Latin American and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering Institutions
Conference Track: Engineering
Education
Keywords:
internships; research; engineering education
Contact Title:: Prof.
Contact First Name: Ismael
Contact Last Name: Pagan-Trinidad
University:
University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez
Web:
http://civil.uprm.edu
Position:
Professor and Chirman
Country:
Puerto Rico-USA
Email:
ipagan@uprm.edu
Fax:
787-833-8260
Paper Title:
An Integrated Engineering Project Design Model: The Capstone Course
at UPRM
Abstract:
Engineering curricula have experience significant changes during
the past two decades. Significant
reductions in the size of the programs have decreased the curricula in the
United States near 130 credit-hours.
The ABET EC-2000 have incorporated program educational objectives
and program outcomes as the driving force for assessing success of the
programs. Alternative
learning and hands-on experiences have burst a tremendous interest of
students in participating in of-the-classroom activities.
Perhaps the most significant and impressive change have come with
the so-called capstone course.
The capstone course have require all accredited engineering
curricula to incorporate a terminal course where the student is ask to
solve a, component or system. The
project is required to be multidisciplinary in nature and must be an
open-ended type problem. Although must engineering curricula previously
focused on highly demanding engineering design project, they used to be
directed type problems and not open-ended, multidisciplinary in nature.
The Civil Engineering program at the University of Puerto Rico at
Mayaguez has developed a unique integrated engineering project design
model which allows students to address a real world problem with a real
world engineering solution methodology.
A partnership between the CE program and Hewllet Packard (HP) has
adapted and incorporated the industry engineering model that has proven to
be successful for HP into the classroom.
Over 50 students per semester have been exposed to the model in the
CE capstone course for the past two years with excellent results.
Faculty and engineers from HP have worked together directing
students into this new learning experience.
The major engineering design projects for CE students have proven
to be successful in engineering education.
Mailing Address:
Department of Civil Engineering and Surveying
Box 9041
Mayaguez , Puerto Rico
Phone:
Authors:
Ismael Pagan-Trinidad/ipagan@uprm.edu/University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez/(P)
Jose Guevara/jguevara@uprm.edu/University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez/
Manny Garcia/manny.garcia@hp.com/Hewllet Packard- Puerto Rico/
Didier Valdes/dvaldes@uprm.edu/University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez/
Eileen Pesantes/epesantes@uprm.edu/University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez
Miguel Pando/mpando@uprm.edu/University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez