Projectbased Learning in Unified Engineering

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Project-based Learning in Unified Engineering

• Thu 13-Nov-03
• Charles P Coleman, MIT

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Today

• Unified Engineering
• Project-based Learning
• Concepts We Teach and Student Experiences
• Comments and Data

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Project-based Learning

• Unified Engineering

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Unified Engineering Structure

• 4.5 Disciplines
• Materials Structures
• Dynamics
• Thermodynamics Propulsion
• Fluids
• Signals and Linear Systems
• Plus System Problems
• Projects and Laboratories
• 4 subjects worth of time
• 2 Fall 2 Spring
• http//web.mit.edu/16.unified/www/

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Project-based Learning

• Project-based Learning Opportunities

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Project Educational Spiral
16.8X
16.62X
R/C Aircraft
Rocket
Glider
16.00
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Structure of System Problems
2.5 Professional Skills
2.4 Personal Skills
3.1Teamwork
2.1 Problem Solving 2.2 Knowledge
Discovery 2.3 System Thinking
3.2 Communication
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Fall 2001 System Problem Objectives

• Formulate multi-disciplinary models.
• Plan and conduct experimental investigations.
• Use models to evaluate designs.
• Evaluate and explain the effects of engineering
  in a wider social context.
• Communicate engineering results in oral
  presentations and written reports
• Objectives are to be achieved through class
  assignments

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Spring 2002 System Problem Objectives

• Apply lecture disciplines to CDIO of an aerospace
  system.
• Develop engineering design, reasoning, teamwork,
  and communication skills.
• Develop engineering product development skills.
• Measure and meter assignments to avoid past
  student time over runs.
• HAVE FUN!
• Objectives are to be achieved through class
  project

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System Problem Assignments
Fall 2001
Spring 2002
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Project-based Learning

• Unified Aerial Competition

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2001 Requirements and Resources

• Develop a system to participate in an aerial
  competition
• System must be ready by early May 2001
• Fly four laps two empty and two with payload
• Complete laps in shortest time
• Carry as much weight as possible
• 5 people, 9 weeks, 4hrs/person/week, kit,
  supplies, flight training

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2002 Requirements and Resources

• Develop a system to participate in an aerial
  competition
• System must be ready by late April 2002 - early
  May 2002
• Fly two laps empty and then as long as possible
  with egg payload
• Dont crack or break egg during handling,
  loading, flight, landing
• 5 people, 9 weeks, 4hrs/person/week, kit,
  supplies, flight training

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2003 Requirements and Resources

• Develop a system to participate in an aerial
  competition
• System must be ready by late April 2003 - early
  May 2003
• Endurance flight with operations and egg payload
• Dont crack or break egg during handling,
  loading, flight, landing
• 5 people, 9 weeks, 4hrs/person/week, kit,
  supplies, flight training

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Kit Diversity Aircraft Dragonfly
http//www.flydma.com/old/planes.html
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Spring 2002System Problem Process

• Flying lessons in Fall01 and Jan02.
• Gave kit and offered flying lessons.
• Assembled and flew kit. Took data.
• Modify design to meet functional requirements.
• Build.
• Test.
• Fly in pre-competition and competition.
• Conduct project post-mortem.

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Spring 2002System Problem Schedule
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Spring 2003System Problem Schedule
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Project-based Learning

• Concepts We Teach
• Student Experiences

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CDIO
Mens et Manus Conceive, Design Implement, Operate
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Systems

• People,
• Product,
• Process
• Deliver
• functionality

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CDIO

• Groups of people
• conceive
• design
• implement and
• operate
• systems

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CDIO

• Getting groups
• of people to
• conceive
• design
• implement and
• operate
• systems isnot easy

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Keys for Success

• Project Mgmt
• Time
• Resources
• Risk

• Teamwork
• Communication
• Coordination
• Roles Responsibilities
• Motivation!

• Design
• Process
• Analysis

• Tools
• FRDIARRC

• Tools
• WBS
• Gantt Chart

• Tools
• Comm Plan
• Roles Resp
• Ground Rules
• Effective Mtgs

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Teamwork Communication Plan

• Communication Plan
• Where is everyone?
• How can I contact you?
• What is the best way to contact you?
• When are you available?
• How are we all going to keep in touch?
• Where is our project information going to be
  stored?

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Teamwork Roles ResponsibilitiesGround Rules

• Roles Responsibilities
• Who is doing what?
• Ground Rules
• How do we interact with each other?
• How are we going to treat each other?
• Any undisclosed assumptions about behavior?
• How would I like for you to communicate with me?
• Roles decided at beginning of meeting
• Be on time for arrival and breaks
• Be prepared for discussion and decisions
• Dont shoot the messenger
• Turn your cellular phone off

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Teamwork Effective Meetings

• Effective Meetings
• Never meet without an agenda!
• If you are meeting w/o an agenda make one up
  first thing!
• Try facilitation.
• Assign facilitator, note taker, and timekeeper
  for every meeting.
• Rotate responsibilities!
• Keep it simple!!

