Lectures and lab with an emphais on small group work.
The fundamental principles of engineering design will be introduced and reinforced through hands-on exercises and project work. Topics will include needs assessment, design constraints, generating and assessing alternative designs, modelling and optimization, and communicating the design outcome.
Students will work in teams to complete a number of design exercises and projects, which will give students multiple opportunities to experience the design process, from definition of needs, to implementation and final testing.
There will be two major projects:
- In the first project, teams of students will take a design from problem definition and identification of constraints through conceptual and preliminary design, and possibly (depending on complexity) including the construction of a prototype.
- In the second project, teams of students design, construct, and program a machine such as an autonomous robot to perform a specific task. All materials such as a robot kit with a microprocessor, various motors and sensors will be provided. This project will take the design process from a clearly defined problem through conceptual design, preliminary design, testing, detailed design and documentation.
Students will be expected to provide proper documentation of their designs and of the design process that has been followed.
After completing this course, students will be able to:
- Follow a standard structured engineering design process to develop a solution to a design problem;
- Assess stated needs/requirements to develop a design problem statement that addresses the core need/requirement;
- Undertake research to identify relevant background information and prior art;
- Apply selected creative thinking methods to develop innovative solutions for engineering design problems;
- Apply formal decision making methods to assist in choosing between alternative conceptual designs
- Follow standard structured process to design a system comprised of electrical, mechanical, computer and software sub-systems
- Apply discipline specific technical knowledge in the design process and demonstrate understanding of the relevance of that knowledge to the disciplines in professional practice;
- Demonstrate selected teamwork skills toward the successful accomplishment of an engineering design project;
- Identify business, social, environmental and regulatory considerations relevant to the execution of an engineering design project;
- Apply selected tools for effective management of time and resources in the context of an engineering design project.
Evaluation will be carried out in accordance with Douglas College policy. The instructor will present a written course outline with specific evaluation criteria at the beginning of the semester. Evaluation will be based on the following:
Assignments 15-30%
Quizzes 15-30%
Project #1 - Team evaluation 10-15%
Project #1 - Individual evaluation 10-15%
Project #2 - Team evaluation 10-15%
Project #2 - Individual evaluation 10-15%
Students should consult the Douglas College Bookstore for the latest required textbooks and materials. The exact textbook and course materials will be decided by the course instructor. They will be similar to:
- Textbooks such as Pym and Little, Engineering Design: A Project Based Approach (current edition) published by Wiley
- Design tools such as SketchUp
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