Curriculum Wide Project Based Learning By Refining Capstone Projects

Our goal in this project is to address the twin objectives of: (1) systematically increasing projectbased learning experiences throughout the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) curriculum at the University of Missouri; and (2) increasing the prospects for industry adoption and commercialization of industry-sponsored and student-generated MAE capstone design projects. We are upgrading the outcomes of recent MAE capstone design projects by having needed refinements to those designs serve as the basis for project-based learning activities throughout the MAE curriculum. Thus, students in pre-capstone courses will gain insight to, and experience with, many aspects of real-world engineering projects. Simultaneously, capstone design projects will be advanced further towards industry implementation and commercialization. The refinement activities in the pre-capstone courses are being planned and managed by students enrolled in a new senior/graduate course in management of design, working under the direction of the pre-capstone course instructors. This approach makes it feasible to systematically integrate project-based learning into engineering education without requiring major curriculum reforms or new faculty resources. In this paper, we first describe the process we went through to select the capstone design refinement opportunities, identifying the pre-capstone courses most suitable as venues for the refinement activities, and enlisting instructors of those pre-capstone courses to adopt these refinements as the basis for project-based learning experiences for their students. Next, we describe the design management course and the activities of those students in facilitating the refinement activities. We then turn to our plans for synthesizing the refinements into updated versions of the capstone designs. Finally, we discuss the formative assessment process currently underway, including interviews with, and surveys of, faculty and students.