Brief Report on the First KFUPM Workshop on Engineering Design

1. Brief Report on the First KFUPM Workshop on Engineering Design Dr. Samir Al-Baiyat Dean, College of Engineering Sciences King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

2. Outline • Rationale • Plan • Workshop • Speakers • Recommendations

3. Rationale • During last ABET visit, there were recommendations to enhance the design component of our engineering programs • Some of our own faculty do not have major experience in design to include in their teaching.

4. Proposal • To foster the culture of engineering design among our faculty, the college engaged into organizing a workshop on engineering design. • The proposal was submitted to the Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs and was approved with a certain allocated budget.

5. Workshop Committee • Dr. S. Al-Baiyat (Chairman) • Dr. M. Deriche (EE) • Dr. E. Mokheimer (ME) • Dr. S. Farooq (AE) • Dr. N. Al-Baghli (CHE) • Dr. A. Al-Gahtani (CE)

6. Workshop Speakers • Prof. R. Knecht, • Director, Design (Epics) Program, Colorado School of Mines, USA • Prof. K. Youcef-Toumi, • Professor, Dept. ME, MIT, USA • Prof. C. McMahon, • Prof. of Eng. Design, U. of Bath, UK

7. Program Components • Keynote speeches • Case study presentations from the college • Panel discussion • Numerous department based meetings were scheduled (general discussions on design and technical seminars)

8. Workshop Program (April 11-12)

9. Workshop Program (April 11-12)

10. Participation • The workshop was advertised by email to all KFUPM faculty. • A number of participants were also invited from other universities in the Kingdom. • The table lists the number of participants by department.

11. Recommendations from the Workshop At the end of the workshop, a meeting was held between the workshop organizing committee and invited speakers. The members of the workshop committee summarized the current status of design in engineering programs at KFUPM. The invited speakers made the following remarks and recommendations: 1. The invited speakers were pleased with the level of design at Capstone level but noted that students should be prepared for design at earlier stages than senior level.

12. Recommendations from the Workshop 2. Dr. Knecht offered to organize a full 2-day short course on design training for interested faculty. 3. Proposal for annual KFUPM training in teaching design: a 2-day course that focuses on how design is carried and taught. 4. Faculty teaching design should have a reduced teaching load during the semester where they teach design.

13. Recommendations from the Workshop 5. It is recommended to introduce one design course at the sophomore level. Such course can be either College wide or department based. 6. The Capstone course should be multidisciplinary and intra-disciplinary in nature 7. It is recommended that before undertaking the first course in design, students should be provided with “design kits”

14. Recommendations from the Workshop 8. Design courses should be followed by student competitions. Such competitions should be organized in the presence of industry partners . 9. For successful design based programs, there should be a strong support from the administration 10. Capstone supervision should be considered as substantial load in counting faculty load. 11. To initiate design, a KFUPM can start by piloting design course as special topics or elective courses.

15. Conclusion This first KFUPM initiative aimed at strengthening the offering of design at all levels of our programs. The faculty greatly benefited from the experience of the speakers throughout their stay at KFUPM. The Departments also benefited from the presence of the speakers in terms of additional technical seminars and faculty meetings. The college will follow up with the different departments on the inclusion of design at the different levels.