Teaching the Design Process in a HyFlex Environment

This paper addresses how one instructor redesigned a face-to-face design course - Introduction to Engineering Design (IED) - known for its collaborative and experiential learning focus to accommodate a synchronous hybrid flexible (HyFlex) delivery. In semesters prior to spring 2020, students in IED learned the design process by practicing it using a project supported by clients and customers in the local community. Due to Covid19, however, students during the 2020 spring and fall semesters and the 2021 spring semester could not physically meet with traditional clients, which is integral to the experiential aspect of the course. It was also difficult for students to physically meet consistently in teams. These alterations had the ability to negatively affect the learning experience. Thus, the collaborative nature of the class and the client identification and interaction structure was revised. This paper describes the course design process focus, project and client identification, and team collaboration process used in the HyFlex delivery to aid learning of the design process.