INTRODUCTION
ABET review! These two words tend to evoke fear
among both faculty and administrators. The anxiety level
seems to have increased further in recent years with the
emphasis on design content not only in the traditional
senior level elective courses but in the introductory level
courses as well. As most departments try to squeeze more
information into their existing programs, the problem of
how to incorporate a certain amount of “real” design
becomes ever more difficult. Two questions -- “What does
introductory level design mean?” and “How do you
incorporate [and grade] design problems in large,
introductory level classes?” -- seem to drive discussions
among faculty whenever ABET reviews are scheduled.
These design based concerns are not limited to
university faculty, pick up a new introductory engineering
text and you will recognize that editors, publishers, and
authors are also struggling with the problem. You are
assured of finding the word “design” used extensively in
these texts as the editors and authors try to include
“engineering design” in all new and revised editions
without, it seems, first defining what is really meant by
“engineering design”.
This paper will discuss the concept of “engineering
design” both in general and as it specifically applies to
electrical engineering. A basic definition will be
developed as a basis for discussing how to incorporate
Engineering Design into the entire engineering
curriculum. How to incorporate these design concepts into
introductory level courses where students tend to have very
little “knowledge” with which to perform “engineering
design” will then be addressed. The paper will conclude
with a presentation of several examples of design problems
used in introductory networks and electronics courses,
Problems that, while very open ended, are structured to
allow the students to maximize the use of their existing
knowledge base in developing a solution. The use of these
introductory level problems as potential building blocks for
future, higher level design problems will also be presented.
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ENGINEERING DESIGN
The first step in solving any engineering problem or
task is to gain a good understanding of the actual problem
which is generally more difficult then understanding the
problem statement. Incorporating engineering design
within an academic program for engineers is, in fact,
another engineering problem. A problem that requires us
to look at design, engineering, and engineer from a basic
definition standpoint before we begin to formulate a
solution. In other words, we must understand what
Engineering Design means and how it applies to engineers
BEFORE we can incorporate it into the curriculum.
EnPineerinP Desian. what does it mean?
The American Heritage dictionary defines Design as
a verb meaning “to conceive; invent; contrive.”[ 11
Random House gives a similar definition: “to form or
conceive in the mind; contrive; plan; a n adaptation of
means to a preconceived end.”[2] Both include the word
conceive, that is, to imagine, start from an idea in the
mind. Two definitions that seem to preclude “design”
problems that provide a particular structure and only
require minor changes in components or layout to solve
the problem.
Engineering: “the application of scientific principles
to practical ends as the design, construction, and operation
of efficient and economical structures, equipment, or
systems”[l]; “the art or science of making practical
application of the knowledge of pure sciences as physics or
chemistry”.[Z] Two definitions that help provide
limitations on the type of design associated with
engineering. The design must be practical, efficient,
economical and based on scientific principles.
Finally, what (who) is an engineer? Random House
defines an Engineer as a “person trained and skilled in the
design, construction, and use of engines or machines, or in
any of the engineering fields.”[2] American Heritage
provides a similar definition: “a person trained in, skilled
at, or professionally engaged in a branch of
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engineering.”[l] Engineers must not only be trained but manner that it is difficult to separate “practice” problems
must also be skilled at the design associated with their from “design” problems.
particular field. Based on these two definitions, we cannot
be developing true engineers unless we provide them the IncorDorating Enpineerinp Desipn: Daltential solutions
opportunity to become skilled at [practice] Engineering
Design. As indicated in the definition, Engineering Design
problems must be practical in nature, not just a more
We now have the information necessary to develop a difficult, non-unique answer problem aissigned to meet an
working definition for Engineering Design. A necessary ABET requirement. With this in mind, the questions then
“first step” in gaining the required understanding needed become:
to develop a quality engineering program with meaningful
What constitutes a good design problem?
design in all levels of instruction.
How do you develop these types of problems?
How do you grade design problem in large,
Engineering Design: The ability to conceive
classes?
and imagine efficient, practical, and economical
solutions to diverse and wide ranging problems
While there are no specific, unique answers to these
through the application of basic scientific
questions, there are some general guidelines that can be
principles.
helpful.
The definition does not mandate that the problems
What constitutes a pood desipn ~ m b l e m ?
must be difficult or that the solutions be complex, rather it
only states that the designs should be efficient and
The problems must challenge the student to look
practical and based on basic principles.
beyond simple adjustments to existing circuits or systems.
