A Design Repository as a Resource for Biomedical Engineering Students

We report on the design and development of a design repository (DR) for use in a set of biomedical engineering design courses, which was initiated in the fall of 1998. Over the last six years, students have developed over forty projects, ranging from custom devices for the handicapped to patent-pending medical devices with clinical application. The DR system captures function, form, and rationale of existing project designs so future students have access to information concerning the projects of their predecessors. Similar to traditional databases, the system stores data and drawings of projects produced; however, in addition to this information, the DR also captures the rationale behind each of these design products. The DR has two main components, the database and the user interface. Students use the Web-enabled DR to search existing projects, and to search for similar functions in different projects. This serves as a resource for current projects, in addition to traditional resources such as library, outside experts, and lab facilities. Based on results to date, we conclude that such a tool has the potential to help students learn from past design experiences of others. Introduction Over the last quarter century, educators have realized the importance of learning by interaction and experience in the undergraduate engineering curriculum.1,2 More recently, engineering educators have begun to address the issues of teaching design to students during their freshmen year.3 The Longitudinal Design Team (LDT) program at Johns Hopkins University has addressed both these needs by introducing an integrated approach to teambased experiential learning. In biomedical engineering design, the end goal is the creation of an artifact, prototype, system, or process that achieves goals and performs functions to meet a biomedical need or biomedical needs. Conceptualizing a solution in terms of form and function is a fundamental aspect of all design processes.1,4,5 Implicit within that conceptualization process is a rationale that leads a designer or design team to a particular solution.6,7 Over the last five years, efforts to develop design repositories have yielded research results.7,8 In this effort, we describe a design repository within an educational setting. Specifically, we briefly describe our design program, and then describe the design repository, including examples of completed projects. Longitudinal design study In brief, we organize our design sequence as a year-long experience in a