Research Projects As A Part Of A 3 Phase Multi Subject Project Based Learning In Vehicle Engineering Studies

At the previous ASEE World Congress we presented an overview of our 3-phase multi subject didactical method as an integrative part of our degree program Vehicle Engineering 1,2 . Our work has shown that the first part of the 3-phase method helps sophomores learn to work autonomously, but also to be able to work in teams, and to present engineering results clearly and impressively. The second phase of the multi subject PBL starts in the third academic year and encompasses the fifth and sixth semesters. A set of project topics is defined, based on different specialized technical subjects, with an emphasis on the development of real products. One of the most important projects is the design, assembly and testing of a real racing car. To cope with the project tasks, the students have to manage complex duties starting with the technical objectives through to marketing the final product. Sometimes they enter academic competitions to prove and to measure the quality of their work. The main challenge of supervising juniors in this second phase of our Multi Subject Project Based Learning is that while the students are highly motivated to work on real-life engineering problems, they are often only partially able to cope with all the problems that arise because of lack of professional experience or knowledge. This paper concentrates on the description of the second phase of the multi subject PBL and reports about our excellent projects. Each year a new student team autonomously designs, assembles and tests a real racing car in less then 150 days. The students prepare the budget, develop a marketing concept and enter the SAE Formula Student contest. They were winners over all in 2006 and set a European record in acceleration in 2007. Furthermore, the students have developed, in cooperation with their supervisors, special measures to ensure knowledge transfer between two or three team generations.