The E⁴ Introductory Engineering Test, Design and Simulation Laboratory

Abstract

At a time when we can least afford it, mastery of experimentation among practicing engineers is fast becoming a lost art. Within the undergraduate engineering curriculum there has been a continuous decrease in emphasis in the study and practice of experimentation over the past several decades. The Introductory Engineering Test, Design and Simulation Laboratory is an important and unique component of the “Enhanced Educational Experience for Engineers,”—Drexel's E4 program—which attempts to reverse this trend in a substantial way. It is based on three premises: that experimentation is a critical and distinguishing element of the profession; that experimental skills require time to develop; and that entering students are interested in laboratory work. Thus it provides early, continuous and significant laboratory experiences for all students regardless of major throughout the freshman and sophomore years. The nature of the program and facilities are based on a perspective which recognizes the rich diversity of engineering experimentation yet emphasizes its common elements. The laboratory facilities and program can be incorporated in most lower‐division programs creating the potential for significant improvements in the upper division. The results of our experience since 1989 indicate that the laboratory provides a rich learning environment in which most students achieve or exceed the educational and performance objectives. Equally important, student response is enthusiastic and they have found the laboratory to be a place for them to have a lot of fun becoming engineers!

Transformation: From Teacher‐Centered to Student‐Centered Engineering Education

“…Engineering education efforts both in design and in the engineering sciences have been reported. [2][3][4][5] We seek to add texture to the movement towards active learning, though opting for a slightly different terminology. In a "student-centered" approach to education, the student is at the center of attention while in the more traditional or "teacher-centered" model, the teacher is the focus.…”

Teaching Statistical Experimental Design Using a Laboratory Experiment

“…It has been recognized that experimentation is a critical and distinguishing element of the engineering profession. 10 Students entering into an undergraduate laboratory have spent most of their scientific life on the abstract side of measurements and think in terms of pure theoretical relationships between variables, not of the relationship of measured variables contaminated by experimental error. 11 They tend to think there are only two options if the results do not agree with the theory: 1) there is something wrong with the equipment or its value in elucidating the theory, or 2) the real and theoretical worlds cannot be bridged, so theory is of little value in the real world.…”

Introducing Data Acquisition And Experimental Techniques To Mechanical Engineering Students In The Freshmen Year

“…RIT is addressing these needs by developing a new curriculum based on the Enhanced Educational Experience for Engineers Program (E 4 ) which was pioneered by Drexel in 1988 3 . A critical component of E 4 is the Engineering Test, Simulation and Design Laboratory (ETSDL) 4 , the adaptation of which defines the scope of this paper. The ETSDL is based on the belief that experimentation is a critical element of the engineering profession, continuous experiences in experimentation are desirable from a pedagogical point of view, and early hands on experiences enhance student interest and motivation toward engineering at a time when career decisions are being made.…”

“…5,6,7,8,9 Since its inception in 1988, several colleges have adapted versions of the E 4 program to their curriculum. One study conducted in 1999 indicates that the retention rate of E 4…”