The Benchtop Hybrid - Using a Long-Term Design Project to Integrate the Mechanical Engineering Curriculum

Oct 15, 2026

This paper examines a large-scale, multi-semester design project as a method for integrating six mechanical engineering courses. The bench-scale hybrid powertrain is constructed component by component across the curriculum to test two hypotheses about outcomes. Results show no measurable impact on long-term subject matter retention, while design thinking and design/problem-solving skills improve. The paper details the project, assessment process, and research insights, and points to project materials and videos online.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages29

Reading Time1 h 13 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Benefits of Project-Based Instruction

Background

| | Ad | vances in Engineering Edu | cation | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | FALL 2019 The Benchtop Hybrid-Using a Long-Term Design Project to Integrate the Mechanical Engineering Curriculum ERIC CONSTANS Rose Hulman Institute of Technology Terre Haute, IN AND KRISHAN BHATIA JENNIFER KADLOWEC THOMAS MERRILL HONG ZHANG BONNIE ANGELONE Rowan University Glassboro, NJ ABSTRACT This paper describes the use of a large-scale, multi-semester design project as a means of integrating six courses in the mechanical engineering curriculum. The project, a bench-scale hybrid powertrain, is built up – component by component – as students advance through the curriculum. The authors used the project to test two research hypotheses: 1) that a long-term, large-scale design project would increase long-term subject matter retention and 2) that a long-term, large-scale design project would increase students’ design and problem-solving skills. The authors found that the design project had no measurable effect on long-term subject matter retention, but did have an impact on design thinking and skill. The paper gives a full description of the project and assessment effort, and provides some of the insights acquired by the authors while conducting this research. A complete description of the project and videos of student designs can be found on the project website, [www.benchtophybrid.com](www.benchtophybrid.com). Key words: Project-based learning, curricular integration, design education ADVANCES IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION The Benchtop Hybrid-Using a Long-Term Design Project to Integrate the Mechanical Engineering Curriculum INTRODUCTION Ensuring retention of critical engineering concepts can be quite challenging. Hearing a variation on “but we never learned this!” is an all-too-frequent experience for most instructors, and many students feel justified in jettisoning all knowledge of a subject once the final examination is past. The situation is well summarized by Avitabile [1]: The unfortunate part is that as soon as the test is over or the course is completed, the students often just forget the material since they have no reason to retain the compartmentalized, modularized material. Subjects that are separate in the curriculum, such as thermodynamics and mechanical design, are integrated in practice, since thermal and mechanical systems must function cohesively in real mechanical systems (e. g. an air conditioner) . With this in mind, we have implemented a novel approach to integrating coursework through five semesters of the core mechanical engineering curriculum. The work was designed to test two hypotheses: 1. A long-term design project that integrates knowledge from multiple courses strengthens student knowledge retention. 2. A large-scale design project requiring tools from many courses improves student problemsolving and design skills. Before and after testing, using a series of concept inventories and design exercises, was conducted to assess a) change in knowledge retention between courses and b) change in student problem-solving and design skills. The project – a bench-scale hybrid powertrain – is completed by students in modules spanning six courses in the mechanical engineering curriculum. The six courses begin in the second semester of the sophomore year, and end in the second semester of the senior year: a span of three years. The control group for this project was the Rowan University Mechanical Engineering Class of 2013. These students did not complete any of the modules, but took the same assessment instruments as the test groups. The two test groups in this study were the Classes of 2014 and 2015. A fully-documented project website was created for the use of the students and instructors, and can be found [at www.benchtophybrid.com](at www.benchtophybrid.com). The first part of this paper provides a brief background in the state of the art in en

FAQs

What is the main project used to integrate the mechanical engineering curriculum?

A bench-scale hybrid powertrain built through modules spanning six mechanical engineering courses over multiple semesters.

What hypotheses does the study test?

It tests whether a long-term, large-scale design project increases long-term subject matter retention and whether it improves students’ design and problem-solving skills.

What effects were found on learning outcomes?

The project showed no measurable effect on long-term subject matter retention, but it did impact design thinking and skill development.

Oct 15, 2026

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