Reflections on the use of case studies in the teaching of engineering design
Year: 2013
Editor: John Lawlor, Ger Reilly, Robert Simpson, Michael Ring, Ahmed Kovacevic, Mark McGrath, William Ion, David Tormey, Erik Bohemia, Chris McMahon, Brian Parkinson
Author: Lambert, Steve; Nespoli, Oscar
Series: E&PDE
Institution: University of Waterloo, Canada
Section: Reflections on Design Teaching
Page(s): 158-163
ISBN: 978-1-904670-42-1
Abstract
Engineering design skills are critical to drive economic growth while addressing such societal issues as sustainability and innovation. To help address this need in postgraduate students â both recent graduates and those with several years of industry experience â a Professional Masters of Engineering (MEng) Design Certificate program was recently introduced in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Waterloo. The program consists of a small core based on a design methods course and a two-course equivalent industry design project. The design methods course relies on a combination of lectures and a major project. Recently, the lectures have been increasingly supplemented with case studies, wherein students get to practice design. Reflections on the role of these case studies in the development of design skills are presented.
Keywords: Case studies, engineering design, industry projects, postgraduate design education