Teaching Applied Engineering Through Practicum Courses

The industry advisory committee that helped design the Motorsports Engineering Bachelor of Science degree curriculum for a large American university was insistent that the students had to be engaged in real-world, hands-on, experiential learning opportunities. This was viewed as necessary in order to produce the type of engineering graduate that this specific industry typically looks to hire. In order to achieve the recommended goal, a trio of practicum courses was constructed which require students to assume roles in the university’s race team, and become engaged in the design, development, construction, testing and competition of the program’s competition vehicles. This paper will examine the reasons for creating these courses, and the development of the course objectives, as well as assessment approaches and rubrics. The challenges and successes encountered in initial offerings of the courses will be covered, as will recommendations for similar implementations in other engineering programs which need a similar strong application component.