Planning Revisions in the Mechanical Engineering Program at WPI

伍斯特理工学院计划拨款的目的是为机械工程系的课程变化进行规划，使学生在快速变化的环境中更好地为专业工作做好准备。新课程将保留和加强WPI教育的独特性，包括强调超越狭窄学科的技能和个性化课程的自由，但也导致结构和材料可以输出到其他机构。在最高层次上，改革的目标是实现这样一个项目：为工程科学提供坚实的准备，重点是培养学生以现代方式处理现代问题，包括理解如何整合学科之间的材料，并以“系统”的观点看待问题。O为毕业生的职业生活做好准备，包括在团队中工作，与不同的受众沟通，以及理解在工程决策中考虑非技术方面的必要性。o的结构方式认识到，工程硕士学位正变得越来越跨学科，工程硕士学生将追求许多不同的职业道路，需要许多不同的技能。O强调“技术人文主义者”的教育，他们了解工程的全局方面，并有能力和兴趣应用工程知识来帮助解决“非工程”问题。要将这些目标转化为具体的变化，可能需要在大一的时候着重向学生介绍现代制造业；一个“紧凑型”核心工程科学专业课程，旨在满足ABET-ME的要求；介绍学生工程实践的一些课程，包括设计和实现；有机会专注于至少一个当前感兴趣的领域，通过专注于ME部门或辅修另一个部门；并继续专注于让我们的学生参与更广泛的工程领域，包括非常重视WPI的全球项目。

The goal of this planning grant to Worcester Polytechnic Institute is to plan for curriculum changes in the mechanical engineering department that will better prepare students for professional work in an environment where changes are rapidly taking place. The new curriculum will preserve and enhance the unique character of a WPI education, including the emphasis on skills that go beyond the narrow discipline and the freedom to individualize the curriculum, but also result in both a structure and material that can be exported to other institutions. At the highest level the goal of the changes are to achieve a program that: o provides solid preparation in the Engineering Sciences, focused on preparingstudents to deal with modern problems in a modern way, including understandinghow to integrate the material between disciplines and take a "systems" view ofproblems.o prepares the graduates for the human aspects of professional life, including working in teams and communicating with diverse audience and who understand the need to consider non-technical aspects in engineering decisions.o is structured in a way that recognizes that the ME degree is becoming more interdisciplinary and that ME students will pursue many different career paths requiring many diverse skills.o emphasizes the education of the "technical humanist" who understands the global aspects of engineering and is both able and interested in applying engineering knowledge to help solve "non-engineering" problems.The actual implementation of these goals into concrete changes are likely to involve an emphasis on introducing students to modern manufacturing in the freshman year; A "compact" core of ME "engineering science" courses designed to meet the ABET-ME requirement; A number of courses introducing the students to engineering practice, including design and realization; Opportunities to specialize in at least one area of current interest through a concentration within the ME department or a minor in another department; and continuing focus on engaging our students in the broader aspects of engineering, including a strong emphasis on the WPI global project.