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Course
Syllabus
Contents:
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Background Information on Assistive
Technology:
Assistive Technology (AT) is a generic term that
includes both the description of devices that benefits older adults and people
with disabilities as well as the process that makes them available to this
population. An AT device is one that has a diagnostic, functional, adaptive, or
rehabilitative benefit. Engineers employ an AT process to design, develop,
test, and bring to market new devices. Other professionals are involved in
evaluating their need, prescribing them, supplying them, installing and setting
them up, instructing their use, and assessing their benefit. These products
promote greater independence, increased opportunities and participation, and an
enhanced quality of life for people with disabilities by enabling them to
perform tasks that they were formerly unable to accomplish (or had great
difficulty accomplishing, or required assistance) through enhanced or alternate
methods of interacting with the world.
There are an estimated 54 million Americans
(20.6 percent of the population) with some level of disability which limits
their ability to fully participate in society. As the nation ages, the number
of people experiencing such limitations will certainly increase. New AT devices
incorporating novel designs and emerging technologies have the potential to
further improve the lives of people with disabilities and older
adults.
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- Suggested Assistive Technology Course
Sequence:
- Winter Quarter:
ENGR110/210:
Perspectives in Assistive Technology (3 units)
- Spring Quarter:
ME113: Mechanical Engineering
Design (4 units)
- or
- CS194: Computer Science Senior
Project (3 units)
- or
- Independent Study
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Suggested Assistive Technology
Course Sequence Overview:
This suggested course sequence provides
an opportunity for engineering students from all departments and interested
students from other disciplines to learn about the engineering, medical,
psychological, and social aspects of designing, developing, and employing
assistive technology to improve the quality of life and independence of people
with disabilities.
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ENGR110/210 consists of
semi-weekly lectures from experts in the field, including designers,
entrepreneurs, clinicians, and users. Beyond these lectures, students engage in
a team-based design project experience that includes need finding, project
identification, and design. Teams interact with users of assistive technology,
design coaches, and project partners.
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ME113 is the Spring Quarter
capstone course for the undergraduate Mechanical Engineering degree. Students
pursue a quarter-long team-based project with the expectation that they will
take their design concept as far towards a functioning device as possible by
creating designs, models, and working prototypes of new mechanical devices.
Mechanical design, teamwork, project management, and resource allocation are
emphasized.
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CS194 is the Spring Quarter
capstone course for the undergraduate Computer Science degree. The goals for
the course are as follows:
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- To provide a significant design
experience, starting from a blank sheet
- To provide a team software-building
experience, where effective communication within the team is as important as
coding ability
- To provide experience in building a
large system that requires integration of the skills and knowledge gained in
the undergraduate program
- To provide practice in public
presentation of technical work, both in class and to faculty and industry
guests at the end-of-quarter Software Faire
- To provide practice in the written
description of a technical project, satisfying the Writing in Major (WIM)
requirement
- To acquaint the students with current
practices in software engineering
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Expectations for Students:
By
taking this suggested two-quarter course sequence, students will:
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Gain a full appreciation for and an
understanding of the engineering, medical, and social aspects associated with
the design, development, and use of assistive technology,
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Learn about a wide variety of issues in
technology development, including intellectual property rights and best
practices in community engagement, and
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Engage in a comprehensive design
experience that includes working with users of assistive technology to identify
needs, prototype solutions, perform user testing, practice iterative design,
and communicate results.
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Overview:
The Winter Quarter
ENGR110/210 course consists of semi-weekly seminars that are open to the
general student population (as well as the greater Stanford community). The
flexible course structure includes individual and team-based assistive
technology design project options as well as a lectures-only option.
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Course Description:
Perspectives
in Assistive Technology is a one-quarter (10-week) course taught at
Stanford during the Winter Quarter that explores the design, development, and
use of technology that benefits people with disabilities and older adults.
Students from diverse disciplines (mostly mechanical engineers) and from all
academic years (approximately equally divided between upper class and graduate
students) have enrolled in the course.
The course combines classroom discussions,
presentations by guest lecturers, team and individual projects, site visits to
medical and engineering facilities, an assistive technology faire, and project
presentations by students.
This course consists of twice-weekly
presentations by guest lecturers who are experts in the greater assistive
technology field, including product designers, entrepreneurs, researchers,
clinicians, and assistive technology users. Lectures are open to all students
and community members (local individuals without a Stanford affiliation),
including non-enrolled students interested in a particular lecture and
individuals with disabilities. Guest lecturers address a wide variety of issues
in assistive technology such as disability and rehabilitation, research and
development, service learning, brainstorming and needfinding, design software,
intellectual property, technology licensing, personal perspectives, and human
subjects in research.
Tours of local medical facilities and
engineering laboratories (VA Spinal Cord Injury and Brain Injury Services and
Stanford Motion and Gait Analysis Laboratory) are scheduled during the quarter.
They provide an off-campus learning experience.
The Assistive Technology Faire provides an
opportunity for students and community members to get an up-close look at a
variety of commercial devices. Users of assistive technology products as well
as small companies and agencies serving individuals with disabilities and older
adults bring assistive technology devices to display and
demonstrate.
Beyond these lectures and tours, students
engage in a team-based design project experience that addresses problems faced
by users of assistive technology and includes need finding, project
identification, and design.
Team project activities include selecting
team members; considering project choices; selecting a project; meeting with
project partners, assistive technology users, design coaches, and the course
instructor; understanding the problem; identifying the need; brainstorming and
identifying appropriate project design alternatives; searching for existing
commercial products; selecting a project design to pursue; fabricating a
prototype; testing and analyzing the performance of the prototype; iterating
the fabrication and testing steps; presenting the project; writing a report;
and reflecting on the course and team project experience.
The course is taught by David L. Jaffe who
holds a BS degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan and
a MS degree in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University. Prior to
coming to Stanford, he was a Research Biomedical Engineer at the VA Palo Alto
Health Care System's Rehabilitation Research and Development Center. At the VA
his interests were designing, developing, testing, and bringing to market
microcomputer-based devices for veterans with disabilities including
communication, mobility, and information systems.
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- Teaching Team:
- David L. Jaffe, MS - dljaffe -at-
stanford.edu
- Course
Lecturer
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Credentials:
The course:
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Has no prerequisites
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Is a designated
Service-Learning
Course
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Is approved for the Program in Science,
Technology & Society (STS) - included on the
BS Major STS Core list
in Social Scientific Perspectives area of the Disciplinary Analyses section (3
credit option)
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Satisfies the optional course requirement
for the BS degree in Mechanical Engineering (3 credit option)
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Can be approved as an elective for the MS
degree in Mechanical Engineering by a faculty advisor
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Is an approved Design Processes Course
for the
Learning,
Design and Technology Program in the Graduate School of
Education
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Is an approved course for the
Bio-Science Area of
Concentration in The Program in Human Biology.
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Objectives:
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Expose students to the engineering,
medical, and social issues facing engineers, researchers, entrepreneurs,
clinicians, older adults, and individuals with disabilities in the design,
development, and use of assistive technology
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Engage students in a team-based project
experience that exercises team working skills and applies an engineering design
process to address difficulties experienced by individuals with disabilities
and older adults
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Provide an opportunity for students to
interact with users of assistive technology in the local community along with
health care professionals, coaches, and project partners
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Enhance students' critical thinking and
communication skills, with specific emphasis on in-class discussions, report
writing, and project presentations
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Encourage students to use their
engineering skills and design expertise to help individuals with disabilities
and older adults increase their independence and improve their quality of
life
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In-class
Discussions:
Each class session begins with a ten to fifteen
minute interactive discussion that promotes critical thinking, analysis, and
questioning.
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Lectures:
Presentations are given by guest lecturers who address a wide variety of
issues in assistive technology such as disability and rehabilitation, research
and development, service learning, brainstorming and need-finding, design
software, intellectual property, technology licensing, personal perspectives,
and human subjects in research.
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Tours:
Tours of local medical facilities and engineering laboratories are
scheduled during the quarter.
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Team Projects (3 credit
option):
Students work in teams of no more than three to address
problems faced by individuals with disabilities and older adults with the goal
of fabricating, testing, and presenting a functional prototype device or
software application. Project ideas come from various public and private
sources in the community, such as the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Palo
Alto Health Care System's Spinal Cord Injury Center, local assistive living
facilities, senior centers, as well as from foundations like the Muscular
Dystrophy Association, or from individuals. Funding to support the projects
come from internal sources, company partners, foundations, etc.
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Project Carryover to Spring
Quarter:
Team-based design projects in ENGR110/210 serve as a
foundation for continuing development, testing, and fabrication of an improved
working prototype in the Spring Quarter. Teams of undergraduate students enroll
in ME113 or CS194 (or a comparable senior design project course)
while individual or graduate students can pursue independent study for credit
with the approval of their faculty advisor. The Spring Quarter effort focuses
on developing and testing a more refined, functional prototype. As with
ENGR110/210, students continue to work closely with persons with
disabilities throughout the design process.
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Lecture-only Option:
For students
whose schedule does not permit working on a team-based project in
ENGR110/210, a one-unit lecture-only option is offered. As there are no
assignments or exams, the grading is Credit / No Credit - no letter
grades are given for this option. Students enrolled with this option must
attend at least 10 lectures, including the first lecture,
Introduction to Assistive
Technology.
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One Credit Letter Grade
Option:
For students whose schedule does not permit working on a
team-based project in ENGR110/210, but wish to receive a letter grade, a
one-credit letter grade option is offered.
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Individual
Project Assignment
Students are asked to interview an individual
with a disability or an older adult, choose and pursue a specific project
activity, present their work, submit a final comprehensive final project report
that encompasses their efforts for the entire quarter, and reflect on their
experiences.
