Discusses the use of laboratory courses as an invaluable teaching aid to assist in meeting both social and technical objectives. The use of laboratories in conjunction with technical theory courses, as well as in making students aware of their responsibilities to themselves, their teams, and to the instructor are described. (BC)

Examines three broad areas related to the formal learning of engineering. These areas focus on: (1) approaches to learning; (2) developing engineering curricula; and (3) curriculum planning for the future. Also considers whether current engineering curricula can accommodate needed changes. (JN)

Suggests five ways to make college proposal-writing assignments correspond more closely to the proposal-writing situations faced by engineers. They include emphasizing sales proposals over in-house planning or research and development proposals, using actual or fictional cases as the basis for assignments, and requiring oral presentations of the…

Discusses the use of engineering case studies to prepare students to define and solve the open-ended problems characteristic of engineering practice. (MLH)

Students in a senior engineering design course are given a routine design project typical of the first project given to a fledgling engineer in industry and a project more typical of what an experienced engineer does. Routine and nonroutine design approaches and instructional strategies used in the course are described. (JN)

Strategies used in introducing a case study to students in an interdisciplinary design course are presented, outlining what and how students can learn from the case. The entire two-part case, "Problem of the Perverse Pinion," (a consultant's view of the failure analysis of an automotive starter pinion) follows this article. (JN)

Answers criticisms of self-paced instruction (SPI) by citing advantages of SPI over lecture methods. Concludes that criticisms of SPI are useful since they indicate in which areas further research should be conducted to improve this method of instruction. (MLH)

Discusses a method for teaching engineering design in which case studies are combined with programmed instructional materials. (MLH)

Describes an engineering course consisting of a sequence of specific, actual cases, that emphasizes the development of skills in synthesizing information, and in identifying and solving practical engineering problems. (MLH)

Describes management strategies used in a large kinetics/industrial chemistry course. Strategies are designed to make instruction in such classes more efficient and effective. Areas addressed include homework assignment, quizzes, final examination, grading and feedback, and rewards for conducting the class in the manner described. (JN)

Lists articles and books published in 1987. Selects the following headings: administration, aeronautical, architectural, CAD/CAM, civil, computers, curriculum, electrical/electronics, industrial, industry/government/employers, instructional technology, laboratories, liberal studies, manufacturing, mechanical, minorities, research, robotics,…

Discusses the nature of and steps required in building an expert system. Includes comments by students given an assignment to choose a suitable topic and develop a small expert system related to that topic, as well as favorable faculty comments on the strategy. Also includes a student-developed expert system on rock-blasting. (JN)

Discusses the use of team study and seminar courses with ease studies to teach the technical processes, economics, and social effects of material recycling. (MLH)

Describes a combination of lectures, experiments, and analysis with the aid of remote computer terminals that helps the engineering student grasp the fundamentals and implications of a mathematical model applied to a particular job situation. (MLH)

Describes an approach to teaching engineering design that involves analyzing, designing, building, and testing a simple structure. Explains the procedures for the various activities and discusses how the design concept can be incorporated into other courses. (ML)