Open AccessCLIENT-BASED CORNERSTONE DESIGN PROJECTS
Author(s) -
Justine Boudreau,
Hanan Anis
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
proceedings of the ... ceea conference
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2371-5243
DOI - 10.24908/pceea.vi0.13750
Subject(s) - cornerstone , multidisciplinary approach , flexibility (engineering) , engineering design process , work (physics) , process (computing) , indigenous , engineering management , best practice , medical education , computer science , engineering , medicine , sociology , management , mechanical engineering , art , ecology , social science , economics , visual arts , biology , operating system
Engineering students at the University of Ottawa are exposed to engineering design in first- and second-year courses. Both courses are open to all engineering students and are multidisciplinary in nature. Students work in teams to deliver a physical prototype by the end of the term. The design projects are all community-based and involve a client from the local community with a specific unmet need. Examples of such clients include local hospitals, accessibility organizations, Ottawa police, Indigenous elders and many more. The client meets with the students a minimum of three times throughout the semester to provide the problem definition and give feedback to the student groups at different stages of the design process. The goal of this paper is to share best practices in selecting and delivering client-based projects targeting first- and second-year students in multidisciplinary engineering teams. The paper discusses the choice of project themes and specific projects. In addition, it presents lessons learned based on student-client interactions, lab manager-client interactions and client satisfaction. Examples are presented from the past three years of delivering such engineering design courses, with testimonials from clients and students.