Good idea or bad idea?-Teaching knowledge-based engineering in a flipped classroom

Abstract

The application of computer-Aided design (CAD) systems belong to the very basic competences that a design engineer in mechanical engineering is taught. The definition of shape and product properties in such systems is the foundation of virtual prototyping and the later manufacturing as well. Depending on the specialization, there exist different capstone courses in engineering design. At Leibniz University of Hannover, the Knowledge-based Design Lab was conceived as project-based learning environment for design automation and product configuration. Its aim is to provide profound knowledge about creating highly flexible but robust CAD models that can self-Adapt to changing requirements to automate routine design tasks. Although already highly activating for the students, input and setup were organized traditionally, i.e. professional skills were developed mainly in the ten attendance phases of the class and the overall course of action has only minor degrees of freedom. This was changed in 2018 when the Knowledge-based Design Lab was transformed into a flipped classroom. In the present article, the author reports about the according transformation process, discusses both the traditional and the flipped classroom and compares the learning outcomes and competences of the graduates of the different formats. To avoid cohort effects, the results of the last three semesters are averaged.