© 2006 baylor university slide 1 engineering method/ team building
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Slide 2© 2006 Baylor University
Lecture 2:The Engineering Method / Team Building /
Creative Problem Solving
Approximate Running Time – 44 minutes
Distance Learning / Online Instructional Presentation
Presented by:Department of Mechanical Engineering &
Department of Electrical and Computer EngineeringBaylor University
Slide 3© 2006 Baylor University
Dr. Carolyn SkurlaSpeaking
•Outline–The Engineering Method
–Team Building
–Creative Problem Solving
–Plagiarism
Lecture 2 Topics
Slide 4© 2006 Baylor University
• Engineers are not defined by their product– Nano-robots
– Airplanes
– Embedded Computers
• Engineers are defined by their method– Finding the best change using available
resources in an environment of uncertainty
What is an Engineer?
Slide 5© 2006 Baylor University
• The clergy in Iran engineered the firing of the president.
• The chessmaster engineered a perfect countermove.
• The general engineered a coup
d'état without the loss of life.
http://www.teamclouds.com/staff/dawboy/images/chess_set.png
“To Engineer”
Slide 6© 2006 Baylor University
• The Scientific Method
– Well-understood, even by the layperson.
– “Science is theory corrected by experiment.”
– All variables held constant except one.
– “Answer in the back of the book.”
– Extensively analyzed by philosophers
Why is Engineering Such a Mystery?
Slide 7© 2006 Baylor University
• The Engineering Method
– Little significant research into the philosophical foundations of engineering.
– Can you name an engineer who is wise, well-known, well-read, and scholarly?
• Contrast with law, economics, medicine, politics, religion, and science
– Can you name a public spokesperson in any of these fields?
Why is Engineering Such a Mystery?
Slide 8© 2006 Baylor University
• Few high school students take engineering courses
• Liberal arts students are not required to study technology
• Technology students are required to study liberal arts
Why is Engineering Such a Mystery?
Slide 9© 2006 Baylor University
• Change: the situation requires a change.
• Best: the best change is desired...
• Resources: using the available resources
• Uncertainty: knowledge about the situation is incomplete
and sometimes inconsistent
Four Key Elements of Engineering Problems
Slide 11© 2006 Baylor University
• Four practical difficulties in getting from A to B:
– Engineer lacks complete knowledge of the world at A
– The exact final state, B, is unknown and cannot be anticipated
– There is no single path from A to B
– Engineering goals can change during the process
• The location of B drifts!
Change
Slide 12© 2006 Baylor University
• Is all change caused by engineers good?
– What about unintended consequences?
• Aswan High Dam in Egypt
– Can you think of any engineering disasters?
• Tacoma Narrows Bridge
• Kansas City Hyatt Regency
• Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in U.S.S.R.
Change
Slide 13© 2006 Baylor University http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/eg.html
Unintended Consequences
Slide 14© 2006 Baylor Universityhttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/nl/thumb/f/fa/280px-AswanHighDam_Egypt.jpg
Slide 15© 2006 Baylor University
• Increased salinity of the Nile by 10%
– Led to collapse of sardine industry
• Caused coastal erosion
• Displaced 100,000 Nubians
– Drastically altering their way of life
Unintended Consequences
Slide 16© 2006 Baylor University
• Tangible Resources
– Money available for project
– Time to complete project
– Raw materials (e.g., steel, concrete, silicon)
– Computer resources
– Number of engineers
• Intangible Resources– Engineering staff’s past experience
with similar projects
– Engineering staff’s interest level
http://newportbeachattorneys.org/gen02_clock.jpg
http://fullcircle.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/free_money.jpg
Available Resources
Slide 17© 2006 Baylor University
• Problem : Estimate the number of ping-pong balls that can fill a room– 60 seconds– 2 days– Unlimited time
• Each time limit defines a new engineering problem because the time resource is different
• Each solution would be correct from an engineering point of view.
Time as a Resource
Slide 18© 2006 Baylor University
• Best for whom?– Westerners are conditioned to accept Plato’s notion of the
ideal
– A new concept of “best”
• Optimization theory– The optimum compromise
– Apollo Program• Leapfrog learning
• Political vs. economic tradeoffs
Best
Slide 19© 2006 Baylor University
Consider a television with only one knob:Increased knob setting results in sharper picture,Increased knob setting also results in worse sound.
