Week 14:
- Lecture on how a synthesized design is implemented and how quality can be affected. While a design may workout on paper, the materials and methods used in its fabrication and manufacturing will affect its quality and functionality. In addition, the scale of the design can present a unique challenge, for example, the methods used to build a suburban home are much simpler and less expensive than those used to build a large bridge.
Week 13:
- Lecture on how to determine which design best solves an engineering problem. This is done with design evaluation tools, such as decision matrices and KT analysis. that look at each design alternative and what benefits/hazards they create. Using this info and set of weights, the evaluation tools show the relative strength of each option. Unfortunately, these methods can be subject to subjectivity as the weights are user defined.
Week 12:
- Lecture on how a design can fail and what hazards it could create. There are three levels of failure: physical failure is brought on by flaws such as metal fatigue or corrosion, process failure is brought on by errors in design, manufacturing, or use and failure in perspective is brought on by poor work ethic or attitude. Different types of hazards can be created by different designs, some example are entrapment or ejection hazards. Methods such as RCA, FTA and FMEA can be used to preemptively find flaws and hazards dwelling in your design.
Week 11:
- Lecture on the ethical and legal considerations in design. Since ancient times engineers have been held to a set of standards to insure their creations are safe. In modern times this is even more true, there are a myriad of different guidelines, codes and laws which apply to specific design scenarios. In addition, engineers are held accountable for failures in their designs and are expected to interpret changes to the product throughout its life time and possible misuses of it.
Week 10:
- Lecture on Synthesis, the formation of a solution using a set of building blocks. This can be a challenging task because of how you have to think and there are often barriers that must be overcome. These barriers can be gaps in your thought process, or external influences from culture and community. A morphological chart can be used to help with synthesis as it groups your ideas(building blocks) together making it easier to see potential solutions.
Week 9:
- Lecture on the different ways to create a model of an object or system. Models are used to gather our thoughts and knowledge on a certain thing. They can be created in a variety of media such as code, flowcharts or physical representations. Finally, we learned how to refine a model using a method called Occam's Razor and general enhancement tips.
Week 8:
Week 7:
- Lecture on the acquiring and application of technical knowledge as well as the laws protecting that information and its founders. Finally, we learned about the processes to register out own intellectual properties under legal protection such as copyrighting or trademarks.
Week 6:
Week 5:
- Lecture about the search for engineering solutions. In order to reach the best solution, the search must be structured based on the final goals the specifications associated with them.
Week 4:
- Lecture about how to create problem statements that are useful in formulating an engineering solution. We were also taught a series of methods to analyze and revise a problem statement.
Week 3:
- Lecture on the initial phase of the design process and how it plays into an engineers obligation help people. Before a solution can be made, there must be a problem, whether its a new product to improve peoples lives or improvements on an existing one. These problems can be broken into three subcategories, prediction explanation and invention. Finally, once a problem is identified, a design proposal should be written to create the initial plan.
Week 2:
- Introductory lecture on engineering and design. Engineers solve problems by applying their knowledge of science and mathematics in order to benefit other people. To solve these problems they use the design process: the need for a solution must be identified, the problem must be identified, the problem is broken down into smaller pieces and then synthesized, alternative designs are evaluated to find the best option, and finally, the project is implement in real life,
Week 1: