Multidisciplinary engineering laboratory experiments

Colorado School of Mines (CSM) is developing a series of three laboratory courses that is horizontally integrated to replace traditional discipline specific laboratory courses in electrical circuits, fluid mechanics, and mechanics of materials. The objective is to provide a more realistic, industrial experience by integrating components from several engineering disciplines and develop life long learning skills. This paper describes the multidisciplinary experiments in the first course and the student's assessment. Experiments are also vertically integrated into complex systems over a three-course sequence. This vertical sequence moves students from a controlled engineering science laboratory environment to less controlled engineering design environments while data analysis sophistication increases. Even though controlled conditions are used in some experiments in the first course, students are not led sequentially through the steps necessary to complete the experiment. Rather they are encouraged to develop the skills which foster life long learning. In the vertical integration, the first course bridges basic science and engineering science, the second transitions between engineering science and engineering design, and the third prepares students for industrial projects.