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OVERVIEW
A yearlong course sequence, EG10111/10112 introduces first-year students to the design and analysis of engineering systems. It is divided into four half-semester modules, each featuring a hands-on project and each focusing on specific learning objectives. Students are exposed to engineering systems from a variety of disciplines to help them in their choice of majors. As important, the projects show students how the different disciplines interact to solve real engineering problems. Past projects have included building scanner decoders, Millipede Data Storage System, neutralizing waste systems, creating computer games, and launching projectiles.
Each of the half-semester modules begins by discussing the requirements for the project and showing students how the system to be designed can be decomposed into simpler components. Each module also identifies appropriate techniques for modeling system behavior and details how to use those models to make design decisions. In the final stage of each module, students build, test, and demonstrate their designs, documenting their results, and making recommendations for improvements.
It’s important to note that EG1011/10112 is not a static course sequence. Since its inception in 2000, the College of Engineering has been continually examining and improving the format and content of Introduction to Engineering Systems to maximize the learning experience of its students. This process involves formal reviews by faculty, as well as information and suggestions provided by student.
COURSE PROJECTS
- 2007 – 2008 School Year Projects
Tower Builder: Students build and test a five story tower out of K’NEX®. They use a software package, SAP 2000, to simulate different bracing schemes and determine the most efficient method to meet design requirements. Programming: Students learn fundamental programming concepts and then apply them as they design and develop a MATLAB Program to simulate a computer game similar to Lunar Lander. 
Millipede: Students build a system that simulates the data retrieval from mechanical storage devices such as the IBM Millipede. The system involves building a cantilever style arm, wiring a breadboard, and using Not-Quite-C (NQC) for programming. Balance Equations: Project is an application of balance equations in multidisciplinary engineering processes. The students have the opportunity to select and define their own open ended design project.
- Past Projects Have included the following:
- Launch Project: Students would predict the flight
of a softball based on math, physics, and MATLAB computer model, followed
by testing their predictions by sending softballs into flight.
- LEGO Robot: Design, build and test
a robot made of LEGO®’s that uses light and touch sensors
to perform search and rescue operations.
- Bridge Project: Use of a MATLAB program as an aide in the design and construction of a K’NEX® bridge with performance measured in terms of bridge cost and total bridge mass.
- Launch Project: Students would predict the flight
of a softball based on math, physics, and MATLAB computer model, followed
by testing their predictions by sending softballs into flight.
This course is unconventional in a number of ways, but primarily it is unique in its format because it includes all engineering intents regardless of their intended major. Hence, the students are immediately exposed to working in groups within which various engineering disciplines are represented. These teams bring a variety of backgrounds, talents, and interests to the completion of the four course projects. The result is a second-year student with a better understanding of what the engineering process is all about and a student better able to make educated decisions about his/her educational and career opportunities.
A second critical aspect of the course sequence is that much of what students learn is effectively self-taught. This deliberate attempt to move from the teaching paradigm to the learning paradigm is reflected, for example, in the open-ended nature of the projects. It is also reflected in the fact that no attendance is recorded for the class, much of the support material is based on-line, and the students are required to complete a series of self-paced quizzes. Finally, it is reflected in the diversity of solutions that are observed in the final projects submitted by the students
