Institutionalizing large scale change

Abstract

The ECSEL Coalition of Seven Engineering Schools is sponsored by the National Science Foundation and has as a primary mission the integration of engineering design into the curriculum. We emphasize beginning in the first year with the first course that introduces engineering. The schools are Howard University, MIT: Morgan State University, Penn State University, City College of New York, University of Washington and the University of Maryland. The ECSEL approach to freshman engineering education features new curricular materials and teaching methods and has as its objectives the following: (1) to introduce students to engineering as a discipline and as a process; (2) to introduce engineering skills, including critical thinking, negotiating, engineering graphics, and societal context; (3) to reinforce general skills such as writing and oral presentations; (4) to familiarize students with the teamwork necessary to complete most engineering tasks successfully; (5) to introduce engineering software tools such as word processing, engineering graphics (CAD), and spreadsheet calculations; and (6) to relate subsequent engineering science courses to engineering design. Students complete one or more product realization cycle(s) in a semester. They work in teams and design, manufacture and test an engineering product.