Improvement of CDIO skills by using integrated curriculum architecture in Engineering Drawing

Engineering drawing course is a very essential subject in training and improving the students’ space imagination ability and creativity. In order to cultivate the students’ innovative thinking, meet the requirement of the industry, and improve the quality of engineering drawing education, it is necessary to research（design） and practice the new curriculum architecture for engineering drawing. We have rebuilt curriculum architecture of engineering drawing education based on the concept, syllabus, and standard of CDIO. First of all, we analyzed the traditional curriculum architecture of engineering drawing. In traditional the teaching mode of engineering drawing,The students’ innovative thinking did not be cultivated because they accepted the knowledge of engineering drawing passively. Secondly, according to analysis results and CDIO engineering education model,we design a flexible syllabus of engineering drawing in which we shorten the contents of descriptive geometry and intensify the basic concept on engineering drawing, such as projection of solid, section views, detail drawing and assembly drawing. And then, we integrate computer aid drawing, gear reducer assembling and disassembling, and parameter design of the parts into the architecture through relying on engineering training center. So we provide the corresponding training program related with the engineering practice for the students in order to encourage the students’ self-exploration. For example, we introduced gear reducer assembling and disassembling into this course, and teach the students how to represent machine members, standard parts and commonly used parts, detail drawings, assembly drawings. Meanwhile, the students’ freehand sketching, ability of computer aided drawing, operating ability, representing and collaborating ability can be trained. Finally, we reform the examining mode. The examination is not only a very important evaluation for the students, but also a main means in inspecting the teaching quality and effect. We introduce configuration design and multi-solution to one-problem into the examination. After 4 year’s education reform and practice on engineering drawing in Chengdu university of Information Technology (CUIT), we achieve obvious efforts. Not only the engineering undergraduates learn how to communicate using the graphic language, such as the plotting and understanding the engineering drawing, but also the innovative thinking of engineering undergraduates, especially divergent thinking and 3D imagery thinking, has been improved significantly.

Proceedings of the 10th International CDIO Conference, Barcelona, Spain, June 15-19 2014