FSAE credited course

[inertia]

It's being seriously considered at the University of Michigan to start a three credit, free elective FSAE course.

I want to hear from schools that take advantage of some course like this, or considered it but never followed through. Specifically, who's eligible to take the class and how is it graded?

Thank you.

[inertia]

It's being seriously considered at the University of Michigan to start a three credit, free elective FSAE course.

I want to hear from schools that take advantage of some course like this, or considered it but never followed through. Specifically, who's eligible to take the class and how is it graded?

Thank you.

[John Bucknell]

A long time ago (like 1991), when I was at Akron - there were two required 2-3 credit hour senior design courses in BSME. These were called Design of Energy Systems and Design of Mechanical Systems, and at the start of the school year about 80 projects were listed with advisors you could sign up for. Since Akron had a strong student engineering organization (ASME and SAE both), we lobbied the dean to make the SAE projects eligible for senior design credit (there was a 2-3 credit hour junior design elective as well). In the end, we had probably 3/4 of the senior population funneled through SAE design projects (Baja, Supermileage, Cargo Aircraft and Formula). I like to think that is why Akron had a run on all the SAE student design competitions in the late 90s, culminating in a sweep of Mini Baja, FSAE and Cargo Aircraft in 1998 (as I was president of the student chapter in my sophomore year when we got the ball rolling).

There was a little bit of interviewing going on to find suitable people and assignments, but you had to write a project proposal, a mid-term update and a thesis-like report at the end of the term. Grades were given by the advisor with input from the team captain and/or sub-captains, who were elected at the start of the year. Captain input criteria was effort, timeliness and of course good engineering.

Granted, I've been away since 1993 - so I don't know how it works now, but that is how it worked then.

[TG]

I've been asking this question on the forum, too. I've received mixed reviews about FSAE classes with associated credits.

On one hand, you can have people that will take the course and only work on what they are assigned and not be a team player with the entire project in mind. Also, sometimes the classes are graded on the quality of work, not if what they were going to do got done or even works.

On the other, you have people saying that they've had successes with the classes. Major parts of their cars got completed and worked well. And the feeling I got from those were that the people were very interested in the project.

I'm trying to set up a class here at ASU in an effort to restart the formula team. I've been criticized as saying that the people that will be taking the course are A students. I kind of forgot to say that it was just coincidental. Those are the guys that have expressively shown interest. From what I've heard from the academic advisor is that many others in the department are interested as well. I'm planning on having the guys that have already shown interest lead different teams within the class on projects for a part of a car.

Faculty support might also be a factor, but is to be seen. There isn't much at ASU Main, but at ASU East, a professor out there has set up another SAE chapter and is starting a mini-baja program with them. From what I've heard is that he is enthusiastic with his involvement with SAE and I'm going to see if he will oversee the class. I don't suppose it hurts that the Provost of ASU East is on the Board of SAE either.

But all said, it's still is being worked out. That's just some of what I'm doing this summer.

[kwancho]

Hopefully, I can eventually do something like that here. But there are already a bunch of different team-based design classes, so I'd have to pitch it as a student-taught course. Hmm, that sounds like fun...

[Kamil S]

Tim and myself at ASU Main have been trying to set up a course for a considerable amount of time now. It is not easy as most faculty members are already busy with their own teaching/research to do, and to convince the department into making a student taught course for credit is almost an impossible task.

The other option I am personally undertaking is gearing all of my senior design / lab courses towards the project. This specially works if the design class is a "choose your own project" kind of deal. All you have to do is gather up a team of interested students and lead the way. Next thing you know you're typing up reports and making designs that will get you the credit AND get you ready for competition.

It also seems that a lot of the top teams have FSAE integrated into the curriculum in some sort or another. No surprises there.

Tim and I have compiled a course outline that we're presenting to the department, and we're willing to share it (it's not that big of a deal anyway). I posted it on my webspace for now... I'll try to make that thing look half decent later on. For now text should do!

Link to course outline here (http://www.public.asu.edu/~ksalloum/fsae_course.htm)