An educational design process for different capstone classes

Abstract

Capstone design classes are usually structured around teamwork and an open-ended design project. For Mechanical Engineering Departments with several specialties, several capstone classes are usually offered. To achieve the program learning objectives and outcomes across the different specialty, the need for a common educational capstone design process arises. In this paper a common educational capstone design process that parallels that of leading corporations and can be followed across different capstone classes with application to machine design and automotive capstone classes is presented. The developed process fosters creativity, develops students' communication skills and provides a logical product realization engineering/management experience. The educational design process starts with team building and brainstorming focusing on creativity as right brain activity. From the brainstorming list of projects one is selected based on creativity, effort and timing. Each team proceeds to develop a written and oral proposal containing product history, state of the art, Bill of Product, development and simulation methodology, project management/impacts and cost estimates. The Bill of Product represents the set of product attributes from which design criteria and engineering targets are derived. The proposal and project management chart become the road map for tracking until completion. Design construction, analysis and simulation, safety, ethics, social and political implications to design decisions are lectured on until the Bill of Materials is populated for the progress report and presentation. Students are then lectured on design synthesis/validation, quality, manufacturability and variations until the Bill of Process is developed for the final report and presentation.