Development of a temperature control system laboratory and design module for an introduction to engineering design course

We have developed a half-semester design module that exposes first-year students to the engineering design process by directing them through the development of a temperature control system. The module is used at Perm State in ED&G 100: Introduction to Engineering Design and is often the first exposure that students have with engineering processes and the engineering laboratory environment. The design module is highly relevant in that sensors and control systems are prevalent in many engineering fields. We employ a constructivist approach by starting with basic concepts, following with hands-on experiments, reflecting on what was learned, and making connections between theory and application. The module uses modern test equipment in an engineering laboratory environment.