In 2023, EP launched an exciting new chapter for first-year engineering at OU. We established a two-semester sequence of courses to provide a robust foundation for all Gallogly College of Engineering students. We adapted curriculum from e4usa (Engineering For Us All) that brings the excitement of doing engineering into our first-year studio. Generous funding from the McCasland Family Foundation and the Nettie Vincent Boggs Foundation enabled us to convert the old engineering library into the EP Hub office suite for the first-year faculty and the EP Studio for our first-year courses.
The First Year Engineering Program consists of two courses: ENGR 1413 Pathways to Engineering Thinking and ENGR 1421 Engineering Design in Action. In both courses, students design and create engineered solutions for a problem posed by a community partner. The courses emphasize the importance of being a good team member and developing designs based on understanding of the clients’ and users’ needs and constraints.
ENGR 1413 is an introductory engineering course required for all students pursuing a major in the college of engineering, and open to others. This class also fulfills the General Education V – First Year Experience requirement. In Pathways to Engineering Thinking, students investigate and practice what it means to engineer. They are empowered through engineering community building as they learn the impact and cultural connections of engineering in society. Students develop critical thinking and civil discourse skills in engineering design projects addressing authentic community-based engineering challenges, building excitement for their futures. Co-curricular engagements and peer mentorship support students' transition to OU and GCoE.
Students should take this their first semester, if possible. In ENGR 1413, students:
This elective class advances development of Engineering Problem-Solving skills with a full semester design project for a real community partner. Students apply engineering design under constraints addressing the needs of stakeholders as they design, prototype, test, and iterate solutions. The process incorporates relevant engineering or science knowledge, develops project management skills, and explores ethical and societal considerations for the problem and solution. The project and reflections will be documented in a comprehensive engineering design report and a design presentation.
ENGR 1421 is:
