Systems Engineering Education Based on Evolutional Project-Based Learning

Abstract

The knowledge and skills in systems engineering including project management are necessary for engineers who are engaged in planning and developing systems. Experiences of project execution are necessary for understanding systems engineering. Challenge is how to teach systems engineering to students who have scarce project experiences. In the education, giving the experience including a real experience and a pseudo-experience will be indispensable. In this paper, systems engineering education by evolutional Project-Based Learning (PBL) is designed and evaluated. In curriculum, exercises and lectures are executed alternately and evolutionally in three steps of PBLs ; Workshop of System Thinking, mathematical knowledge and technique are delivered in the first step PBL. Techniques of systems engineering are provided in the second step PBL. Finally project management is obtained in the third step PBL. Execution and evaluation of the education show that the Evolutional Project-Based Learning of systems engineering is effective not only to improve knowledge and experience of students but also to motivate students to study systems engineering.