set of projects in Motorsports Safety. The Senior Design course has dual purposes: to serve as an integrative capstone design experience, and to teach the basics of the engineering design process. Some of the process elements include: requirements capture, project planning and tracking, technical research, decision analysis, evaluation, and documentation.

Learning Experiences From an Industrially Sponsored Senior Design Capstone Program: A Student Perspective

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vito Moreno ◽  
Meagan Ferreira ◽  
Peter Malicki ◽  
Seth Morris ◽  
John DePasquale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Peer Group ◽  
Student Perspective ◽  
Employment Opportunities ◽  
Senior Design ◽  
Program Manager ◽  
Student Teams ◽  
Design Program ◽  
Capstone Projects ◽  
The University ◽  
University Of Connecticut

A key element of the Department of Mechanical Engineering Senior Design Program at the University of Connecticut is the industrial sponsorship of virtually all Capstone projects. This paper is a collaborative effort between the Program Manager and two of the current 2016–2017 student teams. The students discuss their initial reasons for selecting their projects and their experiences in working with a peer group in the planning and execution of a project. Learnings from their interaction with the industrial sponsor, achievement of the ABET objectives and the value that the project experience has provided in obtaining post-graduation employment. Opportunities and actions, based on this feedback, for continued development of the program to improve effectiveness are also identified.

Student Preparation for Dysphagia Practice: Universities and Practicum Sites Supporting a Common Outcome

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (13) ◽  
pp. 122-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Chase ◽  
Lucinda Soares Gonzales
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Classroom Setting ◽  
Medical Settings ◽  
Student Preparation ◽  
Health Care Settings ◽  
The University ◽  
University Of Connecticut

This article will describe the approach to dysphagia education in a classroom setting at the University of Connecticut (UCONN), explore the disparity between student performance in schools vs. health care settings that was discovered at UCONN, and offer suggestions for practicum supervisors in medical settings to enhance student acquisition of competence.

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