LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM College of

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM College of Engineering and Science First-Year Design Experience: Assembling the “Big Picture” Through Innovative Product Design Kelly Crittenden – Louisiana Tech David Hall – Louisiana Tech Mark Barker – Louisiana Tech Patricia Brackin – Rose-Hullman ASEE 2009 Annual Conference Austin, TX Session 1125

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM College of Engineering and Science Ruston, LA Louisiana Tech Seven Engineering Programs Science and Technology 20, 000 people 11, 000 students 1, 100 students 440 students ASEE 2009 Annual Conference Austin, TX Session 1125

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM College of Engineering and Science Freshman Curriculum – all engineering freshmen Fall Course Winter Semester Course Credits Spring Semester Course Credits Semester Credits ENGR 120 2 ENGR 121 2 ENGR 122 2 MATH 240 3 MATH 241 3 MATH 242 3 CHEM 100 2 CHEM 101 / 103 PHYSICS 201* 3 2/1

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM College of Engineering and Science Living with the Lab • Each student owns their own “lab” consisting of – – a laptop tools (multimeter, dial caliper, wire strippers, . . . ) $80 software (Mathcad, Solid. Works, MS Office) a microcontroller (the Boe-Bot) to provide a personal “lab” $100 • Student owned labs provide a way to boost hands-on learning beyond what is possible using traditional university laboratories

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM College of Engineering and Science Freshman Projects Laboratory Two classrooms designed to support the curriculum (40 students, 24 students) Classrooms allow us to easily switch between lecture, laboratory and shop activities within a single 110 minute class period.

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM College of Engineering and Science Engineering 122 Video

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM College of Engineering and Science “Innovation” books and methods are presented

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM College of Engineering and Science “Bug List” – from the Art of Innovation • Individual students keep a list of “bugs” • At least one new bug for each class period • At least seven total bugs per student • Teams of four students combine lists

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM College of Engineering and Science Electronic Design Journal • Teams keep an e-journal of their progress • Many class assignments included in the journal • Attempt to guide students through the recording process • Journals turned in at end of quarter

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM College of Engineering and Science Mind Maps – How to think like Leonardo da Vinci • Mind Maps and Concept Maps are demonstrated • Students are given time in class to construct a mind map of their bug as a team • No right or wrong, just get the ideas flowing and communicate as a team

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM College of Engineering and Science Nightline Video – “The Deep Dive” • 20 minute video showing the major creative processes used by IDEO • Still interesting to students, even after 10 years • Not very heavy on the actual design though • Very good brainstorming examples

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM College of Engineering and Science Pugh Method – decision making • Pugh charts are used to rank the team’s top ideas • Simple, begin learning a logical decision making process • Content is delivered online – supports life-long learning

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM College of Engineering and Science Prototyping – Fail early to Succeed sooner • Three main prototyping stages are assigned as homework §Spatial – represent components and connections §Functional – demonstrate operation §Final – ready to take to venture capitalist

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM College of Engineering and Science Freshman Design Expo • Teams demonstrate their prototypes to judges and spectators • Various awards are distributed – Da. Vinci, Rolex, Shoot the Moon, Can-do, 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd. . . • Best ideas encouraged compete in next year’s “Pick of the Litter” business plan competition

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM College of Engineering and Science Some Facts and Results • 35 teams of 4 complete the course in the Spring • 15 teams of 4 complete the course in the Fall • 10 teams of 4 complete the course in the Winter • Total of 240 students per year complete the course • 8 different engineering faculty teach in the ENGR 12 x series • Surveys of student confidence and activity levels have been administered over a period of years, pre LWTL implementation and post implementation

