Information-Rich Engineering Design (I-RED)

Information-Rich Engineering Design (I-RED) Michael Fosmire, Purdue University David Radcliffe, Purdue University fosmire@purdue.edu dradclif@purdue.edu ASEE Annual conference, June 2012

Overview • Investigate some Design Models • Propose Integrated IL/Design Model • Sample Applications

Need: Integrated Model • Model recognizable to Engineers and Librarians • Co-constructed by both to capture important components of each discipline • A bridge to help start conversations and find common ground for collaborations

Prior Work: ABET Mapping • 3b) Ability to design and conduct experiments • 3c) Ability to design a system…to meet desired needs within realistic constraints.’ • 3e) Ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems • 3f) Understanding of professional and ethical responsibility • 3h) Understand the impact of engineering in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context • 3j) Knowledge of contemporary issues • 3i) Recognition of the need for, and ability to engage in lifelong learning -Riley et al; Sapp Nelson+Fosmire

Engineering Design • Central to Discipline of Engineering: • “Design is regarded by many as the core problem-solving process of technological development. It is as fundamental to technology as inquiry is to science and reading is to language arts.” -ITEA (2007) • Ill-structured problems mirror post-graduation situations, enhance transferability and deep learning

Info Gathering and Design • Consistently find first-year students gather less information than seniors, who gather less than professional engineers. • Number of Sources • Kinds of Requests (Aspects of Problem) • Time Spent Gathering Information -Atman et al, JEE 2007

Design Models “The literature review is so well documented and understood that it might seem unnecessary for us to comment on it here….however, can be both vast and greatly dependent on phase or stage of the design.” -Dym and Little, 2000

“Radcliffe” Design Model • Note: • Team dynamics • Reflection Stages are unique

Connection to IL

Characteristics of Info Activities

Information Activities

Implications • Resources needed depend on stage of design process • Mixture of technical, social, economic, legal resources • Metacognitive process threads throughout project • Beginning and end focuses on Knowledge Management • Can target appropriate stage, or try to integrate throughout design project

Applications • Provide Context: • Design Problem: Provide clean water to a community in Sub-Saharan Africa • Activity: • Brainstorm: List the assumptions you can make about the community to guide your project. (materials available, budget, culture, local expertise, etc.) • Locate information to inform one of your assumptions. • Was your assumption correct? What other assumptions from your list do you need to validate?

Applications • Assess Technologies and Approaches: • Design Problem: Provide clean water to a community in Sub-Saharan Africa • Activity: • Determine ‘success’ factors of a solution (e.g., cost, ease of use, local materials) • Locate an appropriate product that could be applied to the problem. What is your assessment of the product? • Locate two external sources that evaluate or compare this product (or underlying technology) in a similar situation. • What is the assessment of those sources? How has it changed your assessment of the value of your chosen technology?

Conclusion • Assembling Examples and Approach into Monograph • Initiatives at PU Press • IL Handbook series • Engineering Education series Coming Fall 2013

Thank You Michael Fosmire David Radcliffe Purdue University fosmire@purdue.edu dradclif@purdue.edu

Information-Rich Engineering Design (I-RED)