A Hands On Approach To Computational Methods In Engineering

The Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University has been actively focusing on the development of a variety of mechanisms to provide undergraduate engineering students with an earlier, more practical, experience with engineering concepts. Through these mechanisms, students are now exposed to elements from each of our four departments, which gives the students a clearer understanding of the field of engineering that they want to pursue. As a part of this ongoing effort, all engineering undergraduate students are now required, during their first year, to take a course on computational methods in engineering, EGR 53L. Because of the newfound prominence of EGR 53L in the curriculum, as well as the wide spectrum of student interests and backgrounds, the course has undergone several significant changes in the past five years aimed at improving the student experience and exposure to engineering. This paper outlines several key facets of our approach to redesigning the course and also reports on outcomes and student assessments of the hands-on portion of the revised experience.