The problems must n d be designed and specified in such a
Incomoratinp Enpineerinp Desipn: the actual Droblem
way that there is basically only one way to solve the
problem. The problem must be solvable with the tools and
Now that we have a working definition for
knowledge base appropriate for the class level. The
Engineering Design along with an understanding of the
problem must be open-ended in that valid solutions not
various terms associated with the problem -- incorporating
only involve different component values but may also
Engineering Design into our curriculum -- we can
involve completely different circuits or systems. The
formulate a more precise problem statement. A statement
problem must not be contrived but rather should be
that we can then use to develop an approach and solution
practical in nature and have an observable application.
to solve the problem.
When developing a problem, you should have several
potential designs in mind so that you will be ready to help
How do we provide our engineering students
direct the students in more than one direction based on
with the tools necessary to develop practical,
their initial approach.
efficient solutions to engineering problems?
Solutions that are not based solely on existing
How do vou develon these tvnes of im-ohlems?
structures and systems, but that are conceived
within the minds of our students and that move
One of the most effective methods is to use problems
beyond what they have seen in class or textbooks.
related to actual industrial and “real world” situations.
Even when these problems must be simplified for
A difficult problem, one that cannot be solved by
introductory couIses, they can still nlot only meet the
providing a few “open ended” [non-unique answer]
ABET “design” requirement but, since tlhe students see the
problems in the upper level courses. The students MUST
practical application, can also help generate an
be confronted with design throughout the entire program
enthusiastic response to solving the problem.
in order to develop the skills necessary to bring unique
solutions to new problems upon graduation. The design
Another successful method of generating design
process must become an integral part, a type of “second
problenis is to have the students themselves provide the
nature” to all engineers and, a s such, must not appear a s a problems. Have the students submit questions that are
separate, disjoint function within our curriculums. Ideally,
related to everyday devices, systems, and situations in their
it should be totally integrated into all courses in a such a
own lives, items they wonder about or would like to learn

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about how they work.. These type of “How does” or
“What is involved in” questions can usually be turned
around into design projects that already have an interested
audience.
A third method is to scan the advertisements in
various trade journals and ask the students how they might
improve on the specific advertised product or ask what, if
any, design flaws they see in the product. A related
approach is to look in the daily non-headline news for
problems. I remember receiving many positive responses
for one of the questions that was posed to an introductory
network class. A problem that was based on a law suit
related to a power pole guide wire and transformer
installation.
How do you develop the problems? You really don’t,
have to, the problems already exist, you just have to learn
to recognize them and refine [distill] them to the level
appropriate for you class. Remember, Engineering Design
does not mandate that the problems be difficult or the
solutions be complex, rather it only states that the designs
should be efficient and practical and based on basic
principles.
How do you made these Droblenis in lame classes?
There is no easy answer to this question if you look at
the traditional right, wrong or partial credit approach to
grading. Engineering Design problems require a different
approach. You need to place emphasis on the approach
used, the “uniqueness” of the answer, and the quulify
(grammar, design details, presentation, overall discussion)
of the submitted design package rather than on the final
solution. I feel strongly that the grade should NOT be tied
to “getting the correct answer” but rather on how much
effort was expended and how far did they “stretch their
knowledge. This type of approach may not appear to
reduce the grading load but it does, in fact, make it easier
since you are not trying to validate each solution. Does
this approach reward wrong answers? In a certain sense,
the answer is yes since the emphasis is not placed on the
final answer. However, as with any design type exercise,
the process and results are both important. The grading
should reflect this duality in that those students that have a
good approach and “close the loop” by verifying that they
satisfied the design objective receive the better grades.
Another way to address the grading issue is to reduce
the number of projects to grade. This can be accomplished
my recognizing that most “real” Engineering Design
problems are solved by groups of people and not
1994 Frontiers in Education Conference
individuals. You can have the students work on the
projects in groups and submit a group design package.
You can also require each team member to provide an
evaluation of the other members of the team if you want to
provide a grade spread for each team. The design teams
should be changed for each project when this approach is
used help provide a changing mix of ideas within the
groups and expose all students to students with varying
levels of experience and knowledge. I have used this
approach in classes ranging from introductory through
graduate level courses with very good success. It is
important to recognize that even through there are
students that do not put in an equal effort they are still
gaining from the experience by seeing how the other team
members approach the problem and generate designs. The
traditional in class tests help separate these “riders” from
the “drivers”.
