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Integrating Engineering Design Courses
with Humanities, Social Sciences, Sciences, and Mathematics
Devdas Shetty and H. Alnajjar
University of Hartford
PowerPoint
Presentation
Abstract
Globalization
has redefined the requirements set forth by the industry for a graduating engineer.
As a result, engineering education is undergoing a major transformation in which
the students are exposed to engineering and nonengineering skills (computer, communication,
and management). As a part of the National Science Foundation program on action
agenda for curricular reform, the University of Hartford developed and tested
a model for innovative undergraduate curriculum. We redesigned the freshman engineering
courses by incorporating Integrative Learning Blocks, involving faculty members
from engineering, mathematics, physics, humanities, and social sciences. We created
an engineering design course with industry-sponsored projects involving professional
ethics. We redesigned junior-year design course with integrated learning with
civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering. We developed a strong partnership
with the industry and created real-life capstone engineering projects. These reforms
are aimed at helping the students get the feel of their profession and create
a passion for engineering. The workshop agenda will be as follows: - How
to set up an integrated learning block (ILB)
- How to create ILB between
freshman fundamental engineering courses and the reading and writing courses offered
by the Department of the Rhetoric, Language, and Culture
- How to create
ILB with physics, math, and engineering courses
- How to integrate ethics
in profession to engineering design courses
- How to link design courses
from freshman year to senior year and assess for continuous improvement
- How
to evaluate integrated curriculum efforts
Learning Objectives - Understanding
how to connect engineering courses with (a) reading and writing, (b) physics,
and (c) math courses—at freshman level
- Develop and integrate ethical
components into the engineering curriculum
- Establish design linkages from
freshman to senior year
- Understand the need for creation of integrated
course outcomes
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