Implementation and Assessment of Failure Case Studies in the Engineering Curriculum

Abstract

The history of the development of practice in many engineering disciplines is, in large part, the story of failures, both imminent and actual, and of the changes to designs, standards and procedures made as the result of timely interventions or forensic analyses. In addition to technical issues, concepts such as professional and ethical responsibility are highlighted by failure cases. Pilot studies have been carried out over several semesters to assess the use of failure case studies in civil engineering and engineering mechanics courses at Cleveland State University under an earlier NSF project. Student learning has been assessed through surveys as well as focus groups, led by researchers from the Cleveland State University College of Education and Human Services. Students were asked specifically about the technical lessons learned, as well as their response to the case studies. Case study questions were included on homework assignments and examinations. Survey questions linked student achievement to learning outcomes. The focus groups identified additional benefits to the use of case studies. Students observed that the cases helped build engineering identity, and provided historical understanding. The cases made the technical information relevant and linked theory to practice. The project described in this paper will extend the work of implementing and assessing case studies from Cleveland State University to eleven other university partners, including using case studies in an Introduction to Engineering course for first year students, as well as the NSF Materials Digital Library for a total of thirteen universities participating in the project. The project is a work in progress, starting in the fall of 2009.