Project Number 08 – 1994

Using the World-Wide Web for a
Team-Based Engineering Design Class

Project Number 08 – 1994

Abstract

An Internet-based “Design Resource Book” has been incorporated into the curriculum of ME210, a graduate-level mechanical engineering design class at Stanford. This effort is supported by SHARE, a joint research project between Stanford’s Center for Design Research and Palo Alto-based Enterprise Integration Technologies. Its general purpose is to enhance design team collaboration by utilizing and extending Internet-based tools. To stimulate interest in using this new information medium, the first class excercise was to to use the World-Wide-Web as an on-line reference for team formation and project bidding. Preliminary survey results showed perceived inaccessiblity of the Internet and long response times for information update to be major barriers for tool adoption. These issues will be resolved via tighter tool-curriculum integration and improved WWW-client technology by the next round of experiments in Autumn, 1994.

Project Criteria

As mentioned previously, the ME210 Resource Book resides on the Internet, serves as an integration point for on-line engineering design resources, and is a joint project between academia and industry. Furthermore, making the 210RB available to students without glitches required cross-functional collaboration between SUNet administration, CDR research staff, CDR network administration, EIT research staff and the ME210 teaching staff. A new model of media experimentation has been constructed based on the collective breakdowns experienced in making the 210RB a reality. This should allow others build on our work without duplicating the problems.

Audio-visual requirements

LCD Computer Projection Panel (prefer Proxima 2800 projector)

Quadra 700 or equiv.

Ethernet connection to Internet.