Abstract: Design has been called one of the defining characteristics of engineering, and it has been long-argued that design is equally social and technical in practice. The field of Science and Technology Studies (STS) has a research tradition of exploring the interwoven social aspects of technical fields like engineering design. We borrow a concept from STS—the notion of intermediary objects—to better understand first-year engineering design teams and explain how prototypes mediate technical skill development and social relationships. An intermediary object is both a conceptual framework and an analytic tool that enables researchers and educators to identify critical aspects of design coordination. In this paper, we compare two differently organized sections of a first-year engineering design course as a way to highlight the importance of prototypes in mediating these technical and social relations. It is not until these two courses are compared side-by-side that we uncover the critical importance of prototypes as intermediary objects. Based on this comparative case analysis, we argue that prototypes are pivotal intermediary objects that aid in students’ development of their engineering skills and pathways toward becoming an engineer. This paper contributes to the field of engineering education by connecting traditions from STS and exploring how the creation of prototypes impacts design education. In doing so, we provide some immediate recommendations for organizing engineering design courses, and we indicate future research on understanding the role of prototypes in design education and practice.
Lauff, C., Weidler-Lewis, J., O’Connor, K., Kotys-Schwartz, D., Rentschler, M.E., "Prototypes as Intermediary Objects for Design Coordination in First-Year Design Courses," International Journal of Engineering Education. 34(3): 1085-1103, 2018.