Inspiring and Engaging First-Year Engineering Students at a Small Campus Through International Team Design Projects

This work-in-progress, innovative practice paper summarizes our first-year Introduction to Engineering Design course at a small campus, and our continuing efforts to improve student engagement, inspiration, and retention in engineering. The paper emphasizes the two major design projects used to teach the engineering design process. For the past thirteen years, one of these long-term design projects has been completed in collaboration with several international universities. The design teams have combined engineering students from diverse cultures and countries, as well as all levels of study, to work together towards a common design goal. The paper includes experiences from different instructors who have taught the course, as well as the experiences learned through collaborating with international schools. Specific examples of student inspiration derived from the experience will be included.