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Using a multidisciplinary team approach in biomedical engineering senior design.

J D Enderle1, W Pruehsner, J Macione

  • 1University of Connecticut, Electrical & Systems Engineering Department, Storrs 06269-3157, USA.

Biomedical Sciences Instrumentation
|June 2, 2000
PubMed
Summary

Senior design projects at the University of Connecticut (UConn) highlight challenges in multidisciplinary team functioning. Effective teamwork skills are best developed through a progressive series of courses, starting in the freshman year, rather than solely in a capstone design experience.

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Area of Science:

  • Engineering Education
  • Team Dynamics
  • Curriculum Development

Background:

  • Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) Engineering Criteria 2000 mandates major design experience (Criterion 4) and multidisciplinary team proficiency (Criterion 3).
  • Senior design courses are often used to satisfy these ABET criteria.
  • University of Connecticut (UConn) senior design projects, including National Science Foundation (NSF) Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons with Disabilities and industry-sponsored projects, provide a context for examining team-related issues.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe team-related issues encountered in senior design projects at UConn.
  • To evaluate the effectiveness of senior design courses in meeting ABET's team proficiency requirements.
  • To propose an improved approach for developing effective teamwork skills in engineering students.

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Main Methods:

  • Analysis of team experiences within senior design projects at UConn.
  • Review of Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) criteria related to design and teamwork.
  • Qualitative assessment of team functioning in multidisciplinary projects.

Main Results:

  • Satisfying ABET's team proficiency requirements solely within a senior design course sequence presents challenges.
  • Team-related issues are evident in both NSF and industry-sponsored senior design projects.
  • Effective teamwork skills require dedicated learning and practice beyond a single capstone course.

Conclusions:

  • While senior design courses can address ABET criteria, they are not the optimal setting for developing robust teamwork skills.
  • Teamwork skills are best cultivated through integrated experiences across multiple courses, ideally commencing in the freshman year.
  • A curriculum-based approach to teamwork development is recommended for engineering programs.