Introducing Engineering Through Case Histories

将开设一门完全以案例研究为基础的工程入门课程。它将强调工程中永恒的方面——包括设计、视觉思维、判断等等——这些都是独立于最先进技术的。工程和科学之间的区别将被强调，以便向学生传达工程课程的目标与数学、科学和工程科学课程的目标不同，这些课程在前两年的学习中占主导地位。选择案例研究不仅是因为它们的技术内容，还因为它们本身有趣的人文和社会背景，它们向工程师展示了工作和工程项目是如何发生的。作为课程的一部分，每个学生将被要求进行一个独立的案例研究（从一个精心准备的列表中选择），并以口头和书面形式报告。因此，本课程将向一年级学生强调阅读、口语和写作技能对工程实践的重要性。学生将被期望从课程中获得广泛的案例研究，这些案例研究将提供一个真实世界的背景，在这个背景下解释和整合随后的工程课程。这种经历也有望在早期阶段传达一种将对整个职业生涯产生影响的专业意识。课程材料和案例研究将被广泛收集和传播，这可能会从根本上影响工程学的教学方式。

An introductory engineering course based entirely on case studies will be developed. It will stress timeless aspects of engineering--involving design, visual thinking, judgement, and the like--that are independent of the state-of-the-art. Differences between engineering and science will be emphasized in order to convey to students that the goals of the engineering curriculum are distinct from those of the math, science, and engineering-science courses that dominate the first two years of study. The case studies will be chosen not only for their technical content but also for the inherently interesting humanistic and social contexts in which they show engineers how work and engineering projects do occur. As part of the course, each student will be required to develop an independent case study (chosen from a well-prepared list) and report on it orally and in writing. The course will thus emphasize to first-year students the importance of reading, speaking, and writing skills for the practice of engineering. Students will be expected to take from the course a broad collection of case studies that will provide a real-world context in which to interpret and integrate subsequent engineering coursework. The experience is also expected to convey at an early stage a sense of professionalism that will have career-long implications. The course material and case studies will be collected and disseminated widely, potentially affecting in fundamental ways how engineering is taught.