Use of Knowledge and Skill Builders (KSBs) in a Measurements Laboratory Course

KSBs ("Knowledge and Skill Builders") have been successfully used in design activities for middle and high school students.This paper discusses their use in a college level engineering laboratory course.Suggestions are also given for their potential use in other courses. BackgroundDesign activities greatly enhance the technological knowledge of students of all grade levels.A typical design process includes the steps of: Problem definition, including constraints; Research and investigation of possible solutions; Generation of alternative designs; Choice of the optimal design; Construction of a prototype or mathematical model of the chosen design; Testing and evaluating the chosen design; Modifying the design, as appropriate, based on the test results; and finally, Documenting the solution."Informed" design is a design process developed through the NSF-funded NYSCATE (New York State Curriculum for Advanced Technological Education) Project. 1 In this pedagogical approach to design, students increase their knowledge and skill base before addressing the specific design problem.This is done through the performance of short, focused activities known as "Knowledge and Skill Builders", or "KSBs".