Mechanised bridges: Development of a novel, multidisciplinary design and build project

We developed a new common core first-year “introduction to engineering” unit at Monash University, the number one Engineering school in Australia (THE, 2023). The requirements for the unit and its team-based project were to span multiple engineering disciplines, especially Civil and Mechanical, and to scale effectively for up to 900 students per offering. The relevant CDIO standards were applied in the unit design process to understand the context, ensure curriculum integration, devise appropriate learning outcomes, and develop a major team-based design-and-build project. The project was scaffolded via weekly active learning in-class activities and assessments. We had the advantage of delivering this new unit in brand new teaching spaces, which we designed specifically for first-year teaching. Our specialised learning spaces feature flexible, teamwork-configured furniture, ample power, secure storage and a large fleet of 3D printers. Students access Computer-Aided Design Software on their own devices, allowing them to continue working outside formal class time. These facilities and the project design allowed student teams to engage in a very practical and hands-on way with the unit content, via design, build and testing. Program evaluation following the first offering showed strong student satisfaction and development of skills in 3D printing and teamwork (Tong et al., 2022) associated with the new unit and the “bridge mechanism” design project.