Abstract

Exploration of "prior art" - the state of a technology’s development, as manifested in literature, documentation, and artifacts - has many benefits for capstone students. It expands their understanding of the design problem, reveals a range of possible solutions, and develops skills important to professional practice. This paper presents an innovative approach to a prior art review assignment in the University of Vermont (UVM)’s capstone course for mechanical, electrical, and biomedical engineers. The assignment and accompanying instruction were redesigned in 2018-2019 to address several issues that limited students' ability to do the required work to a high standard. Foundational knowledge about key publication types and research skills was "flipped" into a set of online tutorials; the class session was converted from a lecture to an interactive workshop-style presentation; research consultations with an engineering librarian were made more specific to individual projects; and the assignment deliverables were redesigned to incorporate more reflection about the process of engaging with prior art. This multifaceted approach involves a substantial amount of preparation. However, assessment showed significant returns on the investment: improved knowledge of engineering publication formats, demonstrated use of advanced research practices, and insightful reflections on the role of prior art in design thinking.

Notes

This paper was peer-reviewed and accepted by the 2020 Capstone Design Conference, which was subsequently canceled due to public health measures.

Keywords

assignment design, prior art, engineering information, assessment, benchmarking

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

2020

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Rights Statement

In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted