Creating Student Roles for the SeaPerch Build
If you were to think that building a SeaPerch requires only marine engineering expertise, you’d be wrong: the SeaPerch project draws upon many different engineering fields, from materials and mechanical to systems and electrical.
“That’s what it’s all about now, multidisciplinary teams of engineers,” explained Angela Leimkuhler Moran, Ph.D., a professor of mechanical engineering at the United States Naval Academy. “These are the roles you would see in a production-type of environment, if I was producing a widget and it was a SeaPerch.”
Moran uses the SeaPerch — a remotely operated vehicle (ROV)— as a core part of her engineering outreach programs, held several times a month for teachers and students ranging in age from third grade to college. “It’s a nifty little creature,” said Moran, who is one of the original principals of the SeaPerch program. “Students love it. They feel ownership. Once you build it, it’s yours. You name it. You redesign it.”
Moran said that a SeaPerch can be built in two to three hours, but six hours is more typical. However, when she uses the process of building a SeaPerch to teach engineering concepts, she slows the process down and spends 16 to 20 hours walking students through the construction process.
To capitalize on the team aspect and involve more students on the SeaPerch build, Moran assigns specific roles to the students in the SeaPerch groups. “If you have four kids on the team, each one could assume a role because there’s not something for each of them to be doing all the time, but they can take on the persona,” Moran said. “It also helps with discipline and involvement.”
She gives this example of how role-playing works: “Even though they might not be putting the PVC pipe together, if there is a quality assurance guy on the team, he is overseeing the PVC pipe joining and making commentary or at least giving his stamp of approval,” Moran explains. “The electrical engineer takes responsibility for the control box. The materials engineer or industrial engineer puts the frame together. The mechanical engineer puts in the motors and the thrusters, so he’s responsible for the propulsion — which makes it move. The systems engineer is the guy who makes sure the control box and motors get linked to the frame, and puts all the systems together. We can add the marine engineer to define the applications for the SeaPerch.”
An added benefit of this exercise is that students come to appreciate the distinctions between the various engineering disciplines. This often serves to stimulate discussion of even those types of engineering not directly involved in the SeaPerch project.
Below are roles Moran has developed for students building a SeaPerch:
PROJECT MANAGER RESPONSIBILITIES
- Decide on goal for the station
- Determine the order of tasks to be completed
- Manage time
- Identify problems
- Lead problem-solving discussions
- Make sure all team members are heard
- Call for timely cleanup
ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN RESPONSIBILITIES
- Decide what tools to use
- Pass the necessary safety tests
- Complete tasks that involve tools
- Instruct team members who need assistance with tools
MATERIALS ENGINEER RESPONSIBILITIES
- Inventory the materials in the kit
- Study directions to identify materials
- Organize materials to be used
- Obtain needed supplies
- Notify project manager if supplies are missing or damaged
QUALITY ASSURANCE ENGINEER RESPONSIBILITIES
- Study directions to identify measurements needed
- Inspect any piece to be cut, drilled, or soldered for accuracy
- Make frequent checks as each step is completed
- Report any mistakes to group
- Retest any electrical wiring or circuit
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