Abstract
The current paper describes the authors’ efforts to apply problem - based learning (PBL) to a senior level mechanical engineering technology (MET) course. The work is a close collaboration between the engineering faculty and the engineering librarian from a midwestern state university with the purpose of increasing the engineering technology students’ information literacy and developing competency in the mechanical engineering technology discipline. Additionally, students will be shown that information literacy skills are part of the engineering design process.
In particular, the project requires the students to use and search the library system to discover and develop knowledge of the ASHRAE standards and codes required to design a duct or a pipe system, improve their communication skills as part of a design team, and enforce ethical responsibility. At the same time, from the course instructor’s perspective, the project contributes to all five student outcomes included in the new ABET criterion 3, while it also supports a few requirements listed for criterion 5 (Curriculum).