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM College of Engineering and Science Some Facts and Results • Excerpts from student confidence surveys (1 to 6 Likert): OLD Course Spring 06 -07 NEW Course Spring 07 -08 5. 49 5. 36 4. 55 4. 94 5. 23 5. 14 5. 23 4. 92 5. 05 5. 03 When I set a goal, I keep going after it no matter what the obstacles. 5. 15 5. 20 I enjoy developing technical tools that improve the quality of life for people. 4. 70 5. 36 I intend to develop new products/processes during my career as an engineer. 5. 14 5. 23 I prefer improving products/processes that already exist instead of developing something new. 4. 74 4. 18 2. 50 4. 47 3. 26 2. 62 4. 99 4. 38 Conceive a functional prototype of an innovative product that utilizes one or more sensors, actuators or other output devices, and the BASIC Stamp II microcontroller. 2. 80 5. 00 Design a functional prototype of an innovative product that utilizes one or more sensors, actuators or other output devices, and the BASIC Stamp II microcontroller. 2. 82 4. 85 Fabricate a functional prototype of an innovative product that utilizes one or more sensors, actuators, or other output devices, and the BASIC Stamp II microcontroller. 2. 80 4. 96 Test a functional prototype of an innovative product that utilizes one or more sensors, actuators, or other output devices, and the BASIC Stamp II microcontroller. 2. 83 5. 02 Develop a work plan to manage your time and resources to successfully produce a prototype of an innovative product. 4. 31 4. 79 Item Work collaboratively with one or more other students. Generate 3 D models of engineering components and assemblies using Solid. Works. Locate specifications and prices for the supplies, parts and systems used in course projects from manufacturers and on-line retailers. Purchase supplies and parts for an innovative product. Use creative techniques to overcome at least one project difficulty. Explain the roles of the ten “Faces of Innovation” as discussed in “The Ten Faces of Innovation” by Tom Kelley. Create a Mind Map to organize ideas around a central topic. Apply the Pugh method to evaluate concept ideas.

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM College of Engineering and Science Some Facts and Results • Frequency data reported by the students indicates an increase in how often certain hands-on tasks are performed

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM College of Engineering and Science Some Facts and Results The project’s external evaluator commented that: “There were 33 projects on display. A list of the projects is contained in Attachment E. Each project was assigned a table. Students from the project team displayed posters and gave explanations of their projects. The variety of projects was impressive. Among the 32 projects there were 26 distinct ideas. Students interviewed at the Expo demonstrated the ability to explain their projects clearly. Students also demonstrated pride in their prototypes and what they had learned. Students reported that the design project was difficult and rewarding. ”

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM Acknowledgments • NSF CCLI Grant No. 0618288 • Louisiana Tech University College of Engineering and Science

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY Questions? MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM College of Engineering and Science www. Living. With. The. Lab. com

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM College of Engineering and Science Seven “Threads” Define the Freshman Experience 1. SYSTEMS – one major project per quarter 2. ELECTROMECHANICAL – breadboarding, sensors, control 3. FABRICATION AND ACQUISITION – shop activities; locate, specify and purchase components 4. SOFTWARE – Excel, Mathcad, Solid. Works, Programming 5. FUNDAMENTALS • electricity and DC circuits • conservation of energy • basic chemistry and electrochemistry • conservation of mass • statics • engineering economics 6. COMMUNICATION – formatting problem solutions, oral presentations, writing assignments 7. BROADENING ACTIVITES • global and societal issues • professional society meetings and student functions • teamwork and creative problem solving techniques

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM College of Engineering and Science All students implement these electronics as part of class assignments. Whisker Photoresistors IR pairs Temperature Sensor Conductivity Sensor Hall Effect Sensor RF Keychain Transmitter and Receiver LEDs Buzzers Switchable Actuators: Pumps, motors, lights, etc. Continuous Rotation Servos GPS sensor Students can also implement these devices, depending on their chosen project. Ultrasonic Range Finder Accelerometer RF ID Tags and Reader GPS Receiver Compass Force Sensor Temperature and Humidity Sensor RF Communication Modules (Boe-Bot to Boe-Bot communication) Embedded Blue Transceiver Appmod (add Bluetooth capabilities to the Boe-Bot) Color Sensor (senses RGB colors at a point) CMUcam Vision System Limited Rotation Servos LCD Display Output

