Winter Quarter 2010 Course Announcement

ENGR110/210
Perspectives in Assistive Technology

David L. Jaffe, MS and Professor Drew Nelson
Tuesdays & Thursdays   4:15pm - 5:30pm
Main Quad, History Corner, Lane Hall (Building 200), Room 034 (lower level)

Student's Comments - Winter 2009


From community members' emails:

I wanted to thank you for opening the class to the community. The lectures were informative and interesting. I appreciate that you emphasized not just the challenges that those with disabilities face, but also their desire to lead more independent, fulfilling lives.

I really enjoyed both lectures I was able to attend: the class with Peter Axelson and this last class getting to see the student projects yesterday -- very well articulated and practical. I can really learn a lot and see a different approach to disability through rehabilitation -- very inspiring. Thank you so much for opening this class up to the community.

I really enjoyed your class. The students are very sharp and the lecturers were a wonderful cross section of expertise.

From student's personal reflections:

This course has given me an entirely new look on engineering and the possibilities which exist in the realm of assistive technology. The course has been very rewarding as a whole and I look forward to continuing my endeavors with assistive technology in the future.

One of my expectations for the course at the beginning of the quarter was that I would gain a greater understanding and empathy for people with disabilities. I thought that this understanding would come from working with people with disabilities for the project. What I wasn't expecting was that I would learn just by coming to class-both from various speakers who had disabilities or shared stories about people with disabilities, but even more from the community members who came to class.

I derived a lot of value out of having non-students (professionals, disabled people, etc.) sit in on the class. Their depth of experience added a lot to the talks.

This class exceeded my expectations and I will recommend it for anyone in any discipline. It is not only about the projects but about the knowledge that each person gains from listening to people's experiences and challenges. The class provides a glimpse into the design process and working with teams. Working on a project gives the team the opportunity to build their communication and leadership skills.

The class lectures gave a broad exposure to many different outlets for assistive technology, while the team experience concentrated on one in depth. I think these two approaches balanced out well, because through the lectures we could imagine how the work we were applying to our one problem could be applied to many more problems in the world of assistive technology.

Overall this course was valuable to me. I appreciated that the teaching staff offered a list of contacts and resources for our project.

Overall, the lectures and discussion we have had in this class, as well as the experience of developing an assistive technology, will stay with me as I go through the rest of my coursework and eventually in my career.

I personally enjoyed working on this [project] because I am close to someone who can directly benefit from its development ... This course was unique and memorable.

This course directly relates to my career plans since I am hoping to pursue Mechanical Engineering and am also considering Law. In either case, this class provided invaluable information and experience that I can use to shape my plans for the next three years of college and after.

From students' in-class course evaluations:

I enjoyed that the lectures were widely varied and didn't require a previous knowledge of the specific topic.

I feel I learned a lot and got exposed to a subject that I didn't have much experience with.

I gained perspective on seeking simple mechanical solutions over immediately applying high tech.

I wanted to take the lecture [only option] because I was intrigued, but after reading the project opportunities, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to work on one.

I love the variety of topics.

The course exceeds my expectations.

From students' online course evaluations:

In response to: Please comment on the individual instructors with regard to effectiveness and attitude toward students:

Very caring and obviously interested in success of students.

Very friendly and approachable, always answers questions to the best of his ability

Very approachable. Willing to assist with students.

Good enthusiasm and highly approachable.

In response to: Please comment on assignments and exams (difficulty, length, frequency, usefulness, and their success at testing conceptual understanding rather than recall):

The assignments were fair and valuable.

In response to: Do you have any additional comments on the course over-all?

The class definitely gave me better perspective on what disability means and what types of solutions are currently meeting needs. I also have a better feel for effective design processes.

From student's emails:


Updated 04/02/2009

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