A case study on the design of a modular surgical instrument for removing metastases using engineering design tools

Metastatic cancer is a form of cancer stemming from a primary tumour that propagates to different organs and/or to different sites within the same organ. Studies have indicated that the chances of survival improve upon surgical removal of metastases. The overall goal of this research was to develop a modular surgical instrument that would be easy to use and manipulate and hence facilitate resection of metastases. This research forms part of a final year project carried out by a mechanical engineering student in the four-year bachelors course at the University of Malta. The basic design cycle taught in the third year of the course was employed to systematically generate the design of a novel modular surgical instrument, This was complemented by a number of hospital visits and various meetings with professionals and other stakeholders relevant to the field. Through this case-study, this paper shows how, even at a bachelors level project, the application of design tools and the continuous communication with typical end-users can lead to the development of a high-value added product which can be potentially commercialised. Other benefits of joint supervision are also discussed.peer-reviewe

Sustainable design and the design curriculum

This paper reports on an initial study that begins the process of considering how design education should deal with the issue of sustainable design specifically in the context of the education of graduate designers in the fields of product, design engineering and interior design. Consideration is given to the development of the design curriculum and the design process. Further, a number of questions related to shaping the future of design and engineering education are also explored. The question this research seeks to address is whether sustainability, or more specifically sustainable design, should or can be an integral part of engineering/product design programmes or whether it should/or can be developed as a separate design discipline, perhaps as a postgraduate extension to the designer’s core skills set? The research also discusses the difference between, eco-design and sustainable design and the implications of the understanding of this difference for design education

Design and Design Centers in Engineering Education

This paper is intended to be the opening salvo of the workshop, Computing Futures in Engineering Design (Dym, 1997). Thus, I want to take this privileged moment to ask you to think with me about the role of design in engineering. In particular, I want to reflect upon how design is articulated and how design is taught; about the role of design in engineering education and in the practice of engineering; and about the role that could be played locally and, perhaps, nationally by a center devoted to design education. Because I teach here at Harvey Mudd College (HMC), and because most of you are visitors, I will place my remarks in our context by telling you about what we do here and how that doing has shaped my thinking

Approaches to the teaching of design : an engineering subject centre guide

This booklet seeks to provide a resource for all those with an interest in design, and the education and training of engineering students to carry out the design process. A brief description of the internal and external requirements for design in the engineering curriculum is followed by a review of different approaches to design teaching currently employed in engineering schools and universities worldwide. Suggestions for further reading about each approach and a reference section are also provided

Redefining engineering education: the reflective practice of product design engineering

The University of Glasgow and the School of Design at the Glasgow School of Art have joined forces to redefine the nature of an engineering curriculum and produce a degree program that is rich in both creative design culture and design engineering skills. Graduates of this program are able, creatively, to critically analyze, evaluate and solve a diverse range of design and engineering problems, including their own life-long learning. This innovative curriculum enables graduates to enter the workforce as true reflective practitioners. This paper examines what can be achieved as a result of breaking down traditional engineering education barriers

Systems approach to engineering education design

[Abstract]: The design and delivery of effective engineering education to diverse cohorts of adult learners is challenging. The sheer volume and diversity of published literature relating to the scholarship of teaching and learning presents a challenge to educational designers and teaching practitioners alike. A systems approach to design and development, incorporating key principles from the literature, can assist practitioners (particularly those new to teaching) in the effective design and delivery of technical courses. This paper presents a research-based educational lifecycle model to support the design of engineering education. The paper then describes a requirements-driven development methodology that has been applied successfully to the design and delivery of a number of technical courses involving different cohorts of adult learners. The application of the methodology to development of an introductory radar systems course is used as a case study throughout the paper

Creativity in Mass-Education Contexts

This paper discusses a learning framework (working title: ‘fog framework’) that has been developed in response to the challenge of teaching creative subjects in a mass-education context. The framework is an evolving one in the department of Design, Manufacture and Engineering Management (DMEM) in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Strathclyde. The framework has been generated within the context of a level 3 undergraduate module. It is intended that the framework can be applied to any discipline in design or engineering and potentially further to any academic discipline concerned with developing creativity in a mass-education context

Problem Based Learning and its use on the Automotive Engineering Design Course at Coventry University

The Automotive Engineering Design course at Coventry University has been in operation since October 1989 and has earned a reputation for creating able engineers well prepared for industry. When originally conceived, a problem led approach to learning was adopted across the course. This approach best enables the course objectives to be satisfied. However, there is nothing new about problem-based learning for engineering design educators but for our engineering science colleagues a degree of novelty has been encountered by this approach. But is the success of the course purely down to this teaching and learning approach? This paper will discuss the opportunities, benefits and limitations of the problem-led approach being extended across a whole course. The paper also will address how the use of industrially defined problems in engineering design projects has been critical to the development of the course. The paper will then attempt to identify the key factors that lie behind the success of the Automotive Engineering Design course. Finally, a set of best practice guidelines for engineering design education will be presented based upon my experiences as the Course Tutor and a teacher of engineering design on this course

Viewpoint: Design and Engineering Convergence Education in a Korean and Australian Context

Background - In this article, we provide two views on product design engineering education of two design educators from Korea and Australia. We argue that industrial design and engineering design need to be combined in order to support a total design philosophy that aims to improve design education. Therefore, the changing direction of design education for a total design perspective — and Korean and Australian design education — including industry situations are discussed. Product design education in Korea has focused on developing the physical appearance of a product. The concept of engineering design was recently introduced in Korea, and most design schools still belong to art schools. Nowadays, Korean industry is required to develop new businesses in the manufacturing sector, as the industry is facing the situation where ???fast follower??? strategy does not work for sustained growth and ultimately sustained success. This has grabbed the attention of product design engineers who can develop creative designs and materialize the concepts. In contrast, Australia is facing the end of a mining boom as well as a significant decline in automotive manufacturing. This has forced industry to challenge innovation in manufacturing which has generally been made up of SMEs. As such, the role of product design engineering is emphasized. We conclude that product design engineering education with industrial design and mechanical engineering can be primitive to strengthen the competitiveness of the manufacturing industry in both countries. Methods - The views provided in this article were assembled from the existing literature, and based on our current experience of running design engineering convergence education programs in undergraduate and graduate levels. In general, the arguments made in this article are not attracted from theoretical and empirical research. They are rather based on our own perspectives of design engineering education. Thus, the views can be more critically based on holistic analyses of industry situations. Results & Conclusions - In this article, we examine that how a strong and well-defined product design engineering program within a university context can add significant value to the industry. Product design engineering is a hybrid program that combines analytical engineering sciences with creative industrial design capabilities. It provides a platform that can reshape product offerings for companies that seek to diversify or expand into new markets. Product design engineering links seamlessly toward current industry needs by producing creative design engineers at the forefront of innovation and new product development.ope