Car Design Process Comparison Lesson Plan
Author(s)
Evin Gamal Prather
Subject(s)
Technology / Engineering Design
Grade Level
9
Duration
Two 70-minute class periods
Rationale (How this relates to engineering)
1. This pair of articles illustrates how engineers and designers often must work together in a team-oriented context.
2. The questions contained in the handout require that students read the articles for comprehension to compare and contrast the processes through which the Mercedes A-Class and BMW Z4 were redesigned.
3. Car design tends to be one of the more exciting and immediately familiar and recognizable areas in which engineers can work, hence the attempt to stimulate the students’ interest with articles related to automobiles.
Teaching Style
This lesson was taught in a hands-off fashion. My partnering teacher and I decided that when, in the past, we tried to read to and guide the students in a more direct manner their interest level decreased and students quickly became distracted because we were spoon-feeding the information to them. This time around we gave them the questions before they were given the pair of packets to read so that they would be aware of the information that they were supposed to find in the articles and use to help them answer the questions. Little knowledge of any technical terminology was actually required because context clues could be used to figure out the correct answers to the questions. So, we figured that students who were more than marginally interested in automobiles would get more out of this exercise than those who were not because they were being exposed to new vocabulary. Simultaneously, the students who were not as interested could still enjoy the satisfaction of completing the activity by using context clues.
Activity Summary
· The PowerPoint presentation, egp_design_process.ppt, will be presented to the students.
· The students will then be given a pair of articles about the development of the Mercedes A-Class and the BMW Z4 as well as the handout for this lesson, which contains questions about the articles. Students should first read the questions on the handout so that they can be aware of the information they are searching for in the articles.
Background Knowledge
Students should be in the process of developing critical thinking skills. Also, the students should be familiar with the Design Process as outlined in the PowerPoint presentation (egp_design_process.ppt). The seven steps are as follows:
1. Problem Identification
2. Conceptualization
3. Refinement of Preliminary Ideas
4. Design Analysis
5. Development and Implementation
6. Optimization
7. Presentation
Design / Car Specific Terminology
1. Proportion à the relative size/style of a vehicle. Possible proportions include sedans, coupes, roadsters, minivans, conversion vans, hatchbacks, SUV’s, wagons, etc.
2. Powertrain à this is the combination of technical parts of a car that relate the make a car accelerate when the gas pedal is pushed.
3. Package à the amount of physical space allocated to passengers and technical parts of a vehicle that play a large role in determining the vehicle’s proportion.
4. Wacom à see www.wacom.com … this company is the leader in the field of digital tablets (the Graphire and Intuos Series) that allow designers to sketch directly into the computer using programs such as Corel Painter or Adobe Photoshop. There is also a series of tables called the Cintiq (pronounced ‘sin-teek’) that are also monitors for computers so that the designer can put the flat screen in his/her lap or flat on the desk and sketch directly on the screen of the computer. These tools streamline designers’ workflows by allowing them to skip the step of sketching on paper and scanning it into the computer to make presentations to clients.
5. Digital Models à these are computer-based models of the cars made using CAID (computer aided industrial design) tools. Simulations of materials, called shaders, such as paint (for body panels), rubber (for tires), aluminum (for rims), plastic (for dashboards, head- and tail lamps), and fabric can be applied to the surfaces that the designers make to give the model a photorealistic appearance. See www.aliaswavefront.com/imagestudio or www.aliaswavefront.com/studiotools or www.rhino3d.com or www.think3.com for more information on surface modeling
6. Clays à these are exterior models of vehicles (from ¼ scale up to full scale) made by hand from a special type of clay that ‘hardens’ to a certain level at room temperature so that it can be sculpted using a variety of large and small tools that are generally made from steel.
7. Interior Bucks and Models à these are full-scale interior models that can be crude (plywood and modeling foam) or highly detailed (sculpted from the same clay as the car exteriors) that allow designers to sit in them to figure out the spacing for seats and other interior components.
8. Mules (cut and shut z3’s) à these are similar to the interior bucks and models but instead are for the exteriors. They serve as a starting point to establish the proportion of the car. So, the doors would be welded shut and various components such as fenders or bumpers are either removed with traditional tools or cut off as necessary to accommodate new surface features. These additions are generally made with modeling clay.
