Work in Progress: Using Wolves to Teach Engineering Design

A one-credit-hour course was developed and offered as part of an experimental effort that attempts to bring instruction in design methodologies to both engineering and non-engineering majors alike through collaboration with the Wolf Conservation Center in New York. One important overarching goal is to increase the technical literacy of students at Binghamton University who may not be formally enrolled in engineering classes. The first cohort of students enrolled in the course was fifteen with one student majoring in engineering. Students were confronted with a range of issues associated with wolf and other endangered species conservation efforts. A formal engineering design methodology was introduced through a series of lectures and in-class design experiences. Students then identified a project of interest to them, designed and implement their proposed solution. The clients for the design projects were a pack of captive gray wolves. Linkages to a host of issues from environmental stewardship to globalism were easily made in the context of technological impact upon the natural world. The course was offered as part of the university's honors program, which recruits students from a wide range of disciplines across campus. A variety of assessment tools are incorporated into the course including questionnaires, focus groups and exit surveys