living with the lab

Louisiana Tech UniversityCollege of Engineering and Science

Living with the Lab Freshman Integrated

Engineering Curriculum

David Hall, Hisham Hegab, Jim Nelson

For full paper see

2008 Frontiers in Education Proceedings Session S3G

Living with the Lab – integrates engineering, mathematics,

chemistry and physics in a systems-level, project-based

curriculum. Projects incorporate design, fabrication, and

troubleshooting to help students develop open-ended problem

solving abilities and self-reliance.


Classroom allows us to easily switch

between lecture, lab and shop activities

fall springwinter

MATH 240 3 MATH 241 3 MATH 242 3

ENGR 120 2 ENGR 121 2 ENGR 122 2

CHEM 100 2 CHEM 101 2 PHYS 201 3

Course Course CourseCredits Credits Credits


Living with the Lab

• Each student owns their own “lab” consisting of– a laptop

– tools (multimeter, dial caliper, wire strippers, …) $80

– software (Mathcad, SolidWorks, MS Office)

– a robot kit (Boe-Bot) to provide a personal “lab” $100

• Student-owned labs provide a way to boost

hands-on learning beyond what is possible

using traditional laboratories


Seven “Threads” Define the Freshman Experience

1. SYSTEMS – one major project per quarter

2. ELECTROMECHANICAL – breadboarding, sensors, control

3. FABRICATION AND ACQUISITION – shop activities; locate, specify and purchase components

4. SOFTWARE – Excel, Mathcad, SolidWorks, Programming

5. FUNDAMENTALS

- electricity and DC circuits - conservation of mass

- conservation of energy - statics

- basic chemistry and electrochemistry - engineering economics

- least squares fitting to calibrate sensors

6. COMMUNICATION – formatting problem solutions, oral presentations, writing assignments

7. BROADENING ACTIVITES

- global and societal issues

- professional society meetings and student functions

- teamwork and creative problem solving techniques


teams of 2 students, turning into groups of 4 for pump performance testing

ENGR 120 Project: Fabrication and Testing of Centrifugal Pump


Approximate cost per pump = $5

Two students can fabricate the pump in about 2 hours


ENGR 121 Project – The Fishtank

• Closed loop control of temperature and salinity in a small tank

• Teams of 2 initially later turning into teams of 4

To see YouTube videos of ENGR 120, 121 and 122 classes in action, go to

www.livignwiththe lab.com and click on “photos and video”


No Textbook – Course Materials are on Web


Course sections are coordinated with

common assignments and exams

Currently Teaching 433 students:

• 10 sections of ENGR 120




Student Notes Instructor Notes

Several hundred pages of notes define the courses.


Student Homework Instructor Solutions


• Strong analytical skills.

• Practical ingenuity, creativity; innovator.

• Good communication skills.

• Business, management skills.

• High ethical standards, professionalism.

• Dynamic/agile/resilient/flexible.

• Lifelong learner.

• Able to put problems in their socio-technical and operational context.

• Adaptive leader.

AIM: Implement a project-intensive experience that

develops the knowledge, skills, confidence and

attitudes that lead to innovation.


Acknowledgments

• NSF CCLI Grant No. 0618288

• Louisiana Tech University

College of Engineering and Science