Project 9.3 Virtual Design Challenge
Introduction
Where did the food come from that made up your breakfast this morning? Was it grown, picked, processed, packaged, and sold to you by the same person? Was the vehicle that brought you to school today designed and manufactured by a team of people that went to work in the same building, took their lunch breaks together, and communicated with each other using the same language?
Being able to see and talk with your teammates is an ideal situation, but technological systems typically rely on the expertise of individuals that are scattered across the world. For years, engineers have worked in virtual teams to develop solutions to problems. As communication tools such as email become integrated into cultural practices, so too does the practice of working in virtual teams.
A virtual team is made up of people that rely primarily or exclusively on electronic forms of communication to work together to accomplish a goal. Up until this point, you have worked in teams that use face-to-face contact as the primary means of communication. There are inherent benefits to this. Teams that exist under one roof have the ability to converse spontaneously when generating ideas and often read each other’s body language to identify and thwart conflicts before they occur. Teams that rely on face-to-face contact often socialize with each other and build personal bonds of friendship that result in a level of trust that is critical to tackling responsibilities that are beyond the capability of one individual. In order to develop a greater understanding of what it is like to function as an engineer in the 21st century, engineering students must be willing to step outside of their comfort zone to experience teamwork through a virtual environment.
Equipment
· Project 9.3 Virtual Design Brief (The teacher will provide)
· Project 9.3c Design Project Tally Sheet
· Project 9.3d Periodic Ten Point Evaluation
· Project 9.3e Periodic Self Evaluation
· Project 9.3f Engineering Notebook Evaluation
· Project 9.3i Summary Presentation Evaluation
· Project 9.3j Teammate Performance Summary
· Engineering notebook
· Computer
· Solid CAD modeling program
· MicrosoftÒ Word
· MicrosoftÒ PowerPointÒ
· Printer
· Scanner
· Digital camera
· Internet access
· Tools for established communication method
Procedure
In this project you will be teamed up with another student who is not in your class. You will use your knowledge of design process, engineering tools, the Internet, and methods other than direct face-to-face contact to communicate and work with your partner to solve a given problem.
1. Once your teacher has paired you up with a virtual teammate and informed you of your design challenge, work with your partner to establish team norms and a project timeline through Activity 9.4 Team Norms.
2. Make at least one entry in your engineering notebook for every class period. Identify all of your research sources and sketch all of your ideas in your engineering notebook. Use the Project 9.3f Engineering Notebook Evaluation Rubric as a guide.
3. Use teacher preference as your primary means of communication. If you expect your teammate to respond to you, indicate this in your message. Do not assume that your partner has received your message.
4. Take pictures of your sketches and send them to your partner based on teacher preference.
5. Create a file folder structure within your student folder that follows the team norms that you and your partner have established. As you receive files from your teammate, save the file to your network folder according to the file revision protocols. This will be especially important with CAD and PowerPointÒ files.
6. Every five class days, fill out and submit a Project 9.3d Periodic Teammate Ten Point Evaluation and a Project 9.3e Periodic Self-Evaluation form. This is a requirement. These documents will be kept confidential and will be stored by your instructor until the end of the project.
7. For this project create a set of working drawings that will completely communicate the necessary information for someone to fabricate your design solution. This set of drawings will comply with the appropriate ANSI / ASME drawing standards.
a. All non-standard parts must be represented by dimensioned technical drawings, complete with notations and title blocks.
b. A multi-view assembly drawing and an exploded isometric assembly complete with balloons and parts list must be included. All parts lists must be positioned and labeled correctly. Title blocks will be included on both drawings and positioned correctly.
8. At the conclusion of this project, you and your partner will create a summary presentation using software such as PowerPointÒ or Prezi that you will deliver individually to your classmates. This presentation is to last no more than five minutes. Use the Project 9.3i Summary Presentation Evaluation as a guide in the development of this presentation. Use this evaluation to gauge the quality of each team’s delivery of their presentation
9. When the presentation is finished and the final class evaluation of the visual, structural, and functional qualities of each team’s design has been conducted, fill out the Project 9.3j Teammate Performance Summary.
The Design Briefs are as follows:
Modular Coffee Shop Table Design Brief
Speaker Support System Design Brief
Antique Goblet Display Case Design Brief
Happy Meal Toy Design Brief
Wooden Mechanical Toy Design Brief
Locker Organizer Design Brief
Conclusion
1. What forms of communication did you utilize while working with your virtual teammate?
2. Did you experience any conflicts with your partner, and if so, how did you resolve them?
3. What was the most challenging part of this design experience?
4. How was the design process utilized through this design challenge?
5. What are the advantages of working in a virtual team over working in a team that relies solely on face-to-face contact?
6. Did you add any other constraints to your design challenge? If so, why?
© 2012 Project Lead The Way, Inc.
Introduction to Engineering Design Project 9.3 Virtual Design Challenge – Page 4