CDIO-Based Curriculum Evolution: Alumni Survey Results and Curriculum Enhancements

1. First Annual Meeting Kingston, Canada June 6 - 9, 2005

2. Alumni/-ae Survey - Queen’s Kingston • The CDIO based Survey as a useful Tool in the monitoring and evolution of the Curriculum in the Mechanical and Materials Engineering Department (MME) at Queen’s University, Canada • Wyss, UP; Bryant, JTB; Kubrick, N; Mechefske, C; Oosthuizen, PH; Strong, D; Surgenor, BW

3. Alumni/-ae Survey - Queen’s Kingston • Outline • Goals of the survey • The template used in the alumni/-ae survey • Who was surveyed? • Selected results • Initial changes to the curriculum • Future changes to the curriculum • Summary

4. Alumni/-ae Survey - Queen’s Kingston • Goals of the Survey • To help in the modification of the Mechanical and Materials Engineering curriculum to ensure that it leads to the levels of proficiency for graduating engineers required by industry • To assist in the review the curriculum with “hard” numbers in F/W 04/05 • To assist in developing the CEAB submission in 2005 • To act as a benchmark for future surveys • To assist in benchmarking for the Mechanical and Materials Engineering program with those of other universities worldwide

5. Alumni/-ae Survey - Queen’s Kingston • The Survey • The template used in the survey was developed from the Alumni/-ae survey undertaken by QUB • The survey consists of the following: • The name, year of graduation from Queen’s Kingston, and occupation of the respondent • 1.0 Mathematics • 2.0 Mechanical and Materials Engineering Sciences • 3.0 Additional Core Subjects • 4.0 Personal and Professional Skills and Attributes • 5.0 Operating Systems in the Enterprise and Societal Context • 6.0 Allocation of Teaching Time

6. Alumni/-ae Survey - Queen’s Kingston • Five Levels of Proficiency • Concluded that the levels had to deviate from CDIO Survey due to difficult wording • Felt that a clear rank system was more efficient and simpler • Tested CDIO Survey with 15faculty members, 30 graduate students, and 8 undergraduate students to obtain their opinion of the survey, before sending it out to alumni/-ae • Similar to QUB:

7. Alumni/-ae Survey - Queen’s Kingston • Who was surveyed? • 3026 Mechanical and Materials Engineering graduates from 1970-2004 • 433 responses = 14.31% • 10.6 % female graduates, 89.4 % male graduates • 19.4 % female graduate responded, 13.7 % male graduates responded • Older versus Younger Alumni/-ae: • Occupation of Alumni/-ae: • Other involved positions in finance, sales, and teaching

8. Selected Results- Queen’s Kingston

9. 4.0 Personal and Professional Skills and Attributes - Queen’s Kingston

10. 5.0 Operating System in the Enterprise and Societal Context - Queen’s Kingston

11. 1.0 Mathematics - Queen’s Kingston

12. 2.0 Mechanical and Materials Engineering Sciences - Queen’s Kingston • Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, Statics & Solid Mechanics, Engineering Dynamics & Kinematics Asked graduates for each core course listed above: In this matter, how important is it that a graduating engineer should: • 2.X.1 Be familiar with basic principles and relationships • 2.X.2 Be able to derive mathematical equations and relationships • 2.X.3 Be able to apply engineering knowledge to real world issues

13. 3.0 Additional Material - Queen’s Kingston

14. 6.0 Allocation of Teaching Time Queen’s Kingston

15. Alumni/-ae Survey - Queen’s Kingston • Comments from Alumni/-ae • From their work experience, many alumni/-ae felt that the following should be emphasized in the curriculum in order to better prepare our graduates for positions in industry: • More practical application/ real world issues = 38% • Excellent communication skills = 21% • More group projects/ teamwork = 27 % • Other comments = 14% => The major findings from the CDIO survey match what the CDIO initiative is promoting

