Junior design of an autonomous surface utility vehicle: A project based approach for knowledge integration

Abstract

The effectiveness of an engineering curriculum is measured by how well students can apply and integrate their technical knowledge to solve real life problems. The current engineering curriculum has been designed to only to provide the theory, however, it doesn't provide the integration of how this knowledge can be applied. The courses that are taken as preparation for system engineering students include standard mechanical studies such as statics, dynamics, and structural analysis, but also, computer software and hardware courses that study C programming, circuit analysis and electronics. These types of collegiate engineering classes that are taken on a general level in all system engineering disciplines, are supposed to provide the theory that is needed to build a system; however, they do not teach the tools that are needed to know how to integrate these concepts together during the system development process. The downfall reflects in the student when they cannot develop a successful senior design project. As a solution, a state-of-the-art education is being presented as a project-based learning experience. This type of educational method has been designed to push motivated students into a fast pace, learn as you "build" environment in which students need to integrate educational theory with applications. While not being a requirement by the university, a directed independent study was performed by a junior level student in the summer of 2010. The objective of the study was to apply compartmentalized knowledge obtained from previous technical courses, such as circuits, logic design, and engineering mathematics, to design and build an autonomous surface vehicle (ASV), given a set of requirements. At the end of this project, the student was evaluated in terms of his technical and educational accomplishments: the ASV was successfully built that met the given requirements, and the student has demonstrated a deeper understanding of how to apply and integrate educational knowledge to solve a real-life problem. The outcome of this project is a needed experience for any engineering scholar. It provides a stepping stone from the collegiate environment to professional development, while linking the integration of educational knowledge with practical design tactics. We envision that this type of project can be implemented effectively as a regular course so students can learn hands-on experience in system engineering design that cannot be found in a text book. © 2011 American Society for Engineering Education.