Educating Aerospace Design Engineers: Perspectives from Design Creativity Theory

Project-based design method is widely used in engineering design education. However, it is time-consuming to develop design thinking skills through projects. This paper proposes that learning methodology and projects will significantly improve students’ learning experience and outcomes. The TASKS framework is used to analyze the pros and cons of three different learning methods: methodology-based learning, project-based learning, and methodology-driven project practice. According to the TASKS framework, perceived Task workload and mental capacity (including Affect, Skills, and Knowledge) affect mental Stress. Mental stress has an inverse U-shaped curve relationship with mental effort. Since the mental capability can be assumed constant for a short period, human performance in a task is related to the mental effort that can be put into the task. Methodology-based learning method requires students to be comfortable using an abstract methodology, which is often not the case. On the other hand, while project-based learning can engage students effectively, a high number of projects are needed to equip students with the necessary design thinking skills. The methodology-driven project practice would integrate the advantages of both previous methods. This paper conducted a detailed analysis of the three learning methods using the TASKS framework.

Section: Assessment Of Two Learning Methods: Using the Tasks Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design education: learning design methodology to enrich project experience

Su¹,

Akgündüz²,

Zeng³

2022

“…After the RFP is provided to the students, they are expected to create several deliverables in the process; for instance, design requirements document and project schedule. The creation of deliverables involves the use of different KSA in aerospace design engineering [3]. Design methodologies are expected to support students during the process and the creation of deliverables [10].…”

Section: Expected Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To contribute to the achievement of those outcomes, the NSERC Chair in Aerospace Design Engineering (NCADE) has launched its own version of a final year undergraduate engineering capstone project at Concordia University. NCADE's objective is to expose students to the immense complexity of aircraft design; thereby better meeting the industry needs of newly graduated students equivalent to several years' experience in the field [2,3]. In general, design methodologies suggest processes, methods and tools (defined in Table 2) to support the design process (i.e., tasks and timeline in the capstone project) to achieve the creation of the desired design outcomes (i.e., expected deliverables in the capstone project) [4][5][6][7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In general, design methodologies suggest processes, methods and tools (defined in Table 2) to support the design process (i.e., tasks and timeline in the capstone project) to achieve the creation of the desired design outcomes (i.e., expected deliverables in the capstone project) [4][5][6][7]. The aerospace design process and deliverables in the capstone project imply necessary knowledge, skills and affect (KSA) [3,8] required by the new workforce to achieve the expected outcomes in Table 1. Main definitions of KSA can be found in Table 3.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Which Design Methodologies Are Effective to Support a Capstone Project in Aerospace Design Engineering?

Gutierrez¹,

Liu²,

Singh³

et al. 2018

Self Cite

“…Published lists of desired attributes and skills for new engineering graduates continuously highlight the need for curriculum reform [4]. Dissatisfaction with the student readiness level upon finishing a degree has been a predominant theme among surveyed companies, particularly with respect to training in design [5] [6]. There is a demand for technical specialization at both high and detailed levels, software familiarity, and proficiency in business processes and professional skills, such as team work, self-sufficiency, and written and oral communication [1].…”

Section: The Voice Of the Customermentioning

confidence: 99%

Teaching Aircraft Design:a Case Study on an Alternative Engineering Undergraduate Capstone Final Year Project

Cartile¹,

Marsden²,

Zeng³

et al. 2018

Self Cite

– The effectiveness of aerospace design engineering education has received a great deal of anecdotal feedback from its stakeholders. The aerospace industry, the Canadian government, the University, and the enrolled engineering students have expressed customer needs and expectations of design engineering training. While numerous curriculum reform initiatives have been developed and implemented, their impact has not yet beenstudied quantitatively. This paper proposes to use a theoretical model on design creativity, the statistical Q methodology, and an aerospace undergraduate capstone team case study to develop a tool for the quantitative evaluation for the effectiveness of aerospace design engineering education.