Description:

This module is focused on the interaction between technology and society. The analysis of this interaction will occur through a combination of large-scale exercises and a detailed look into additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing. Students will gain experience in “real world” issues and get to design their own project that incorporates additive manufacturing. While educating the participants on the aspects of engineering beyond numbers and equations, this course will also give students the opportunity express their own opinions about policy implications and gain an understanding of how context can affect a technology and its interaction with society. The ultimate goal of this module is to allow students a glimpse beyond the technical details of engineering and explore the interactions between technology and society.

Group Project:

The idea of the project is give students experience in problem solving and group dynamics. The students will be given a prompt that requires the design of a piece that will be printed using additive manufacturing. The project prompt will be at the professor’s preference, but will allow for creativity in design. The groups will be expected to work together to design the part in AutoCad and submit it by the deadline to be printed. The groups will give a presentation in the last week of class and the grade will be a combination of the effectiveness of the design and presentation.

Final Paper:

The paper is a way for the students to reflect on the semester and gain a greater understanding of the process they completed for the project. It will be a modest length requirement and will have to answer the question; What is the future of 3D printing? This will allow students to express their own opinions and gives a variety of approaches of answering the question.

Debate:

Students will be randomly assigned to one of four groups. Each group will then be assigned the pro or con side to one of the two policy issues. The groups will prepare arguments and then debate in this format.
15 minutes: Professor, Introductory lecture about the issue
10 minutes: Pro-side, Argument/ statement of case
10 minutes: Con-side, Argument/ statement of case
10 minutes: Pro-side, Rebuttal
10 minutes: Con-side, Rebuttal
20 minutes: Class Questions/discussion/critique