The E4 Introductory Engineering Test, Design and Simulation Laboratory

Abstract

AbstractAt a time when we can least afford it, mastery of experimentation among practicing engineers is fast becoming a lost art. Within the undergraduate engineering curriculum there has been a continuous decrease in emphasis in the study and practice of experimentation over the past several decades. The Introductory Engineering Test, Design and Simulation Laboratory is an important and unique component of the “Enhanced Educational Experience for Engineers,”—Drexel's E4 program—which attempts to reverse this trend in a substantial way. It is based on three premises: that experimentation is a critical and distinguishing element of the profession; that experimental skills require time to develop; and that entering students are interested in laboratory work. Thus it provides early, continuous and significant laboratory experiences for all students regardless of major throughout the freshman and sophomore years. The nature of the program and facilities are based on a perspective which recognizes the rich diversity of engineering experimentation yet emphasizes its common elements. The laboratory facilities and program can be incorporated in most lower‐division programs creating the potential for significant improvements in the upper division. The results of our experience since 1989 indicate that the laboratory provides a rich learning environment in which most students achieve or exceed the educational and performance objectives. Equally important, student response is enthusiastic and they have found the laboratory to be a place for them to have a lot of fun becoming engineers!