9. Belt Line à where the driver and passenger side windows meet the door. In recent years, belt lines have been moving upward so that cars look more muscular, faster and lower to the ground. Great examples of this include the Chrysler 300C, the Toyota Matrix and most sports cars.
10. IP à Instrument panel … this can include the center console where the radio, climate controls, ashtray, etc. are located as well the informational cluster of the speedometer, tachometer, and other indicators.
Objectives
1. Students will critically think about the differences in the design process of a pair of current, upscale automobiles.
2. Students will understand an authentic application of the design process as outlined by the Project Lead the Way PowerPoint Slideshow egp_design_process.ppt
a. This slideshow has been updated by Gamal Prather to put the design process in the context of car design so that there would be continuity between this assignment and the PPT Slideshow.
3. Students will be exposed to new vocabulary and improve their reading comprehension.
Ohio Department of Education Standards Met by this Lesson
Science
· N/A
Math
· N/A
Technology
· Standard 1 (Nature of Technology)
o Benchmark A: Synthesize information, evaluate and make decisions about technologies.
§ Grade 10
· Nature of Technology Indicator: Articulate and cite examples of how the development of technological knowledge and processes are functions of the setting.
§ Grade 11
· Design Process Indicator: Explain how a design needs to be continually checked and critiqued, and must be redefined and improved (e.g., the heating system design for one home may not be the best for another, given a different location, shape or size).
· Understanding Technological Systems Indicator: Explain and use appropriate design processes and techniques to develop or improve products or services in one of the technological systems.
§ Grade 12
· Design Process Indicator: Implement the design process: defining a problem; brainstorming, … ,exploring possibilities; selecting an approach,… ; making a model or prototype; …, communicating processes and results, …
· Standard 5 (Technology and Information Literacy)
o Benchmark B: Apply a research process model to conduct research and meet information needs.
· Standard 6 (Design)
o Evaluate the aesthetic and functional components of a design and identify creative influences.
Materials Required
1. PowerPoint presentation à egp_design_process.ppt
2. 1 handout per student
· egp_cardesignprocess_h.doc (please make double sided copies to save paper!)
Assessment of Student Learning
· This allows the instructor to evaluate the students’ work.
o See egp_cardesignprocess_ak.doc
Student Feedback on the Design Process Activity
Please answer the questions in the table by circling the ONE of the numbers using the following scale.
1 = Strongly Agree
2 = Agree
3 = Not Sure
4 = Disagree
5 = Strongly Disagree
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / I enjoyed this activity.1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / I feel more knowledgeable about the application of the design process.
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / I feel more knowledgeable about development of the Z4 and A-Class.
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / I learned new vocabulary words.
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / This activity has improved my attitude about the design process.
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / The S.T.E.P. Fellow made this activity more interesting.
What did you like about this activity?
What did you dislike about this activity?
How can this activity be improved?
· 7% of the students enjoyed this activity.
· 69% of the students agreed that they felt more knowledgeable about the application of the design process.
· 21% of the students agreed that they felt more knowledgeable about the development of the Z4 and A-Class.
· 88% of the students agreed that they learned new vocabulary.
· 21% of the students felt that this activity improved their attitude about the design process.
· 21% of the students felt that the S.T.E.P. Fellow made the activity more interesting.
Students suggested that the lesson could be improved by it requiring less reading and replacing it with more visual information.
Teacher Comments
“The students that actually attempted the assignment answered the six questions correctly and understood the differences in the design process.”
Reflection
This lesson did not go very smoothly due to behavioral issues. Most of the students that I worked with have very short attention spans, low reading comprehension levels and are unmotivated to read. Furthermore, these students are not used to critical thinking or having to figure out an answer because the previous 8 years of their education has been largely spoon-fed to them. The reading level required to full comprehend the articles is probably higher than what would be expected for a high school freshman, but in the real world, researchers frequently encounter words, sentences and paragraphs that are unfamiliar or incomprehensible. The articles are also supplemented with pictures, which serve as a visual aid for students. It was my experience that few if any of the students asked questions beyond what was the definition of a particular word.
I’m not sure whether developing new skills or having the students learn is more important. Ultimately, students will have to improve their reading comprehension, however, they may not have the motivation to do so if they rarely feel a sense of accomplishment or like they are learning.
If I were to do this lesson again, I would try to find a video about car design to show the students and have them answer questions that require them to think critically.