期刊名称：Proceedings of the Canadian Engineering Education Association
出版年度：2011
语种：English
出版社：The Canadian Engineering Education Association (CEEA)
摘要：First year engineering classes tend to be very large and impersonal, which can make it difficult for instructors to engage the students. Since the first year of courses is critical in setting students up for success in engineering, being able to inspire them and give them some hands on experience during their introduction to engineering design plays a significant role in bolstering their confidence and interest as they enter more demanding and technical upper-level courses. With an aim toward achieving this inspiration and engagement, the first year engineering design and communication class at the University of Regina included the production of Rube Goldberg machines as the term project. This proved to be a very effective mechanism for teaching students how to work on a design project from start to finish. The students had fun and stretched their imaginations. As a result, the overall feedback from students was very positive, but areas for improvement have been identified.
