So, What is it that Engineers Do, Anyway?

By Ann Bisantz, Amjad Aref, Alexander Cartwright

Abstract

In this case study, new engineering students are introduced to the discipline of engineering by illustrating the roles of various types of engineers in a large engineering project, the intelligent transportation system, that has the potential to impact many aspects of society. This case is designed to be used in a freshman introduction to engineering course, in which students are typically introduced to a variety of concepts across engineering disciplines.

Download Case

Date Posted

02/11/1999

Overview

Objectives

To introduce new engineering students to the discipline of engineering by illustrating the roles of various types of engineers in a large engineering project that has the potential to impact many aspects of society.
To introduce students to the idea that engineering projects are multi-disciplinary in nature.
To introduce students to a fundamenta way of engineering thinking - the decomposition of problems and systems into smaller, more manageable parts.
To introduce the concepts of system reliability and redundancy.

Keywords

Intelligent transportation system; automated highway system; system analysis; system design; system reliability; system redundancy; engineering profession

Subject Headings

Civil Engineering

Engineering (General)

Industrial Engineering

EDUCATIONAL LEVEL

Undergraduate lower division

FORMAT

PDF

TOPICAL AREAS

N/A

LANGUAGE

English

TYPE/METHODS

Analysis (Issues), Discussion

Teaching Notes & Answer Key

Teaching Notes

Case teaching notes are protected and access to them is limited to paid subscribed instructors. To become a paid subscriber, purchase a subscription here.

Teaching notes are intended to help teachers select and adopt a case. They typically include a summary of the case, teaching objectives, information about the intended audience, details about how the case may be taught, and a list of references and resources.

Download Notes

Answer Key

Answer Keys are protected and access to them is limited to paid subscribed instructors. To become a paid subscriber, purchase a subscription here.

Note: There is no separate answer key for this case.