The primary objective of the introductory engineering projects course is to provide an overview of engineering careers, primarily through open-ended, hands-on design experiences. This text and reference book is designed to support those experiences by providing guidance on course activities and information about the principles, methods and professional skills that are essential to engineering design.
In introductory engineering projects courses, the full cycle of engineering design is experienced. It begins with specification of design objectives and constraints, continues through development, documentation and analysis of design ideas, and ends with the process of building and testing the solution. Throughout the cycle, engineering design follows a logical process involving careful documentation and quantitative analysis using mathematical tools and scientific principles.
During the design process, experience will be gained in developing and working in interdisciplinary teams. Written and oral communication skills will be honed, both through formal communications with classmates, instructors and clients, and through informal communication within teams. Because engineering communication utilizes graphics, in addition to words, proficiency with engineering drawing and graphical presentation of data is developed.