Developing Innovative Graduation Projects Based on CDIO Approach

Innovation is surely amongst the most frequently used words in business today, not least because excelling in these areas is widely acknowledged to be associated with business success. Innovation is also integrated into CDIO syllabus (4.7.8, 4.8.6).

In this paper, the author would like to deal with this issue for graduation projects, developed at Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology. The process of implementing the innovative graduation project has four phases, twelve steps with learning outcomes in which students are expected to be able to: create and manage effectively a project; recognize Voice of the Customer, understand needs and set goals; use practical and theoretical methodologies to communicate and evaluate ideas; apply innovative processes and an effectively-managed team approach for solving complex technology innovation and/ or product development tasks; experience the process of Conceive – Design – Implement – Operate; create, test and evaluate products; demonstrate experience of working with industry partners.

A case study illustrates the process, in which some machines of a rice milling plant are redesigned, manufactured and operated automatically with better productivity and quality. Results are developed widespread in Southern Vietnam. Six patents are issued.

Proceedings of the 9th International CDIO Conference, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Cambridge, Massachusetts, June 9 – 13, 2013.