Active Learning Project Sequence: Capstone Experience for Multi- Disciplinary System Design and Management Education
Year: 2009
Editor: Norell Bergendahl, M.; Grimheden, M.; Leifer, L.; Skogstad, P.; Lindemann, U.
Author: Ishii, Kosuke; de Weck, Olivier; Haruyama, Shinichiro; Maeno, Takashi; Kim, Sun; Fowler, Whit
Series: ICED
Section: Design Education and Lifelong Learning
Page(s): 57-68
Abstract
Whereas team project-based learning of engineering design has attracted wide acceptance, it is still rare to see a curriculum that addresses high level societal needs involving diverse students with technical and non-technical background and a wide range of practical experience. This paper describes a collaborative curriculum development among one Japanese (KU) and two US universities (SU and MTech). The Active Learning Project Sequence (ALPS) is a capstone experience for KU's new Graduate School of System Design and Management (SDM). The faculty team combined their experience to use the System Development "V-Model" as a roadmap for the curriculum. ALPS set a high level "Voice of Society", from which the project teams generated solution scenarios, identified requirements, and described the proposed system using appropriate prototypes of not only hardware, but other amorphous means. The theme for 2008 was "Enhancing Senior Lives in Japan" which led to project foci on more specific scenarios. The paper illustrates the design of the workshop sequence, in particular, two key learning modules: a) scenario development and prototyping and b) cross-team project evaluation.