Document Type
Article
Language
eng
Publication Date
4-6-2010
Publisher
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)
Source Publication
2010 IEEE Transforming Engineering Education: Creating Interdisciplinary Skills for Complex Global Environments
Source ISSN
9781424460427
Abstract
Undergraduate engineering education today is ineffective in preparing students for multidisciplinary system integration and optimization - exactly what is needed by companies to become innovative and gain a competitive advantage in this global economy. While there is some movement in engineering education to change that, this change is not easy, as it involves a cultural change from the silo approach to a holistic approach. The ABET-required senior capstone multidisciplinary design course too often becomes a design-build-test exercise with the emphasis on just getting something done. Students rarely break out of their disciplinary comfort zone and thus fail to experience true multidisciplinary system design. What is needed are multidisciplinary systems courses, with a balance between theory and practice, between academic rigor and the best practices of industry, presented in an integrated way in the 2nd and 3rd years that prepares students for true multidisciplinary systems engineering at the senior level and beyond. The two courses presented here represent a significant curriculum improvement in response to this urgent need.
Recommended Citation
Craig, Kevin and Nagurka, Mark L., "Multidisciplinary Engineering Systems 2nd and 3rd Year College-Wide Courses" (2010). Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications. 217.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/mechengin_fac/217
Comments
Accepted version. Published as a part of 2010 IEEE Transforming Engineering Education: Creating Interdisciplinary Skills for Complex Global Environments, April 6-9, 2010. DOI. © 2019 IEEE. Used with permission.