Multidisciplinary Mobile Elemental Power Plant project

Abstract

In the College of Applied Science and Technology (COAST), we offer instruction within our Engineering Technology curriculum on the various forms of alternative energy. In promoting an active learning environment and accommodating the various learning methods of our students, we are in need of engaging, hands-on tools for lecture and supplemental labs on renewable energy. To address this need, a multidisciplinary team of faculty members and students from the Engineering Technology programs in the college are participating in a collaborative research project involving cogeneration of renewable energy. The research project, Mobile Elemental Power Plant (MEPP), allows students to participate in a capstone project on cross-disciplinary teams, providing each of them a means to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and abilities in design, development, and fabrication of a final product. The overall MEPP team is comprised of twenty-three diverse students from four technology disciplines: Electronics Engineering Technology (EET), Design Graphics Engineering Technology (DGET), Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET), and Manufacturing Engineering Technology (MFET), under the auspices of four faculty advisors. The large group is broken down into five sub-teams with student representatives from each of the disciplines. The students are given the freedom to be innovative in their subsystem designs with the understanding that each independent design must be integrated into a fully operational system. The sub-teams are concerned with envelope, budget, time management, coordination of activities, and team dynamics. The sub-teams must also work together and function as one large team with a common goal. In the past, multidisciplinary engineering teams have been formed with little success due to differences in our program expectations for capstone projects. It was also difficult to provide faculty advisement and support across disciplines. The capstone process, learning outcomes, grading criteria and coursework vary between our programs. This research effort will give Engineering Technology faculty the opportunity to observe and to document the effectiveness of multidisciplinary engineering teams and to develop best practices for future multidisciplinary engineering projects. The outcomes of this study will help us to determine the viability of coordinating future multidisciplinary engineering projects through student assessment and to assist in setting common goals and creating guidelines for multidisciplinary capstone projects. A rubric will be used for assessment of student achievement in design reviews and project presentations. Student surveys will assist in evaluating the overall experience for students participating on a multidisciplinary project. They will be compared to student surveys from program specific projects. The outcomes and results of this multidisciplinary engineering project along with course goals and capstone project documentation will be documented and disseminated in the final paper March 2012. © 2012 American Society for Engineering Education.