Heather Nachtmann

A comparison of freshman and senior engineering design processes

Abstract In this paper we report the results of an in-depth study of engineering student approaches to an open-ended design problem. To do this, verbal protocols were collected from 26 freshman (first year) and 24 senior (fourth year) engineering students as they designed a playground for a fictitious neighborhood. We analysed these protocols to document and compare the student design processes. The results show that the seniors produced higher quality designs. In addition, compared to the freshmen, the seniors gathered more information, considered more alternative solutions, transitioned more frequently between design steps and progressed further into the final steps of the design process.

AN APPLICATION OF ACTIVITY BASED COSTING IN THE AIR CONDITIONER MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

AIRCO is a manufacturer of industrial air conditioner units whose management is concerned that their current traditional cost accounting (TCA) system is not accurately representing their product cost behavior. Under certain operating conditions, an activity based costing (ABC) system can provide relevant and accurate indirect cost information that assists in making customer, product, and process improvement decisions. An ABC system was successfully developed for AIRCO that indicated that their products do not consume overhead costs on a volume basis as represented by their current TCA system. Valuable product and process information were obtained. This case study details the development process that was used and the results that were obtained during the ABC analysis.

AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF ENGINEERING ECONOMY PEDAGOGY

Abstract This work presents the results of a recent two-part survey of how engineering economy is taught in U.S. universities. A mail and email survey of faculty and staff that teach engineering economy was conducted in 1995 through 1997. For the surveys two parts, this produced 45 and 28 complete responses, respectively. Three categories of questions were asked pertainingto 1) the faculty that teach it, 2) the course content and mechanics itself, and 3) the students that take the course. This paper also includes results from a previously unpublished survey done in 1989. All of these results are compared with two similar studies done in 1984 and 1989. Potential pedagogical implications are summarized as they relate to increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of engineering economy teaching in U.S. universities.