Learning engineering as art: An invention center

This article describes a class where engineering students develop potentially patentable commercial products in a studio setting. Students work on two individual projects, with prototypes, patent description, and a small business plan within one semester. The first long-term survey of participating students indicated that the greatest impact of this class was on their understanding of real-world situations, and their ability to come up with creative ideas. Some positive commercialization results have occurred with nearly one fourth of the students participating. The emphasis of the article is on the pedagogical methods involved in this kind of course, although some assessment results are also included.