ENGR 194-196
The purpose of this year-long capstone project design course is to offer guided practice in integrating various engineering sciences into practical engineering design projects. The primary goal is to provide students with a set of innovation skills that will allow them to participate in and lead innovation and creativity in collaborative settings. The capstone projects discussed as part of this course will emphasize problem definition, design thinking models, problem finding and framing, and project conceptualization and identification. Students will communicate and apply the skills mastered to future quarter design problems towards completion of of their project. This is a brand new course sequence, only offered once so far in academic year 18-19. I will continue to iterate and add course topics and activities in future years!
Fail early, fail often – but fail smart.
ENGR 194 - Senior Design Project 1
Fall quarter is largely be dedicated to framing design challenges, exploring the target audience/critical customers, brainstorming solutions, and project management. We work within Human-Centered Design Thinking to inspire and inform design challenges, focus on one design challenge, then define, ideate, and program the challenge throughout the quarter.
My goals for students teams during this first quarter is to help them set up processes for project management - I encourage use of software such as Trello and Slack for project communications and documentation, Team Gantt or the like for project tasks and timelines, and concept map software such as Draw.io or Coggle for identifying and connecting project subsystems to their initial design solutions.
ENGR 195 - Senior Design Project 2
Winter quarter is dedicated to prototyping design solutions, team and project management, and project communications. This quarter we will continue working within Human-Centered Design Thinking to challenge our initial design assumptions and work with our critical customers and target audiences throughout the quarter.
I created the engineering design process spiral on the right for my students to emphasize not only that the steps of the design process are important, but the process of iterating through the steps, spiraling towards the center 'ideal state' is also critical. I love how the spiral suggests that every time through the process you are closer to that ideal solution.
My goals for the winter quarter are around tangibility of their design solution. Solutions will go through many prototype iterations with rounds of testing for functionality, fit, customer approval, asthetics, etc. Project documentation is a constant and continues from structures developed during the fall quarter. Team health is also monitored and reflected upon to gain team skills.
Engineering Design Process Spiral
ENGR 196 - Senior Design Project 3
Spring quarter works to finalize, test, and submit the project design solutions and communications. Most of the prototyping and initial testing are done. Now analysis, evaluation and reflection begin as formal project communications are drafted.
My goals in the spring quarter are to submit a finalized project. The goals set back in the fall quarter, maintained and iterated upon during the winter quarter, are now fulfilled. New timelines are generated which include time to draft final written reports, practices team presentations, and finalize testing and customer approval. Depending on time, solution branding, business viability and other project results are completed.
Senior Convocation is in early May!
Example course materials, expectations and illustrations of the design processes used
Faculty Expectations of the Student
As a capstone design course, the projects are open-ended and a thorough design process is nearly as important as the solution itself. This means that your obligations and expectations will not be as clearly spelled-out as in more traditional classes. Your quarter expectations are:
- Good design practice
- Thorough problem definition and understanding
- Creativity in the development of design concepts
- Quality engineering work
- Timely and well-conceived activities and assignments
- Professional oral and written communications
- Diligent level of effort toward well-defined milestones
- Effective record keeping and documentation
- Discipline in meeting personal and group obligations
- Demonstration of teamwork with mutual respect of its members
Student Expectations of the Faculty
Senior Design is not the usual lecture-driven course where your instructor gives daily assignments. Though he/she may give good ideas and suggestions to improve your designs, do not count on your instructor to volunteer ideas that you are expected to pursue. Though your instructor wants your design to be successful to the fullest extent possible, he/she is primarily the evaluator of your work. You should expect your instructor to do the following:
- To serve as a mentor in understanding the design process
- To serve as an adviser to your group in response to questions
- To act as a coach to stimulate the group and its members to high performance levels
- To insure that groups conduct their business in a professional, disciplined manner
- To make clear standards for performance on analyses and reporting work including thesis and presentation formal descriptions and deadlines
- To give fair and timely feedback on student performance
- It is incumbent upon each group and instructor to establish a working relationship which will serve to keep your instructor informed of your progress, problems, and accomplishments.
Design Process
Engineering design itself is a complex cognitive process. It depends on systematic, intelligent generation of design concepts and specifications that make it possible to realize problem solutions. Importantly, the engineering design process encompasses a mindset that emphasizes open-ended problem solving and encourages iteration and learning from failure.
In this course we consciously iterate through the design process recognizing different stages of solution progress where steps need to be repeated, or more creativity or empathy is needed. I really like the 'messy' divergent-convergent process that all projects develop through!
