Integrating design into freshman engineering: a Lehigh experience

For many years, the freshman engineering experience at Lehigh University, USA, provided students with orientation about the various engineering majors, but little, if any, experience about what engineers actually do. In 1995, a college-wide commitment was made to provide freshmen with the opportunity to have a substantive, hands-on engineering design experience. The lessons learned and results obtained through the implementation of the first prototype section of ENGR 3 (Engineering 3) have evolved into a course that currently provides design experiences for about 40% of the 1996-97 freshman class. This paper presents the format used at Lehigh to integrate design into the freshman engineering experience. Examples of design projects developed by the students are also presented and discussed.