One additional approach is to use a slight
modification of the team concept by having each team
grade another team’s (ideally anonymous) design package.
Care has to be taken here to insure that the grading is as
unbiased as possible by providing a strict set of criteria to
be used in the evaluation. The instructor can then review
the grading and get an idea of how the different teams
approached the design problem as well as how they
evaluated various design solutions.
DESIGN EXAMPLES
There are a number of different ways to incorporate
design into introductory level courses, the actual approach
taken will depend on class sizes, instructor preferences,
time constraints, and similar “external” forces. Regardless
of the approach taken, the process should be the same.
There should be class time set aside to discuss the
problems when they are assigned. The presentations
should be designed to insure that the students understand
what is expected in the final package. They should be
made aware that the “grade” on the project will NOT be
based solely on the “final” circuit, but on the complete
design process -- approach taken, discussion of
alternatives, verification of results, justification, and final
design. It should be made clear as to what type, if any,
outside help will be allowed and what type of resources
can be used. The discussion should also include comments
and examples on types of applications that are associated
with the given design problem. In general, the more
“background” information, such as applications and
examples, the students have, the more interest they have in
working on the project
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 The examples presented here have been used in
initial networks courses, expanded to be used in a first
course in electronics, and finally developed into full design
problems for use in upper level elective courses. All these
examples are tied to “real world” situations and have been
well received by large numbers of students. Many times a
student@) will come by after the semester to discuss new
designs they have developed since the project was
“completed”. They stop by not to “get a better grade” but
because they were “turned on” to the design process! You
know you have succeeded when this type of situation
occurs.
Voltage Repulation
The need to be able to provide approximately
constant voltages under varying load conditions provides
the basis for this type of problem. The students see these
types of applications daily in such items as portable
electronics, digital equipment, and portable power tools.
The problem can be expanded many times for use in
higher level courses by placing more restrictions and
limitations on the sources and loads.
The problem statement in the first networks class
might be: “Design a circuit that will provide an
approximate constant ( 2 10%) voltage across resistive
loads ranging from 10 k S to 25 k S . You may assume all
components in your design are ideal including voltage
and/or current sources.” The normal design will be some
type of voltage divider with the load placed in parallel to
one of the resistors. While this seems trivial, it is not for
those students that have just learned about voltage, current
and resistors. You may be surprised to find a large
number of students have a difficult time addressing the
problem since no specific circuit or approach was included
in the problem statement. The problem can be expanded
for use later in the same course by placing a power
constraint on the input source(s).
The same problem in the introductory electronics
course would be further enhanced by requiring the use of
non-ideal sources that have their own voltage or current
variations, requiring the use of AC sources, reducing the
value of the load from k S to S2, specifying a load
impedance instead of a purely resistive load, and/or
placing a limit on the total power dissipation. Again,
there are a few “typical” designs that will appear but each
will have some variations and reflect the students’
individuality.
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A senior design class might cornplete the process
started in their first course by designing a complete DC
power supply. This repetition is an important part of the
Engineering Design process. The students are exposed to
the problem various times in order to help reinforce the
concepts and, at the same time, to provide a type of self
evaluation -- they can easily see how they have advanced
through the program.
“GraDhic Eaualizer”
“You are to design an amplifier system that will take
a broad band input signal and provide independent
amplification/attenuation control for three different
frequency ranges (0 to 500 Hz, 500 Hz 1.0 5 kHz, and over
5 kHz) along with an overall amplificatiodattenuation
coiitrol for the combined signals.” This problem is easily
recognized by the students as an equalizer and they
generally approach it with a very positive attitude. The
introductory level students can address this type of
problem once they have had simple RC and RLC circuits
along with a basic Op-Amp introduction. The same
problem could be used before Op-Amps are covered by
specifying that the out be able to provide variable
attenuation only. This problem requires the students to
bring several different concepts and processes together and
almost always presents them with the problem of circuit
loading. Restricting the number of allowable components
and increasing the available input power provides the basis
for a introductory electronics class desi,gn problem. The
final step, again in the senior level course, is to specify
sharp frequency cutoff points, increase the number of
bands, further restrict the available input power, and
require that the design be capable cif driving a low
impedance load (8 Q speakers for example). Again, the
design process has been reinforced through the repetitive
use of the equalizer problem.
