Waterloo Engineering Design Case Studies Group

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Waterloo Engineering Design Case Studies Group

• Colin Campbell, Steve Lambert, Oscar Nespoli
• ASEE 2007 St. Lawrence Section Conference
• October 19-20 2007

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Engineering at Waterloo

• One of Canadas largest Engineering programs
• 13 undergraduate programs across 8 academic
  Departments
• School of Architecture
• Chemical Engineering
• Civil Environmental Engineering
• Electrical Computer Engineering
• Management Sciences
• Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering
• Systems Design Engineering
• Centre for Business, Entrepreneurship and
  Technology

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Co-op at Waterloo

• 100 co-op engineering program
• Students alternate 4 month academic with 4 month
  work terms
• Students placed primarily in Canadian industry
• Near 100 placement rates
• Students are required to submit 4 work term
  reports during 6 work term opportunities
• Work term reports
• Document students work term experience
• A rich source of examples of technical analysis
  and design
• Waterloo students generate over 1000 work term
  reports every 4 months

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Waterloo Case Study Group

• Focus
• To develop engineering design case studies from
  student work term reports
• Development
• Content and structure of cases
• Case development procedures
• Case teaching procedures
• Case sources and receptors
• Case Promotion
• Student development of cases
• Best practices for the use of cases in
  Engineering
• Use of cases outside Waterloo

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Design Case Characteristics

• Real situation
• Real data
• Requires problem formulation and refinement
• Requires assumptions, judgment and evaluation
• Requires engineering analysis
• Requires a decision, choice and/or creativity
• No single correct solution
• Incomplete/extraneous data
• Actual solution available
• Motivating
• Integrating

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Design Case - Structure

• Case
• Introduction and Context
• Problem statement
• Case Appendices
• Background theory
• Data
• Solution method
• Example solution
• Case Teaching Notes
• Educational objectives
• Guidance on use

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Ex Elora Home Heating Case

• Case Document
• Description of situation
• Client needs
• Relevant data
• Geometry of House
• Natural Gas Billing Information
• Thermal Model
• Discussion of background theory and model
  assumptions
• Excel implementation of model
• Verification of model
• Conventional Solution
• Natural Gas boiler, heat pump, etc.
• Active Solar Solution
• Discussion of background theory
• Excel implementation of solar model

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Case Development Process

• Source
• Student
• Industry

• Receptor
• Class
• Professor

Case Concept
Case Plan
Provisional Release
Intent to Use
Draft Case
Final Case
Teaching Notes
Final Release
Actual Use
Published Case
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Case Sources

• Student co-op work term reports
• Communicate program to students
• Have students submit work reports
• Abstract, introduction, report , and analysis
  spreadsheets
• Keywords concepts covered, processes, lessons
  learned
• Target courses
• Industry contact
• Must filter submissions
• Direct contacts with industry
• Communicate program to industry
• Identify industry needs and opportunities
• Keywords concepts covered, processes, lessons
  learned
• Research and other personal experience
• Student design teams

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Case Receptors

• Courses
• List of potential courses
• Concepts, processes, and analyses
• Depth versus breadth of coverage
• Design content
• Professors
• List of receptive professors (early adopters)
• Teaching objectives
• Concepts, processes, and analyses
• Receptivity to cases

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Cases

• Hardware Homework
• Soil Contamination
• Power-up Clip Redesign
• Front Hood Hinge Design
• Convertible Roof
• Convertible Hard Top Design
• Elora Home Heating Design
• PID Control System Design

• Seed Grain Distribution
• Hydro Quebec Island Customer
• EWB Drinking Water
• Tractor Trailer Loading
• Temperature Distribution
• Molten Steel Ladle Tipping
• Coal Power Generation
• Heat Exchanger
• Brewery Bottle Washer Line

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Case Implementation

• Design cases used in all first year concepts
  courses
• to introduce the design process
• Elora Home Heating case used in ME100
• as basis for term project
• Small cases used in several math courses
• Cases in development
• several Chemical and Mechanical Engineering
  courses

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Conclusions

• Engineering Design Cases have been successfully
  developed and implemented across first year
  concept courses in all Engineering Departments
• Case development proceeding for upper year
  courses
• Sustainable industry-based case development
  procedure initiated