WHICH TYPE OF DESIGN PROJECT IS BEST: NARROW AND DETAILED OR BROAD AND CONCEPTUAL?

Abstract

Engineering design is an essential part of the engineering curriculum, and it is important to select projects with appropriate scope and challenge to develop the desired skills subject to constraints on time, student ability and available resources. This paper considers two types of projects typically encountered in capstone design: detailed design projects, and conceptual design projects. Detailed design projects usually have a goal of constructing and testing a physical prototype, and the main focus is on CAD modeling, detailed analysis, engineering drawings, manufacturing processes, prototype fabrication, and testing. Conceptual design projects focus on the conceptual design stages, and typically do not result in a prototype. These projects are more open-ended, and focus on problem definition, background research, order-of-magnitude analysis, numerical simulation, technical and economic feasibility, and consideration of nontechnical aspects including impact on society and the environment. This paper compares and contrasts the two types of projects in terms of their characteristics, and evaluates them based on the CEAB Graduate Attributes. Both types of projects provide valuable and complementary design experience, and each type emphasizes different attributes.