Application of Design of Experiments (DOE) in Course Project

Abstract

Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) in its format has put a new spin on experimentation skills in engineering education. The National Board of Accreditation (NBA) in India has adopted the graduate attributes (GAs) in line with the program outcomes (POs) of ABET. Specifically, outcome (b) states that engineering graduates must have “an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data.” While the ability to conduct experiments, as well as the ability to analyze and interpret data has been addressed by traditional laboratory courses, the ability to design an experiment presents a new challenge for teachers and students alike. The paper first discusses steps involved in design and conduct of experiments and analysis and interpretation of data/results, then a general process for experimental design and finally, presents an example of how this process is used to teach design of engineering experiments in a postgraduate program. The students were made to work in laboratory on an open-ended experimental design as a course project in addition to regular classroom activity. In the tutorial component of this course, students work through 7 multiweek modules that have been developed with a robust framework. Integrating design of experiments (DOE) into a course project builds teamwork, communication, and use of statistics in machining process in addition to enhancing the learning experience.