Courses

Product Innovation in a Global Economy

In addition to the Institute requirements for graduation from the RIT Honors Program, students in the KGCOE Honors Program are required to complete a series of courses during their first two years. Four of these courses are one-credit each and together fulfill a free elective requirement. The remaining two courses are zero credits.
In the Design Process course, each team must solve an open-ended design problem. In the Tip-a-Can project, the teams must design a vessel that will tip over within 30 seconds without any human intervention. In the Reverse Engineering course, students working in small multidisciplinary teams perform a controlled distmantling of Toby the Totbot (supplied by Fisher-Price, Inc.) in association with presentations about design for manufacturing and assembly and design for safety. Additionally, the teams "reverse engineer" another toy of their choosing and then give a presentation to the rest of the class about their selected toy.

Purpose of the Courses
The purpose of these courses is to provide an added dimension to a classic undergraduate engineering curriculum. Specifically, the goal of the program is to provide the honors students with a full appreciation of the product development cycle, from concept to realization; in particular, how products are conceived, how decisions are made at the corporate level to pursue certain products and not others, and how product concepts are refined, engineered, and then manufactured for the marketplace. All courses are required by all engineering honors students and are taken during the first two years in the program.

0302-232 – Reverse Engineering
Topics included are reverse engineering, design for manufacturing and assembly, and design for safety. Student teams will address these concepts using a toy currently sold on the market. The class will take a field trip to an area toy manufacturer and will see first-hand how product innovation is used by the company.
Class 2, Credit 1 (W)

0302-233 – The Design Process
Students will learn the steps used in the design process. Topics include teambuilding, brainstorming, problem definition, creativity, identifying constraints, and establishing design specifications. A weekly portfolio will be completed to document the design process. Students will be assigned to small teams and will be required to solve an open-ended design problem. Teams test their design in a competition that is held at the end of the quarter.
Class 2, Credit 1 (Sp)

0302-234 – Manufacturing and Globalization
This course looks at the effects globalization has on U.S. manufacturing. Topics included are supply chain management and logistics, lean manufacturing, outsourcing, corporations and profitability, and the impact of government policies and monetary issues on globalization and outsourcing.
Class 2, Credit 1 (F)

0302-235 – Preparation for Honors Domestic Trip
This course is for students planning to participate in the domestic trip. Student teams will research the companies they will visit and report back to the class on their findings. Issues to be addressed during the visits will be reviewed.
Class 1, Credit 0 (W)

0302-236 – Leadership, Ethics and Sustainability
A series of presentations by guest speakers will address the topics of leadership, ethics and sustainability.
Class 2, Credit 1 (Sp)