Engineering Design and Communication (EDC) is an innovative course for freshman engineering students at Northwestern University. It uses real projects for real clients to teach students how to (1) design effectively in response to real-world problems, and to (2) communicate effectively as part of the design process.
Submit a project
Spring quarter project proposals are currently being accepted through March 2008. If you have an idea for a project, you can tell us about it using our online project submission form. For more information about becoming a project client, or to discuss a project idea before submitting it, please contact Phillip Jacob, Program Development Coordinator, pjacob@northwestern.edu, 847-467-3533.
Questions and Answers about being a client for an EDC project
- What kinds of projects do EDC students work on?
- What is expected of EDC clients?
- What can clients expect from EDC student designers?
- How do I submit a project idea?
- Where and how do I meet with the students?
- When and where do the final presentations take place?
What kinds of projects do EDC students work on?
In Fall and Winter Quarter, most students work on projects for people with disabilities—primarily through the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. In 2006, proposals were expanded to include projects from Rimland Autistic Services.
A gallery of posters from past EDC projects gives some idea of the type and range of projects worked on by our students.
In Spring Quarter, students work on projects from a broad range of engineering disciplines. Past projects have included:
- Facilities Design
- Modifications to teaching labs at Northwestern
- Redesign of principal's and secretary's offices in a school
- School library renovation
- Equipment Design
- Arm-sling for waterskiers with disabilities
- Innovative toys for children with multiple disabilities
- Mobile CAD station for a local design firm
- New design for a wheelchair
- Materials Design
- Alloy that heals its own cracks when heated
- High-strength, heat-resistant steel for a sword
- Mechanical Design
- Improved connectors for peritoneal dialysis
- Portable thermoplastic heater
- Retractable bike lock
- Vibrating teething toy for infants
These categories don't represent limits. We will consider any project that has a real client, meets a real need, and involves an engineering design challenge for our students.
What is expected of EDC clients?
EDC projects are most successful when clients take an active role in the design process. However, we recognize that our clients are busy so we try to keep client responsibilities to a minimum. If you become an EDC client, here are the responsibilities we will ask you to accept:
- Work with EDC staff to develop a description of your project.
- Turn in a signed hard copy of the EDC Student and Client Understandings form (PDF version here).
- Meet with your project team early in the Quarter (October, January, or April). If you will not be available then, please let us know and we will help you find an acceptable alternative. If you are unavailable please identify a secondary contact to substitute. Meetings can take place at your location or on campus, depending on what is mutually convenient. In the case of long-distance clients, conference calls have sometimes supplemented or substituted for face-to-face meetings.
- Meet with your project team at least two additional times during the Quarter for project updates. Experience tells us that more meetings make for more successful projects.
- Direct your team to the appropriate resources and contacts within your organization. For instance, examples of existing products can be provided with the items themselves or website URLs. In addition, any experts or end users to whom you can refer students can serve as 3rd party references that will aid students in validating their designs.
- Attend a team final presentation. These will be held at the end of each term at Northwestern University. Your team will inform you of their presentation time early in the term. If you are unavailable to meet at the time the class presentations are scheduled, you may schedule an alternate time with the instructors.
As an EDC client, you are not obligated to implement the design the students develop. Moreover, the students' grade will not be based on whether you adopt their design, but rather on how well they have followed the design process they learn in the course. Our goal is to make sure that the students learn how to design a product and to ensure that you, as a client, receive useful ideas and information.
However, we expect that you'll be pleased with the results and find them useful as you pursue your project.
What can clients expect from EDC student designers?
You can expect our students to bring a lot of enthusiasm, energy, and creativity to solving your problem, and to take the project very seriously. You can also expect that they will be in regular contact with you while being respectful of your schedule.
Our students' design process involves:
- Understanding your design goals and criteria for success
- Conducting in-depth research, including interviewing potential users and analyzing user needs
- Developing a design solution that will meet your users' needs
- Producing a partial prototype that demonstrates the features of the solution o the form this prototype takes depends on the specific project o past prototypes have included models, drawings, and physical devices
- Preparing a final written report and oral presentation for you that to presents the research and the proposed solution
While it is not always possible for a student team to produce a completely finished product (although some of the prototypes come very close!), they will be able to help you make substantial progress. Past clients have been pleased with the innovative ideas that the teams produce—and the head start they provide to clients in specifying and implementing a final design.
See also: EDC Student and Client Understandings
How do I submit a project idea?
If you have an idea for a project, you can tell us about it using our online project information form. If you have any questions about the form or your project, please let us know.
If you would like more information about becoming a client for a project, or if you want to discuss a project idea with us before submitting it, please contact Phillip Jacob, Program Development Coordinator, pjacob@northwestern.edu, 847-467-3533.
Where and how do I meet with the students?
Meetings with the students can take place at your location or on campus, depending on what is mutually convenient. Most on campus meetings take place in the Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center. Our offices and classrooms are located on the ground floor of the building.
In the case of long-distance clients, conference calls have sometimes supplemented or substituted for face-to-face meetings.
When and where do the final presentations take place?
Most presentations are held in the Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center classrooms.