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Expectations

• We decided we'd try doing without a
  "facilitator", "time-keeper", and "note-taker"
  for now and see how it goes. If meetings aren't
  being productive, we can always add them in
  later, but we don't think we'll need them for
  now.
• The main expectation/assumption we came up with
  was that everyone should show up on time to our
  meetings.

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Expectations

• We expect from each member not only to put in the
  required amount of work each week but to follow
  through with what they say they will do, respect
  team members, and be able to trust each member of
  the team.
• We decided as a team that winning isnt
  everything, we will give winning a fair shot, but
  do not expect to say up nights, and burn
  ourselves out in order to win.

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Ground Rules in Action

• Communication
• Youre ugly.
• I feel that you are communicating in an
  insulting manner.
• Okay, I feel that you are ugly.
• Thats much better.

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Teamwork
Which one was your team? Why?
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When its good

• I am so proud of our plane and my group! We made
  an excellent plane that actually flew and we were
  able to keep our sanity throughout it all. We
  didnt fight (too much) and I made some really
  great friends. ? So our plane didnt carry as
  much payload as we expected it to, but it flew
  happily and I was happy with it.

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When its good

• Yes Im proud of the system, especially the
  ability of our team to work together to
  accomplish what we set out to do. We could have
  spent a little more time but instead we decided
  to stay sane. That was also a primary goal, and
  Im glad we ended up not being at each others
  throats.

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When its good

• I believe that as a team we worked extremely well
  together. We were tolerant with each other,
  always trying to maintain constructive criticism
  and respect each others opinion, in every
  situation. We learned to depend on each other
  very much and had to pull each other out of the
  hole

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When its bad

• Uh, you have to ask? Group dynamics.

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When its bad

• There were frustrating momentsThe dynamic of my
  group when we sat together to do a System Problem
  did not work the way I like. Basically it was a
  disorganized meeting, with everybody giving ideas
  but without really reaching a consensus. We could
  spend 1 or 2 hours without doing any productive
  work

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When its bad

• When we had to divide up the work on the design
  problems, it seemed like we all just did our
  stuff and attached it in one ugly mess to turn
  itAnother period of unorganization was
  building the plane. We never knew exactly when we
  were going to meet.I guess thats more of a
  problem of communication, though

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When its bad

• Trying to get our group together to work on the
  plane/assignments earlier than the Thursday night
  before it was due. Nobody was willing to work on
  Friday night (especially me). Saturdays were
  filled with other commitments people had such as
  sports, sleep, etc. Sunday, we worked on the
  Unified problem set, which took all of that day
  and Monday. Tuesdays were always shot because of
  a 16.070 problem set due the next day. Wednesdays
  were usually used to study for the usual Unified
  test on Thursday. This left Thursday nights to
  complete the entire assignment.

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Teamwork
Which one was your team? Why?
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(Mis) Communication
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(Mis) Communication
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(Mis) Communication
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Communication

• What was the most gratifying or professionally
  satisfying part of the project?
• Winning, especially when no one else believe we
  could.

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Project-based Learning

• Comments and Data

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2001 - 2003 Performance
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2001-2003 UAC Performance
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CDIO

• Getting groups
• of people to
• conceive
• design
• implement and
• operate
• systems isnot easy

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Project-based Learning

• Backup

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2001 Metric

• Metric
• L1 L2/(1mp/ma)L3
• L1 empty lap time sec
• L2 weighted lap time sec
• mp/ma mass of payload/mass of empty aircraft
• L3 pit crew time and/or repair time. 3min max
  regardless of actual. sec

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2001 Performance
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2001 Performance
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2002 Performance
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2003 Performance
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SP6 Designs
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System Problem Project Pictures
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System Problem Project Pictures
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System Problem Project Pictures
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System Problem Project Pictures
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System Problem Project Pictures
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System Problem Project Pictures
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System Problem Project Pictures
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System Problem Project Pictures
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System Problem Pictures
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Pictures

• Enterprise

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Pictures

• Killer Clowns from Mars

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Pictures

• AFATI Airplanes

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Pictures

• X-Pi Magnum

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Pictures

• Fighting Falcons

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Pictures

• SuperFly

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Pictures

• Mother Goose

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Pictures

• Eggcellent

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Pictures

• Chapter 11

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Pictures

• Flying Fokkers

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Pictures

• Pukin Dogs