Introducing First-Year Students to Engineering Systems Concepts, A Project-Oriented Approach

The goal of this project is to introduce the basic concepts of "Engineering Systems" to undergraduate students, with emphasis on first-year students, by engaging them in addressing complex, real-world problems, including energy, transportation, sustainability, health care, and equitable internet access and governance. The proposal focuses on the development of a pilot offering of ESD.00, Introduction to Engineering Systems, to be offered for the first time in Spring 2011. In this introductory subject, students will be taught interdisciplinary approaches rooted in engineering, management, and the social sciences to consider critical contemporary issues (CCIs). Small teams will be formed to work on semester-long engineering systems projects working with individual ESD faculty, staff and ESD graduate students to illustrate various systems concepts in the context of real world problems. The class will also meet collectively for two hours per week, and focus on introduction of engineering systems concepts to be utilized in the project and to give the groups an opportunity to learn from each other's experiences.