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM College of Engineering and Science CONCLUSION: We have implemented a six semester hour, technology-enabled, project-based experience that impacts over 400 first-year engineering students each year. • • • Strong analytical skills Practical ingenuity & creativity Good communication skills Business, management skills High ethical standards, professionalism Dynamic, agile, flexible & resilient Lifelong learners Able to put problems in their sociotechnical and operational context Adaptive leaders

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM College of Engineering and Science History • In 2002 we offered a pilot robotics-centered curriculum to 30 students • In 2006 we received $498, 000 NSF CCLI grant to expand the curriculum to all engineering students • In the fall of 2007 we implemented the curriculum for all students Why? • We wanted freshman design to be more than mousetrap cars and straw bridges • We wanted to progressively build skills and competence so that freshmen could implement significant projects • We wanted to make students more innovative

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM College of Engineering and Science Seven “Threads” define the freshman experience. The outcomes that support these threads are linked to the attributes of the Engineer of 2020 through the curriculum objectives. 1. SYSTEMS • centrifugal pump – model, fabricate and test (A 1, A 2, A 3, A 6) • “fishtank” project – control temperature and salinity of water (A 1, A 2, A 3, A 6) • smart product – conceive, design and prototype (A 1, A 2, A 3, A 6) 2. ELECTROMECHANICAL • breadboarding skills (A 1, A 2) • programmable controllers (A 1, A 2) • multimeters for troubleshooting and measurement (A 1, A 2) • electromechanical component specifications (A 1, A 2) 3. FABRICATION AND ACQUISITION • conventional manufacturing processes (A 2) • RTD (temperature sensor) – design and microfabrication (A 1, A 2) • materials and components – locate, specify and purchase (A 2) • specify and purchase materials, supplies or components for projects (A 2) 4. SOFTWARE • Excel, Mathcad and Solid. Works (A 1, A 2) • computer programming for sensing and control (A 1, A 2) A 1. Strong analytical skills A 2. Practical ingenuity A 3. Creativity A 4. Good communication skills A 5. Lifelong learners A 6. Dynamic, agile, resilient and flexible characteristics A 7. High ethical standards A 8. Leadership skills A 9. Professionalism A 10. Business and management skills 5. FUNDAMENTALS • electricity and DC circuits (A 1) • conservation of energy (A 1) • basic chemistry and electrochemistry (A 1) • conservation of mass (A 1) • least squares fitting to calibrate sensors (A 1) • statics (A 1) • engineering economics (A 1) 6. COMMUNICATION • engineering format (A 1, A 4) • tables and graphs (A 4) • oral presentations (A 4) • writing assignments (A 4) 7. BROADENING ACTIVITES • global and societal issues (A 5, A 6, A 7) • professional society meetings and student functions (A 7, A 8, A 9) • multidisciplinary teams (A 4, A 8) • creative problem solving techniques for product development (A 3) • time and resource management for product development (A 10)

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM ENGR 120 – Sample Assignments (Engr. of 2020 Attributes) 1. Systems: Develop a 3 D model of a centrifugal pump Analytical skills; ingenuity; creativity; dynamism & flexibility 2. Electromechanical: Breadboard a circuit and measure currents Analytical skills; ingenuity 3. Fabrication and Acquisition: Fabricate and test a centrifugal pump Analytical skills; ingenuity; creativity; dynamism & flexibility 4. Software: Use Mathcad to calculate efficiency of a centrifugal pump Analytical skills; ingenuity 5. Fundamentals: Calculate power dissipated by a resistor in an electrical circuit Analytical skills 6. Communication: Calculate the efficiency of a centrifugal pump using engineering format Communication 7. Broadening Activities Attend 5 professional student society meetings (high ethical standards; professionalism; dynamism) Prepare a 2 -page paper on waste management and trends for the future (lifelong learning) Multidisciplinary teams (communication; leadership) Time and resource management (business and management skills)

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM College of Engineering and Science

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM