Thiruvananthapuram: The APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University has brought out a concept paper on design and engineering as it has made design mandatory in the first year of the BTech programme for all branches of specialisation. This is an introductory course to understand the various segments of simple design. The students will be encouraged to think differently and formulate design solutions to meet any need. They can take up mini-projects which do not require in-depth knowledge in engineering.
The conceptualisation of design and reforming of design based on any criteria can now be done using many of the design tools available for engineers. These include CAD, analysis tools, simulation tools, optimisation tools and the like. All design details using CAD are to be brought out well and presented by the student during project evaluation, the note said.
Each branch can select any design project for specialisation and do it using CAD and other tools available. A group of students not exceeding four can plan this so that the final year project will be arealistic one with full involvement of the group. While evaluating the project, the members of committee will consider the following points: presentation quality, ability to speak clearly and logically with effective audience engagement, quality of images and drawings free of typographical errors, clear and coherent response to audience questions, technical content, methodology of design calculations used, identified design requirements and thorough evaluation of design alternatives.
