Incorporating Basic Systems Thinking and Systems Engineering Concepts in a Mechanical Engineering Sophomore Design Course

Mechanical engineering undergraduate programs in the US commonly have in their curricula one or more courses and a capstone design project in which students can learn and put into practice some of the methodologies and tools typically used during the design and development of new products. However, in most instances the product design and development process considered is geared towards products of low to moderate complexity. Furthermore, usually little emphasis is placed on exposing students to systems thinking (ST) and systems engineering (SE) concepts. As a result, student teams often struggle when they have to design products involving multiple subsystems and areas of technical expertise. A possible strategy to incorporate ST and SE concepts in the undergraduate curriculum is to introduce the concepts in a gradual fashion, beginning in the freshman or sophomore year and culminating in a capstone design experience in which the students can apply and improve the knowledge, skills, and abilities that they have gained in their previous design related courses. This paper presents the approach that was used to include basic ST and SE concepts in a sophomore-level product design and development course for mechanical engineering undergraduate students. In addition, the results obtained during the first implementation, including data collected using two different assessment instruments, are discussed.