Remote Delivery of an Introductory Architectural Engineering Design-Build Activity

ABSTRACT

The first Architectural Engineering (AE) class at the University of Waterloo (UW) began in fall of 2018. The compulsory co-op work experience, architectural studio component each semester, and collaboration with the UW School of Architecture are features of the program that make it unique in North America, just to name a few. In order to provide an introduction at the beginning of the school year that would adequately capture the essence of the program, a tried-and-true hands-on engineering project model at UW called 'Design Days' was adapted for the AE program. In 2018, the inaugural two-day design-build project called 'AE Design Days' was held wherein first-year students worked in groups to design a piece, or set, of furniture that enhanced an assigned site in a UW Engineering building. The objectives of the project were to provide an 'ice-breaking' opportunity between students, as well as with the faculty;introduce the students to the AE program content, especially as it relates to the design process;provide opportunities for the students to work with their hands building models;and, to allow for the course instructors to gauge the skillset and prior knowledge of the incoming students [1]. Following the success of the first AE Design Days event, the same project model was implemented in 2019, with minor modifications to improve the event logistics and student experience. This paper discusses the planning and implementation of the most recent edition of the event held in 2020 and the dramatic overhaul required as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the transition to online/remote learning. With new constraints and potential opportunities associated with the online learning platform, the event saw its overall intent and structure shift to prime the students for working online in an AE context, and to provide a vessel to introduce students to the program and build new relationships, since these efforts are crucial at the start of the program, and do not come as naturally when online. The event drew a large crowd, with nearly 100% of the 124 students participating and dozens of volunteers coming from various groups (students, faculty, and industry), and was shown to be well-received by the results of surveys. The paper concludes with a reflection of the perceived successes and challenges of the event. Also, recommendations are discussed in the context of the virtual event platform, which can be extended to general AE online learning. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021