Best: Television Example
Slide 20© 2006 Baylor University
Assuming Picture and Sound are Equally Weighted
Best: Television Example
Slide 21© 2006 Baylor University
Picture is half as important as Sound (for a person with hearing problems)
Best: Television Example
Slide 22© 2006 Baylor University
• Engineers are asked to find a solution to a problem while lacking complete information
• In Change: both the starting and ending points (A & B) are not fully known
• Resources: intangible resources cannot be quantified, yet they affect the outcome
• Best: the best design is not always clear, best for whom?
Uncertainty
Slide 23© 2006 Baylor University
• Your future employer requires teamwork skills• Student-centered learning is encouraged
– Active learning
– Collaborative learning
– Cooperative learning• Positive interdependence
• Individual accountability
• Face-to-face interaction
• Appropriate use of interpersonal skills
• Regular self-assessment of group functioning
Why Work in Teams?
Slide 24© 2006 Baylor University
• Improved– Student-faculty interaction– Student-student interaction– Grades & information retention– Teamwork & interpersonal skills– Communication skills– Training for the professional work environment
Benefits of Cooperative Learning
Slide 25© 2006 Baylor University
• Thinking Aloud Pairs Problem-Solving (TAPPS)– Students form pairs
• Problem-Solver (PS)– Talks through solution to the problem
• Listener (L)– Questions
– Prompts PS to keep talking
– Gives clues when necessary
– Short training exercise
Creative Problem Solving
Slide 26© 2006 Baylor University
EXERCISE 1: TRAVELS OF A BOOKWORM
I II III IV
inchCover61
inchesText 2How many covers did the worm eat through? (Call this x.)
How many texts did the worm eat through? (Call this y.)
inchesyinchxLength 261
Where is page 1 of Volume I?
Where is the last page of Volume IV?
inchesLength
inchesinchLength
5
2261
6
TAPPS Training Exercise - Solution
Slide 27© 2006 Baylor University
EXERCISE 2:
B C O R
S
D
P
W
Clue 1
X XClue 2
X
X XX
Clue 3
X
X
X
X X
X
Clue 4
TAPPS Training Exercise - Solution
Slide 28© 2006 Baylor University
• “Plagiarism is using others' ideas and words without clearly acknowledging the source of that information.”1
1Writing Tutorial Services, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN <http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/wts/plagiarism.html>
Plagiarism
Slide 29© 2006 Baylor University
• “To avoid plagiarism, you must give credit whenever you use– another person's idea, opinion, or theory;
– any facts, statistics, graphs, drawings--any pieces of information--that are not common knowledge;
– quotations of another person's actual spoken or written words; or
– paraphrase of another person's spoken or written words.”1
1Writing Tutorial Services, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN <http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/wts/plagiarism.html>
How Can Students Avoid Plagiarism?
Slide 30© 2006 Baylor University
• Go to the Indiana University’s website on plagiarism.– http://education.indiana.edu/%7Efrick/plagiarism/ – Explore the links, examples, and quizzes until you
are ready to attempt the test.– Print the confirmation certificate, fill it out, sign it,
and:• Fax a copy to your instructor OR
• Scan it and e-mail a copy to your instructor
How to Avoid Plagiarism?
Slide 31© 2006 Baylor University
Sample #1:
Responsible engineering wastes neither physical nor mental resources. Economic constraints are often imposed by the demands of the marketplace.
Sample #2:
According to Petroski, “Responsible engineering wastes neither physical nor mental resources [1].” Marketplace demands often impose economic constraints.
Bibliography:1. Petroski, Henry. To Engineer is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design. Vintage Books, New York (1992).
Unacceptable
Unacceptable
Plagiarism Exercise
Slide 32© 2006 Baylor University
Sample #3:
According to Petroski, responsible engineering wastes neither physical nor mental resources [1].
Bibliography:1. Petroski, Henry. To Engineer is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design. Vintage Books, New York (1992).
Sample #4:
According to Petroski, “Responsible engineering wastes neither physical nor mental resources [1].” He also states that marketplace realities may necessitate fiscal limitations.
Bibliography:1. Petroski, Henry. To Engineer is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design. Vintage Books, New York (1992).
Unacceptable
Acceptable
Plagiarism Exercise
Slide 34© 2006 Baylor University
References
• Koen, Billy Vaughn, Discussion of The Method, Oxford University Press, 2003
• Egypt map from CIA website: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/eg.html
• Aswan Dam photo: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/nl/thumb/f/fa/280px-AswanHighDam_Egypt.jpg
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