Problem Elaboration & Framing and Project Planning

Catalog description

This course is designed to develop skills and strategies related to problem framing and project planning. It adopts the notion that “design is widely considered to be the central or distinguishing activity of engineering ” and “that the purpose of engineering education is to graduate engineers who can design.” In this vein, the course is motivated by evidence from the engineering education literature that suggests: 1) novice designers often struggle to frame problems, instead moving ahead with solving the problem before it is fully understood; and 2) that an ability to “devise process” - planning and management of project work and coordination of a range of professional competencies - is important to the professional preparation of engineers but is not well integrated in undergraduate curricula. This course will support student recognition and development of these components of professional practice through a problem- to project-based learning experience.