Voltage Clamns
There are a couple of problems that fall under this
category, most of which require soiiie knowledge of
diodes. The easiest one relates to the electronic
thermometer. The students are asked to design the
internal circuit that will measure the individuals
temperature and maintain the maximum value measured
until externally reset. They must decide on the type of
display and include the related components in the final
design.
A second, and more involved problem, relates to the
TV signal. The problem might be stated as follows: “The
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signal used to control you TV picture consists of several
different parts, each of which must be referenced to a
“common” voltage. The broadcaster, however, is not at
the same location as you and therefore has a different
“ground” or “reference” plane. Design a circuit that will
take the signal from your antenna and “force” it to a
specific voltage level so that all the parts of the signal will
have the correct reference point.” The students must first
find out what the basic TV signal ‘‘looks” like, decided
what part of the signal to “lock” to a specific reference
voltage, and how to achieve tbe “lock” without any
external controls. While the typical solution consists of a
simple diode clamp, the students have had to investigate
the problem FIRST in order to determine what type of
design as actually needed. This type of problem, complex
statement with easy solution, is an important aspect of
Engineering Design. It helps the students recognize that
all solutions do not have to be complex and elaborate, and
illustrates that a good understanding of the actual problem
FIRST can reduce the amount of effort needed to solve the
problem at the end.
Both of these types of problems can be expanded by
requiring that the output signals be limited to certain
ranges, a method of detecting invalid values be included,
and/or a technique be incorporated to select different input
sources without having to provide duplicate circuits. The
use of a demodulation problem in the upper level
communication course is a logical continuation to the
“TV” problem first presented in the initial electronics
course.
SUMMARY
Incorporating Engineering Design into the
curriculum does not need to be painful or traumatic. The
process can, and should, appear as a seamless part of all
counes rather then a s a separate, disjoint [unpleasant]
addition. The most important part of developing the
integrated Engineering Design program is to have a good
understanding of what Engineering Design means and
entails. The “design” problems do not have to be difficult,
complex, or lengthy in order to be valid. The problems
should be practical, applied, interesting, and structured to
allow different solutions to be developed depending on the
approach taken. The “ideal” problems are those that spark
the students interest and can be expanded so they can be
used in various forms throughout all levels of instruction.
The use of “design” problems in all courses will
generally require a revision of the way “answers” are
evaluated. The process of Engineering Design is unique to
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each individual so the grading should not be based solely
on the “right” answer. The evaluation should include an
ach used, the “uniqueness” of the
answer, and the qualiry (grammar, design details,
presentation, overall discussion) of the submitted design
package rzther than just on the final solution. The
evaluation must account for the individual nature of
design.
The problems used for Engineering Design do not
need to be developed from “scratch”. They can be taken
directly from “real” world situations, trade publications,
newspapers, and personal experiences. Additionally, the
students can be encouraged to submit questions related to
their interests and backgrounds. These questions can then
be “turned around” to form design problems that have an
interested audience.
REFERENCES
1) The American Heritage Dictionary of the English
Language, American Heritage Publishing, 1970.
2) The Random House Dictionary of the English
Language, 2nd., Random House, 1987.
*****
Dr. Daniel J Moore
Dr. Moore joined the faculty of the Bradley
Department of Electrical Engineering at Virginia Tech in
August of 1989 as an Assistant Professor. His Electrical
Engineering degrees from N.C. State University include a
BS Degree, under the Engineering Honors program, in
1975, an MS Degree in 1976, and a PhD Degree in 1989.
Dr. Moore worked for DuPont from August 1975 until
August 1980 when he returned to N.C. State for his PhD.
His primary research areas of interest are in MOCVD
crystal growth, the design, fabrication, and testing of
electronic and optical deviceshystems, and semiconductor
device physics. Dr. Moore’s current involvement with the
microelectronics facility includes Undergraduate
Instruction and Research, Silicon Wafer Bonding,
Micromachining, Multilayer/Multichip Modules (MCM),
High Tc Superconductor Films, Electro-optics, and related
electronic and optical materials/device research.
Dr. Moore is a member of Tau Beta Pi, ASEE, and of
various IEEE Societies including Electron Devices and
Education. He received an Outstanding Teaching Award
at N. C. State and consistently receives high teaching
evaluations at Virginia Tech.
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