Mission Possible: Blending the social and technical through an innovative biodesign challenge module for a Materials Science class

This work describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of a module on bioengineering design and material selection in a third-year Materials Science course for undergraduate engineering students in Fall 2017. This module was implemented as part of a larger National Science Foundation REvolutionizing Engineering and Computer Science Departments (RED) project at the University of San Diego, the goal of which is to successfully blend technical content with social context in engineering curricula. This module required student teams to take on missions with specific users and sponsoring agents to design wrist bracing devices, with upfront consideration of social context unique to the mission. Students brainstormed design considerations in class, and then for homework, recommended a material for each of the three missions using technical calculations and engineering design tables that incorporated social context and human elements. Analysis of the weighted considerations showcased student understanding of the financial budgets of sponsoring agents as well as material requirements for specific users and environments. Through this work, students encountered and demonstrated understanding of the close relation between technical and social issues involved in Materials Science.