Making The Connection - Using a Long-Term Sustainable Design Project to Integrate the Mechanical Engineering Curriculum

该项目采用了一种新颖的方法，将四个学期的核心机械工程课程整合在一起，采用了一个长期的设计项目，需要从几个课程中获取工具，重点关注混合动力汽车的传动系统。研究人员假设，这种扩展的活动将大大提高学生的学习，特别是在跨课程的知识保留和学生解决问题和设计技能方面。在评估工作中，将测量知识保留和设计技能，并与干预前一年参加课程的学生组进行比较。传播活动包括张贴具有互动式经验教训组成部分的材料、全国会议的教员讲习班、会议报告和期刊出版物。由于这项工作的模块化性质，这种方法可以很容易地适用于其他机构，无论是以本科生为主的小型机构还是大型研究型大学。更广泛的影响包括广泛的传播工作和课程中对新的混合技术的强调，这些技术将满足行业对具有这些技能的毕业生的需求。

The project is implementing a novel approach to integrate coursework in four semesters of the core mechanical engineering curriculum using a long-term design project requiring tools from several courses and focusing on the drive train for a hybrid vehicle. The investigators hypothesize that this extended activity will substantially enhance student learning, particularly with regard to knowledge retention across courses and student problem solving and design skills. In the evaluation effort, both knowledge retention and design skills will be measured and compared with the group of students taking the courses in the year before the intervention. Dissemination activities include posting material with an interactive lessons learned component, faculty workshops at national meetings, conference presentations, and journal publications. Owing to the modular nature of this work, the approach can be easily adapted to other institutions, whether they be small predominantly undergraduate institutions or large research universities. Broader impacts include the wide dissemination efforts and the emphasis in the curriculum on the new hybrid technology that will meet industry's need for graduates with these skills.