THE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS: AN “ENGINEERING PHILOSOPHY” COURSE AT THE GRADUATE LEVEL

Abstract

Since 2003, 117 students from all departmentsin the Faculty, and beyond, have enrolled in a discussionbasedgraduate course on “engineering philosophy.” Thecourse is non-traditional in both content and process.Discussions are based on student input. Four booksand a series of professional sources set the tone for eachof five segments. Three hour long classes are held everysecond week over two terms. Student input is compiledand shared prior to each class. A technicalcommunications specialist is part of the academicteam. The specialist supports students’ growth incommunicative competence beyond the undergraduatelevel.Since the course falls outside the engineering norm,this paper addresses how a less rigid, more philosophicaland wide-ranging, discussion-based course enhancesstudents’ ability to approach engineering as both afunctional discipline and social design model.