Designing for Diversity

Abstract

Coordinating and executing an MSc program is accompanied by various challenges. To name a few: a) students joining the program means have diverse backgrounds which means varying levels of prior knowledge, and b) in a program that offers specialization into different profiles, it is important to ensure that every student attains the required breadth in foundation as well, which the program mandates. At the Aerospace Structures and Materials (ASM) Department in the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at TU Delft, we are developing a core curriculum that encompasses the first education quarter (8 weeks, 15 ECTS), which aims to successfully tackle these challenges in order to train up future aerospace engineers with solid technical foundation, critical thinking ability and collaborative working spirit. The module starts with a “soft-landing” for the students and is followed by three content sprints that cover the essentials in the three principal domains of ASM – Materials, Manufacturing and Modelling. Engineering and consulting assignments have been embedded that tie the sprints together and offer inspiration and motivation for the students. In parallel, students get trained in transversal skills. A student facing dashboard will provide comprehensive feedback on learning progress and outcome. The dashboard will additionally support the transition towards a portfolio-based assessment. In this paper, we outline key features of the core curriculum along with the process that was employed for its development.