2022
Gray, Colin M; Huston, Davin; Wolford, Christopher
Iterating Overnight: Using Cardboard to Teach Audio During a Pandemic Journal Article
In: International Journal of Engineering Education, vol. 38, no. 6, pp. 1704–1711, 2022.
Abstract | BibTeX | Tags: Design Theory, Prototyping
@article{Gray2022-mc,
title = {Iterating Overnight: Using Cardboard to Teach Audio During a Pandemic},
author = {Colin M Gray and Davin Huston and Christopher Wolford},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-01-01},
urldate = {2022-01-01},
journal = {International Journal of Engineering Education},
volume = {38},
number = {6},
pages = {1704--1711},
abstract = {Prototyping is a core element of engineering and technology
activity, giving form to design concepts and facilitating
iteration and testing. With the rise of the ``maker movement,''
higher fidelity forms of prototyping have often been privileged,
without deep investigation into prototyping activities that
support materially-focused exploration across different levels of
fidelity. In this paper, we describe how students in an
interdisciplinary undergraduate audio engineering course adapted
to a loss of fabrication equipment and the COVID-19 pandemic,
relying more heavily on cardboard prototypes as they ``iterated
overnight'' at home to realize the design of their loudspeaker.
We analyzed a range of iterative prototypes using a prototyping
framework we operationalized from Lim, Tenenberg, and Stolterman,
describing the filtering and manifestation dimensions across a
range of student projects. We reflect upon the trajectories of
prototyping, considering strengths and weaknesses of different
types of materials in supporting student exploration and the
pedagogical supports that may be needed to encourage this
exploration.},
keywords = {Design Theory, Prototyping},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Prototyping is a core element of engineering and technology
activity, giving form to design concepts and facilitating
iteration and testing. With the rise of the ``maker movement,''
higher fidelity forms of prototyping have often been privileged,
without deep investigation into prototyping activities that
support materially-focused exploration across different levels of
fidelity. In this paper, we describe how students in an
interdisciplinary undergraduate audio engineering course adapted
to a loss of fabrication equipment and the COVID-19 pandemic,
relying more heavily on cardboard prototypes as they ``iterated
overnight'' at home to realize the design of their loudspeaker.
We analyzed a range of iterative prototypes using a prototyping
framework we operationalized from Lim, Tenenberg, and Stolterman,
describing the filtering and manifestation dimensions across a
range of student projects. We reflect upon the trajectories of
prototyping, considering strengths and weaknesses of different
types of materials in supporting student exploration and the
pedagogical supports that may be needed to encourage this
exploration.
activity, giving form to design concepts and facilitating
iteration and testing. With the rise of the ``maker movement,''
higher fidelity forms of prototyping have often been privileged,
without deep investigation into prototyping activities that
support materially-focused exploration across different levels of
fidelity. In this paper, we describe how students in an
interdisciplinary undergraduate audio engineering course adapted
to a loss of fabrication equipment and the COVID-19 pandemic,
relying more heavily on cardboard prototypes as they ``iterated
overnight'' at home to realize the design of their loudspeaker.
We analyzed a range of iterative prototypes using a prototyping
framework we operationalized from Lim, Tenenberg, and Stolterman,
describing the filtering and manifestation dimensions across a
range of student projects. We reflect upon the trajectories of
prototyping, considering strengths and weaknesses of different
types of materials in supporting student exploration and the
pedagogical supports that may be needed to encourage this
exploration.
2021
Gray, Colin M; Wolford, Christopher; Huston, Davin
Iterating Overnight: Using Cardboard to Teach Audio During a Pandemic Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the Mudd Design Workshop XII: Designing Through Making: 2-D and 3-D Representations of Designs In Campus Facilities and Remotely, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA, 2021.
Abstract | BibTeX | Tags: Design Education, Design Methods, Design Theory, Prototyping
@inproceedings{Gray2021-so,
title = {Iterating Overnight: Using Cardboard to Teach Audio During a Pandemic},
author = {Colin M Gray and Christopher Wolford and Davin Huston},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-01-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the Mudd Design Workshop XII: Designing Through Making: 2-D and 3-D Representations of Designs In Campus Facilities and Remotely},
publisher = {Harvey Mudd College},
address = {Claremont, CA},
abstract = {Prototyping is a key competency in engineering and technology
disciplines, bridging abstract and often-technical design
requirements and the realization of these requirements in the
physical world. While many approaches have historically been
used to encourage the development of prototyping competence in
engineering education, rapid fabrication techniques are
increasingly available both to students and the general public
as part of the ``maker movement.`` However, the development of
prototyping competence has been considered to be understudied,
particularly with regard to the appropriate levels of fidelity
through which a prototype might be most beneficial to
problematize the design situation, allow exploration of the
problem space, and facilitate iteration. In this paper, we
describe the tensions among technologically and pragmatically
different approaches to prototyping. We focus our inquiry on a
traditionally in-person multidisciplinary engineering/technology
lab course which was confronted with two difficulties: a
building construction project that caused the lab to be
relocated off of the main campus with limited fabrication
equipment availability and a mid-semester shift to online-only
instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the context of
these two instructional tensions, we describe the outcomes of a
student project to design and fabricate a functioning
loudspeaker in cardboard, providing a detailed account of the
design outcomes and process moves that resulted from this shift
in fabrication approach.},
keywords = {Design Education, Design Methods, Design Theory, Prototyping},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Prototyping is a key competency in engineering and technology
disciplines, bridging abstract and often-technical design
requirements and the realization of these requirements in the
physical world. While many approaches have historically been
used to encourage the development of prototyping competence in
engineering education, rapid fabrication techniques are
increasingly available both to students and the general public
as part of the ``maker movement.`` However, the development of
prototyping competence has been considered to be understudied,
particularly with regard to the appropriate levels of fidelity
through which a prototype might be most beneficial to
problematize the design situation, allow exploration of the
problem space, and facilitate iteration. In this paper, we
describe the tensions among technologically and pragmatically
different approaches to prototyping. We focus our inquiry on a
traditionally in-person multidisciplinary engineering/technology
lab course which was confronted with two difficulties: a
building construction project that caused the lab to be
relocated off of the main campus with limited fabrication
equipment availability and a mid-semester shift to online-only
instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the context of
these two instructional tensions, we describe the outcomes of a
student project to design and fabricate a functioning
loudspeaker in cardboard, providing a detailed account of the
design outcomes and process moves that resulted from this shift
in fabrication approach.
disciplines, bridging abstract and often-technical design
requirements and the realization of these requirements in the
physical world. While many approaches have historically been
used to encourage the development of prototyping competence in
engineering education, rapid fabrication techniques are
increasingly available both to students and the general public
as part of the ``maker movement.`` However, the development of
prototyping competence has been considered to be understudied,
particularly with regard to the appropriate levels of fidelity
through which a prototype might be most beneficial to
problematize the design situation, allow exploration of the
problem space, and facilitate iteration. In this paper, we
describe the tensions among technologically and pragmatically
different approaches to prototyping. We focus our inquiry on a
traditionally in-person multidisciplinary engineering/technology
lab course which was confronted with two difficulties: a
building construction project that caused the lab to be
relocated off of the main campus with limited fabrication
equipment availability and a mid-semester shift to online-only
instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the context of
these two instructional tensions, we describe the outcomes of a
student project to design and fabricate a functioning
loudspeaker in cardboard, providing a detailed account of the
design outcomes and process moves that resulted from this shift
in fabrication approach.