ANYTHING YOU CAN DO I CAN DO BETTER
Engineering, Fall 2010
See link to my DP for project outline and requirements (Reverse Engineering Project)
Project Abstract
Students explored the many different components that make up different technologies. Students use project planning and engineering principles to create an interactive demonstration to allow others to explore the technologies. Through this projects, students develop heir skills in several forms of technical communication including technical reports, presentations, and engineering drawings. The final product is an interactive display that demonstrates all of the information that the individual students had discovered.
What did you teach and how did you teach it?
The goal of this project was to familiarize the students with engineering components. Just as we learn from history, we must analyze past technology to better understand different methods for achieving a specific task.
The first stage of this project involved deconstructing an existing technology to analyze the individual components present. Through this, students gain a knowledge of how past engineers have approached different tasks. For example, two students who both analyzed a clock were able to see the different methods for driving the mechanisms (coiled springs vs. a stepper motor). Students created an interactive display to allow others to explore what they had learnt. This display required significant research into all of the components in their technology as well as technical drawings to better describe components. The students were free to choose their technology to analyze, allowing the students to modify the project to better fit their individual needs.
The second stage of this project required students to propose an improvement to the design of their project. Through analyzing the individual components of their technology they were required to define some specific problem or area of possible improvement. They then had to create a professional design proposal to describe this problem and to pose a solution. Technical drawings were also used to communicate their proposed design.
What concepts and skills did the students gain in this class through this project?
Understanding of different engineering components.
Understanding of the design process. Specifically, problem identification, task definition, brainstorming, initial design.
Development of technical drawing skills.
Orthographic and Isometric drawings.
Dimensioning.
Drawing standards.
Development of technical writing skills.
How is the curriculum for this project academically rich and grade-level challenging?
I model my class after an engineering firm and place my expectations at a level accordingly. The material in this project is reflective of skills that college engineering students and industry professionals are required to have. Technical drawing was a major focus of this project and required students to communicate through drawing in a highly precise and clear manner. This was extremely rigorous for the students and they required much nurturing to eventually produce professional looking work. Analysis of the components in the technologies required students to dig deep and understand the scientific principles behind how they work. Students were also held to high standards with their writing where they have struggled in the past. We really want our students to be great writers and succeed in college.
To what extent was there integration across disciplines in your class through this project?
This project required a significant amount of technical writing and communication. Formal writing is a skill that we are trying to develop in all of our classes to prepare students for college writing demands.
Which Habits of Heart and Mind (HoHM) and Design Principles were utilized in this project?
Mindfulness: During project work time I consistently interacted with students and had discussions with them to ensure that they were cognizant of what they were working on and what they were responsible for.
Cooperation: Students worked with a partner to complete this project. They had to communicate and plan together so that the workload was spread evenly.
Perspective: Students had to explore a technology from the eyes of the engineer who built it. This required them to let go of their own ideas and assumptions and take the perspective of an engineer.
Evidence: Demonstration of research was required to fully explain each component and how it worked.
Refinement: One-on-one meetings were held with each student to review drafts and help them make meaningful improvements to their work
How did you incorporate refinement through this project?
I made refinement an important aspect of this project. Students were required to submit drafts for each deliverable so that they were constantly looking back on their work and trying to improve it. I also scheduled one-on-one meetings with each student to discuss their drafts and to guide them in the right direction. This individualized attention led to much richer final products from the students.
This was the first time I had done this project but I was able to refine an existing project done by another engineering teacher from a different campus. I found it important to refine the product that the students created from analyzing their technology. Instead of a poster board I had the students create an interactive display to encourage the audience to explore the technology. I was also able to add more depth to the project by adding the design proposal segment which better connects to a real world engineering task.