Winter Quarter 2009 Course Announcement

David L. Jaffe, MS and Professor Drew Nelson
Tuesdays & Thursdays   4:15pm - 5:30pm
Main Quad, History Corner, Lane Hall (Building 200), Room 034 (lower level)

Assistive Technology Course Sequence

Sequence:

Winter Quarter:
ENGR110/210: Perspectives in Assistive Technology (3 units)

Spring Quarter:
ME113: Mechanical Engineering Design (4 units)

or

CS194: Computer Science Senior Project (3 units)

or

Independent Study

ENGR110/210 Teaching Team:

David L. Jaffe, MS - dljaffe -at- stanford.edu

      Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering

Drew Nelson - dnelson -at- stanford.edu

      Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Alex Tung, PhD Candidate - tungsten -at- stanford.edu

      Public Service Coordinator, Office of Engineering and Public Service

Background:
Assistive Technology (AT) is a generic term that includes both the description of a device that benefits people with disabilities and the process that makes it available to them. An AT device is one that has a diagnostic, functional, adaptive, or rehabilitative benefit. Engineers employ an AT process to design, develop, test, and bring to market new devices. Other professionals are involved in evaluating their need, prescribing them, supplying them, installing and setting them up, instructing their use, and assessing their benefit. These products promote greater independence, increased opportunities and participation, and an enhanced quality of life for people with disabilities by enabling them to perform tasks that they were formerly unable to accomplish (or had great difficulty accomplishing, or required assistance) through enhanced or alternate methods of interacting with the world.

There are an estimated 54 million Americans (20.6 percent of the population) with some level of disability which limits their ability to fully participate in society. As the nation ages, the number of people experiencing such limitations will certainly increase. New AT devices incorporating novel designs and emerging technologies have the potential to further improve the lives of people with disabilities.

Overview:
This course sequence provides an opportunity for engineering students from all departments and interested students from other disciplines to learn about the engineering, medical, psychological, and social aspects of designing, developing, and employing assistive technology to improve the quality of life and independence of people with disabilities.

ENGR110/210 consists of twice-weekly lectures from experts in the field, including designers, entrepreneurs, clinicians, and users. Beyond these lectures, students engage in a team-based design project experience that includes need finding, project identification, and design. Teams interact with users of assistive technology, design coaches, and project partners.

ME113 is the capstone course for the undergraduate Mechanical Engineering degree. Students pursue a quarter-long team-based project with the expectation that they will take their design concept as far towards a functioning device as possible by creating designs, models, and working prototypes of new mechanical devices. Mechanical design, teamwork, project management, and resource allocation are emphasized.

CS194 is the capstone course for the undergraduate Computer Science degree. The goals for the course are as follows:

• To provide a significant design experience, starting from a blank sheet
• To provide a team software-building experience, where effective communication within the team is as important as coding ability
• To provide experience in building a large system that requires integration of the skills and knowledge gained in the undergraduate program
• To provide practice in public presentation of technical work, both in class and to faculty and industry guests at the end-of-quarter Software Faire
• To provide practice in the written description of a technical project, satisfying the Writing in Major (WIM) requirement
• To acquaint the students with current practices in software engineering

Expectations for Students:
By taking this two-quarter course sequence, students will:

• Gain an appreciation for and an understanding of the engineering, medical, psychological, and social aspects of designing, developing, and employing assistive technology,
• Learn about ethical issues in technology development, including intellectual property rights as well as best practices in community engagement, and
• Engage in a comprehensive design experience that includes working with users of assistive technology to identify needs, prototype solutions, perform user testing, and practice iterative design.

ENGR110/210 Overview:
The Winter Quarter ENGR110/210 course consists of twice-weekly seminars open to the general student population and the public and a team-based assistive technology design project.

ENGR110/210 Lectures:
Lectures are divided into two tracks: issues in Assistive Technology and topics such as Service Learning, Brainstorming & Need-finding, Design Software, Intellectual Property, Technology Licensing, and Human Subjects in Research.

ENGR110/210 Projects:
Students work in teams of three or four to address need finding and project identification. This includes meetings with individuals with disabilities and project partners, short research assignments, and development of a design concept. In addition to the lectures, students attend weekly meetings with their teams and design coaches.

Project ideas come from various public and private sources in the community, such as the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Palo Alto Health Care System's Spinal Cord Injury Center, local senior assistive living facilities, senior centers, as well as from foundations like the Muscular Dystrophy Association, or from individuals. Funding for the projects come from internal sources, company partners, foundations, etc.

Project Carryover to Spring Quarter:
The team-based design project in ENGR110/210 serves as a foundation for continuing development, testing, and fabrication of a working prototype in the Spring Quarter. Undergraduate students enroll in ME113 or CS194 (or a comparable senior design project course) while graduate students can pursue independent study for credit. The Spring Quarter effort focusses on developing a full-scale, functional prototype. As with ENGR110/210, students continue to work closely with persons with disabilities throughout the design process.

ENGR110/210 Lecture-only Option:
For students whose schedule does not permit working on a team-based project in ENGR110/210, a one-unit lecture-only option is offered. As there are no assignments or exams, grading is Credit / No Credit. No letter grades are given for this option. Students enrolled with this option must attend at least 10 lectures, including the first lecture Introduction to Assistive Technology.

ENGR110/210 Missed Lectures:
Enrolled students, other than those taking the lecture-only option, must attend all ENGR110/210 lectures to obtain course credit. In the event a class is missed, the student must review the recorded class audio, Powerpoint slides, and any handout material posted on the course website and submit a short summary and analysis within a week of the missed lecture.

ENGR110/210 Assignments:
All assignments are accomplished in teams of three or four.

Assignment One - Problem Identification
Report due Friday, February 6th
Teams engage in independent research to examine the potential impact of a solution to a particular need, as well as determine feasibility in terms of material costs, market demand, etc. Reports consider safety issues, information from user surveys and interviews, and methods to measure device performance.

Mid-term Student Proposal Presentations will take place on Thursday, February 12th
Each project team will do an informal (no Powerpoints) 10-minute mini-presentation on the progress of their project.

Assignment Two - Design Proposal
Student Design Proposal Presentations will take place on Tuesday, March 10th
Teams present their design proposal to the entire class as well as to a panel of faculty and project partners. The presentations should be performed as design engineers pitching their new product/device concept to a company or granting organization. That is, the proposals should sell the need, idea, and process to a solution. Presentations should include simplified prototypes (these can be scaled down non-functional models, animations, sketches, etc.)

Design Proposal Report due Friday, March 13th
Teams describe the problem and need they have identified, and several different methods of solving the problem. Teams also discuss how the end device will be tested and how success will be determined. Information learned from initial prototypes can be included.

End-quarter Individual Reflection due Friday, March 13th
Students report on the design process for the quarter, noting any pitfalls, major challenges, consumer likes/dislikes, and suggestions for the future.

* Participation includes actively listening, posing questions to speakers, and submitting thoughts & analyses.

Updated 02/13/2009

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