Introducing Engineering Codes and Standards Throughout the Curriculum of a Newly Established Mechanical Engineering Program

The purpose of this paper is to present the development of a framework that integrates standards and codes in design related courses throughout the curriculum of a newly established mechanical engineering program at Utah Valley University (UVU). This framework will be based on the results of recently conducted surveys by the authors on Junior and Senior students. The surveys were conducted over two consecutive semesters (Fall 2020 and Spring 2021). The aim of the surveys was to i) check the students’ level of awareness and knowledge of standards and codes ii) determine the level of improvement of their understanding of codes and standards in the subsequent semester by comparing results from the first and second survey. The results of the surveys were used to develop a framework that incorporates standards and codes in design related courses throughout the curriculum. Data analysis of both surveys revealed an improvement of students’ awareness and comprehension of standards and codes in the second semester where 2/3 of the students claimed that they were familiar with standards and codes as compared to 1/3 in the first run. This has been attributed to further emphasis of standards and codes application in the design process in some of the courses. The results were used by the mechanical engineering program as a catalyst to identify the proper courses throughout the curriculum, in which design standards and codes can be introduced. The paper also outlines a plan that the program is pursuing to fill in the gap of standards and codes usage in the design process in order to meet ABET requirements and to prepare students for industry. The paper explains the assessment methods used to fulfill ABET requirements related to standards/codes and concludes with some practical steps to adopt their usage in the curriculum.