ENGR497 – An Introduction to Research Methods Course

Abstract

The benefits to students who engage in undergraduate engineering research are significant. Not only can students apply and extend knowledge they have learned in the classroom, they have an opportunity to engage in creative, abstract and critical thinking that leads to concrete, handson engineering applications. However, in many engineering programs, the current demand for undergraduate research exceeds available resources. As a result, many engineering students are precluded from participating in research during their undergraduate studies. Furthermore, most students enter research labs without the tools and background to hit the ground running. In this paper, we describe an inquiry-based engineering methods course designed to engage junior and senior level engineering students in structured, self-directed research at our university. This course is intended to stimulate creative engineering thinking in students while leading them through the process of conceptualizing and performing hands-on engineering research in a classroom setting. The course is open to all engineering undergraduate students and it is aimed at the development of student research skills and student preparation to perform mentored undergraduate research, therefore setting the stage for a more competitive and successful path to postgraduate studies or R&D industry career. In addition, this course helps close the gap between student demand for an undergraduate research experience and the often limited number of faculty-mentored research projects available to undergraduate students in engineering.

Aerodynamics Airfoil Project: Analytical, Numerical, and Experimental Introduction for Undergraduates

“…Rather than tell the students about the types of research methods available, the students were asked to implement those methods as part of the project. Many others have written about the implementation and significance of undergraduate research [4], [5], [6], [7], often for honors students, and of demonstrating the various methodologies of analytical, numerical, and experimental in a control course [8].…”

Work in Progress: An Undergraduate Theory and Methods of Research Class for Honors Students

“…While these courses are less common in the hard sciences and engineering, some similar courses are offered. [6][7][8] In contrast with undergraduate courses, research methods courses for graduate students are becoming more common. [9][10][11] Compared to the social sciences courses, the graduate engineering courses include such content as delivering presentations, scientific methods, research ethics, proposal writing, literature searchers, and reading the literature.…”