Using The Engineering Design Process To Re Envision Multidisciplinary Educational Experiences For Engineering Students

Accredited engineering programs need to show that their students learn how to effectively “function on multi-disciplinary teams.” This skill is important not only for accreditation but also to employers and to educators themselves, who understand the changing world of engineering work. In the summer of 2005, the College of Engineering at Montana State University embarked on a study of multi-disciplinary engineering education within the college. This study followed the engineering design process. After an information-gathering stage, an ad-hoc cross-disciplinary team of faculty developed and refined multi-disciplinary learning objectives, criteria for evaluating alternatives, and several alternatives for the best local option for multi-disciplinary learning. The alternatives were then evaluated using a selection matrix. The top alternatives were further refined and taken to the broader faculty for comment. We are now at the stage of implementing our chosen solution. Using the engineering design process for the year-long study was surprisingly successful in developing buy-in from faculty and administration. This paper presents in a fair amount of detail our process and results. This process could be useful for other engineering programs considering curriculum changes.