Collaboration mechanisms for university-industry projects
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: Wodehouse, Andrew J.; Mendibil, Kepa
Series: E&PDE
Institution: University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom
Section: Design Education in Industry
Page(s): 222-227
ISBN: 978-1-904670-42-1
Abstract
This paper outlines strategies for the effective implementation and support of university-industry projects. Sourcing projects from industry facilitates access to real-world problems, skill development and project management experience, and has become an increasingly popular feature of design engineering degrees. Despite this, there are many challenges in their implementation. The range of stakeholders can lead to differences in objectives and expectations; teams can struggle to manage and maintain effective progress; and it can be difficult to apply a generic academic format and deliverables when each project has its own unique challenges. This paper outlines current thinking in relation to Project Based Learning (PBL) and the issues with its effective implementation. It then reviews the approach at the University of Strathclyde, where an industrial projects scheme has been embedded in the curriculum for more than fifteen years. Specific strategies to the construction, timing and format of project milestones are outlined in relation to three âlearning loopsâ that support project teams without being overly-prescriptive. It is hoped that these will be of interest to other institutions currently running or thinking of implementing similar schemes.
Keywords: University-industry collaboration, product development, student projects, course design.