Capturing the Cyclic Nature of Design with Multi-Generation Projects

Capturing the Cyclic Nature of Design with Multi-Generation Projects

Department of Bioengineering University of California–San Diego

Melissa Kurtis Micou, PhDJeffrey H Omens, PhD

BME IDEA MeetingSeptember 26, 2007

Motivation• Design experiences are most effective when authentic• Survey of 360 design courses revealed commonalities:

(Todd et al J Eng Ed 1995)– Real world problems: 59% solicit projects from industry– Time constraints: 60% have duration <1 year– Financial constraints: average funding <$200 / project– Teamwork: 83% offer team projects

• Cyclic nature of design not easily reproduced in a half- or full-year course

needs assessment

problem formulation

brainstorming & synthesis

analysis

implementation

Objectives

• Highlight the cyclic nature of design in the new bioengineering design sequence at UCSD

• Improve professional skills critical to the success of lengthy, multi-generational projects

Course Overview

Needs Assessment & Prob Formulation• 1 unit lecture• presentations of projects by faculty

Brainstorming & Analysis• 1 unit lecture & 3 unit lab• develop multiple designs• select the best design

Implementation• 1 unit lecture & 3 unit lab• build & test prototype

Needs Assessment & Prob Formulation• 1 unit lecture• presentations of projects by:

-seniors (multi-generation)

-faculty (new)

Spring Fall Winter Spring

juniors seniors

juniors

Expected Outcomes• Greater appreciation for the importance of and improvement in communication skills:

– design notebooks– technical reports– presentations

• Improved ability to critically evaluate design work and identify opportunities for future improvements

• More effective and efficient integration of senior projects and ongoing research

• Juniors benefit from hearing first-hand about the experiences, successes, and failures of the senior teams

Ex: Multi-Channel Amplifier for Regional Cardiac Mapping

Design Goals• Record simultaneous signals from multiple locations of

cardiac tissue• Amplify and filter signals

Objective: construct a low-cost multi-channel amplifier to measure regional electrical signals in a rat heart

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amplify& filter

A/D conversion

digital processing

be-web.ucsd.edu/seniordesign/Past/studentpages/2006/Project11/Home%20Page.html

1st Generation Successes:• accurate ECG recorded from rat heart• determined signal quality higher when leads inserted into the myocardium compared to surface recordings• successful integration between amplifier and A/D converter

2nd Generation Design Goals:• improve filtering• expand for simultaneous multi-channel recordings• develop custom software to allow multiple real-time ECGs to be displayed simultaneously

Integration with Ongoing ResearchSpring Fall Winter Spring

Needs Assessment & Prob Formulation• Identify instrumentation, device, etc needed for thesis project

• Recruit senior students

Brainstorming & Analysis • Seniors work closely with MS or PhD student “client”

Implementation• Seniors work closely with MS or PhD student “client”

Needs Assessment & Prob Formulation• MS or PhD student

-finalizes testing and incorporates design into research

- Identifies needed improvements or related instruments

Assessment: Technical ReportsABET Criteria Score

(out of 4)b.

ability to design & conduct

experiments…

Student(s) able to design an experiment to validate solution.

3.4 ± 1.1

c. able to design a

system, component, or process…

Student(s) able to select appropriate design based on constraints.

3.4 ± 0.6

e. identify, formulate, &

solve engineering problems

Student(s) able to make recommendations for further improvements.

3.5 ± 0.5

g. ability to

communicate effectively

Student(s) able to write a report with appropriate content

3.3 ± 0.7

Summary

• Incorporating cyclic nature of design with multi-generation projects provides a more authentic design experience

• Multi-generation projects facilitate the integration of teaching and research

• Using established assessment methods we will measure whether multi-generation projects improve professional skills:– written communication – ability to critically analyze designs

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Assessment: Design NotebooksEach student maintains a design notebook including notes from meetings, research, calculations, data from testing, and sketches

name, date, e-mail, address and course # on cover pages are numbered entries are dated meeting, individual work, & group work distinguished participants listed future steps indicated clarity and quality of figures quality of documented individual work notebook is legible and neat detail is sufficientAVE= 80 ± 17% (n = 42)

Assessment: Poster PresentationsABET Criteria

1 point 2 points 3 points 4 points

j. knowledge of contemporary

issues

authors do not understand the topic well or present irrelevant info

authors demonstrate some understanding of the topic

authors demonstrate a good understanding of the topic

authors have a thorough understanding and provide insight

h. understand impact of

engineering solutions

merely summarizes the poster

flawed or ambiguous conclusions are drawn

logical conclusions are drawn

logical conclusions are drawn and significance is discussed

g. ability to

communicate

unorganized or confusing

adequate informative and clear

informative, clear, and to the point

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