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Redesigning Engineering with the Studio Method
12/26/2001
For the half-semester major project, each student team worked with an actual
client on a real-life project. Students collaborated with the client through
idea and design iterations, culminating in a final report to the client that
documented the process and outcome of the team’s work. Some students worked
with the Beckman Laser Institute to develop an improved medical device, a tool
for transillumination of nasal sinuses. Others helped a local disabled adolescent
by developing a “pantsing” machine, a tool that assists him in putting
on his pants.
Inherently, everything about the studio method is different from a traditional
lecture course. Even the physical space of the studio, Little notes, should
be different. “It shouldn’t look like a classroom or a computer lab,”
he says. Faculty members have been working with the students to design work
spaces that encourage creativity and collaboration, asking students to take
brightly colored decorations and organize their own spaces. Some students used
the materials to improve the room’s acoustics, and others sought to create
more privacy or a sense of individuality for their teams.
Because students come to this course with no previous exposure to the studio method, some of them have a hard time adjusting. Little and Cardenas have been fine-tuning the course based on student feedback, reducing the number of course assignments from four to three, selecting exercises that can be completed within the time constraints of a semester, and providing feedback to students throughout the semester on their performance. Says Little, “Based on student feedback, we’ve revised the grading procedures somewhat. Students were anticipating lower grades than they ultimately received because the scored materials, which were only part of their grade, reflected lower results than they finally received at the end of the semester. The studio method necessitates a different approach to grading, and we have to make sure students understand that.”
For more information, contact Patrick Little at Patrick_Little@HMC.edu.
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