16. Benchmarking

17. MME Curriculum Second Year Common Core: CIVL 220 Statics and Solid Mechanics ELEC 210 Introductory Electric Circuits and Machines MATH 225 Ordinary Differential Equations MATH 272 Application of Numerical Methods MECH 212Design Techniques MECH 213Manufacturing Methods MECH 215 Instrumentation and Measurement MECH 228 Kinematics and Dynamics MECH 230 Thermodynamics I MECH 241 Fluid Mechanics I MECH 270 Materials Science and Engineering

18. MME Curriculum (continued) Third Year Common Core: MECH 302Technical Communication MECH 321 Solid Mechanics II MECH 323Machine Design MECH 328 Dynamics and Vibration MECH 330 Applied Thermodynamics II MECH 341 Fluid Mechanics II MECH 346 Heat Transfer MECH 350 Automatic Controls MECH 398 Mechanical Engineering Laboratory I MECH 399 Mechanical Engineering Laboratory II PHYS 333 Electronics for Scientists and Engineers STAT 367 Engineering Data Analysis

19. MME Curriculum (continued) Mechanical Engineering Option: Complementary Studies 1 Technical Elective Materials Engineering Option: MECH 370 Principles of Materials Processing MECH 371 Fracture Mechanics and Dislocation Theory

20. MME Curriculum (continued) Forth Year Common Core: COMM 244 Project Management and Economics MECH 460Design Project I Mechanical Engineering Option: Complementary Studies Technical Electives Materials Engineering Option: Complementary Studies Technical Electives

21. MME Curriculum (continued) Partial List of Elective Courses: CHEE 390 Polymer Science and Process Technology CHEE 481 Air Quality Management ELEC 448 Introduction to Robotics: Mechanics and Control MECH 314Manufacturing Engineering MECH 370 Principles of Materials Processing MECH 371 Fracture Mechanics and Dislocation Theory MECH 412 Mechanical Behaviour of Advanced Materials MECH 420 Vibrations MECH 422 Stress and Strain Analysis MECH 424Life Cycle Engineering MECH 426Manufacturing Business Strategy MECH 430 Thermal Systems Design MECH 431 Building Energy Systems MECH 435 Applied Combustion MECH 439 Turbomachinery MECH 441 Fluid Mechanics III

22. MME Curriculum (continued) MECH 444 Computational Fluid Dynamics MECH 448 Compressible Fluid Flow MECH 452Mechatronic Systems Design MECH 455Computer Integrated Manufacturing MECH 456 Introduction to Robotics MECH 462Design Project II MECH 465Computer-Aided Design MECH 466 Solid Modelling MECH 472 Corrosion and Failure Analysis MECH 477 Design of Automotive Structures with Advanced Materials MECH 478 Biomaterials MECH 480  Aerospace Engineering MECH 482 Noise Control  MECH 491Design of Biomechanical Devices MECH 495Ergonomics and Design MECH 497Spacecraft Systems Design

23. Curriculum Changes • Initial Changes to the MME Curriculum • Change the oral and written communication course from 3rd year to courses in 2nd and 3rd year with 50% more overall weight • Integrate communication exercises into required tasks in other courses => get additional faculty involved with CDIO • Increased emphasis of “I” and “O” in 4th year design course • More industry projects (real world!) • More students • Resources $ and shop time • Adding CD and IO in calendar description

24. Curriculum Changes • Future Changes to the Curriculum • Revise the material in some of the mathematics courses offered currently - ad hoc team working on it • Review list of technical electives • Branding of MME program - What is unique? • Many technical electives leaves room for individual course choices, especially in 4th year • CDIO type of curriculum should become a selling point for getting jobs in industry

25. Summary • Summary • The CDIO surveys have been helpful to evolve our curriculum • We have made changes to communication curriculum • Emphasize IO • We are working on revising mathematics and technical electives • Increase our conformity with the CDIO Syllabus • Challenge to do all this with increasing enrolment and very tight budget • Challenge to involve more faculty, despite of pressure of larger classes, research and publishing (tenure)! • Student involvement supporting CDIO is crucial! • The CDIO based survey is a powerful tool to prioritize changes in curriculum!