A Freshman Engineering Curriculum Integrating Design and Experimentation

Abstract

A pilot freshman curriculum has been designed and implemented in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The four-course sequence gives freshmen an overview of a broad range of mechanical engineering activities, ranging from system design and project management, electronics and programming, to technical writing and presentations. Students take a two-quarter ‘Introduction to Mechanical Engineering Design’ course and a two-quarter ‘Measurements, Instrumentation, and Controls’ course. In each sequence, the first course gives students most of the basic tools they will need and the second is centered on an electromechanical Rube Goldberg design project, undertaken by the whole class. Students develop the design concept, build the system, and prove that it works. They are able to practice skills such as communications, teamwork, time management, and experimentation. The integrated first-year course sequences have been offered for two years and have proved successful. The students were clearly satisfied with their experience.