Introducing design throughout the curriculum

Polytechnic University has embarked on a major effort to introduce Engineering design across its entire curricula. This effort is across all majors and affects essentially every course. There are several features at its core: 1. A 4-credit course in Freshman Engineering that introduces students to software and hardware tools, teamwork, written and verbal communication skills, project management, as well as overview lectures on major technical and non-technical disciplines. 2. Creation of a large, interdisciplinary undergraduate laboratory, used by students from many disciplines to plan a variety of engineering experiments in a common space. 3. Use of laptop computers as design tools that are integrated into the Engineering courses.