Teaching Intro To Engineering In Context – Uva Engineering’s New Cornerstone
D.M. Elzey
Abstract
As anyone who has been there can tell you, there is probably no 'thornier' engineering design problem than that of the introductory course in engineering. Along with the traditional requirements that it provide students with a diverse set of fundamental understandings and skills, introduce them to engineering design and to the profession, and illustrate the role of science and analysis, this humble course is now burdened with a host of newly recognized needs. These include the ability to excite a wide range of students about engineering, motivating them to its study, and aiding in the retention of non-traditional engineering students. This paper discusses our efforts to redesign the University of Virginia's Intro to Engineering to better meet all of these requirements, using the Engineering In Context approach. The EIC approach seeks to improve retention and the quality of learning through integration of context. Here, the critical contextual learning component is a semester-long, hands-on project (theme) emphasizing application of the engineering problemsolving method to a current challenge or opportunity, coupled with more focused consideration of problem identification and definition, and the potential impact of a successful solution.