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Team Project Option (3 credit
option):
Students work in teams to address problems faced by individuals
with disabilities and older adults. Team project activities include selecting
team members; considering project choices; selecting a project; meeting with
project partners, assistive technology users, design coaches, and the course
instructor; understanding the problem; identifying the need; brainstorming and
identifying appropriate project design alternatives; searching for existing
commercial products; selecting a project design to pursue; fabricating a
prototype; testing and analyzing the performance of the prototype; iterating
the fabrication and testing steps; presenting the project; writing a report;
and reflecting on the course and team project experience.
Students who wish to work on a team project
and have a limitation in the total number of units they can take in the Winter
Quarter may enroll for one or two credits, but are expected to complete all the
3-unit course requirements.
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Mid-term
Team Project Assignment
In the first half of the quarter, students
form into teams, select a team project, contact the individual who suggested
the project, interview an individual with a disability or an older adult who
would benefit from the project, gather information on existing products and
research, determine the magnitude of the need, brainstorm and evaluate
potential solutions, present their findings, and submit a report of the team's
progress.
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End-of-term
Team Project Assignment
During the second half of the quarter, teams
choose a specific design concept and fabricate / test a functional prototype.
The embodiment of the chosen design will be in the form of detailed sketches,
drawings, and a functional prototype. Teams present their design in class and
submit a final comprehensive final project report that encompasses their work
for the entire quarter and individually reflect on their course and team
project experience.
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Assignment Dues Dates:
| Assignment |
Date |
| Team Mid-term Presentation |
Thursday, February
12th |
| Team Mid-term Report |
Tuesday, February
17th |
| Individual Presentation |
Week of March
2nd |
| Team Final Presentation |
Tuesday, March
10th |
| Individual and Team Final
Report |
Monday, March
16th |
| Individual Reflection |
Monday March
16th |
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Missed Lecture Policy:
All enrolled
students are encouraged to attend all ENGR110/210 lectures.
Student project teams (taking the course for
3 units) may be excused from attending one lecture to work on
their team projects. The following guidelines must be followed:
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The entire team must arrange to
work on their project together during the lecture time.
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The team must inform the instructor of
their desire to work on their project before the lecture that will be
missed.
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Lectures that are mandatory are the first
lecture, Introduction to Assistive
Technology, the second lecture, Project
Pitches and Team Formation, the Mid-term
Presentations, and the Final
Presentations.
Enrolled students taking the course for 1
unit must attend at least 10 lectures including the first lecture,
Introduction to Assistive
Technology.
Missed lectures may be made up by first
reviewing the material from the missed lecture: view the video, follow along
with the PowerPoint slides, read any handout material, view any videos and
photos, and browse any weblinks posted on the lecture webpage. Then
either:
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Write a summary of the missed lecture of
1 - 2 pages in length that includes a summary of the lecture content as well as
the student's thoughts, observations, and reflections about the material. What
one item did you hear, see, or learn that was new, surprising, interesting, or
provided a new perspective?
Email the text or Word document within a
week of the missed lecture. Don't use a large font, double-spacing, or wide
margins.
or
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Arrange to meet with me to discuss the
missed lecture. Be prepared to lead the conversation with questions, comments,
and thoughts. This should take about 15 minutes.
After a written summary it is received, read,
and approved - or after a meeting, the student will be credited with
"attending" the lecture.
Missed lectures should be made up at the
earliest earliest opportunity (ideally within a week) as it may be more
difficult to find the time to review the material and meet or write up a
summary / reflection near the end of the quarter.
If one or more required lectures are missed
and are not made up by the deadline for grade submission, it will affect the
grade as follows:
- For students taking the course as
Credit / No Credit, the following options are available for student who
have not attended at least 10 lectures:
-
- Receive No Credit for the
course.
- Request to receive Incomplete
for the course. If subsequently the missed lectures are made up, the grade will
be changed to Credit.
- For students taking the course for a
Letter Grade, the following options are available for students who have
missed one or more lectures:
-
- Deduct one incremental letter grade
(ie "A" becomes "A-", etc) for each missed lecture not made up.
- Request to receive Incomplete
for the course. If subsequently the missed lecture(s) are made up, a letter
grade reflecting the student's performance will be recorded.
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Grading:
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| 1 Credit
Option |
3 Credit
Option |
|
Final
Report
Final Presentation
Individual Reflection
Participation
* |
30%
30%
10%
30% |
|
Mid-term Report
and Presentation
Final Report
Final
Presentation
Individual Reflection
Participation * |
20%
30%
30%
10%
10% |
- * Participation includes meeting with
instructor, actively listening, posing questions to the guest speakers and the
course instructor, engaging in class discussions, verbalizing thoughts and
analyses, and submitting Weekly Individual Reports.
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Students with
Disabilities:
Creating and enhancing a supportive educational
environment is one of the University's highest priorities. Ensuring that
students with disabilities have full access to all instructional settings is
part of the University's efforts.
Students who may need an academic
accommodation based on the impact of a disability must initiate the request
with the Office of
Accessible Education (OAE). Professional staff will evaluate the request
with required documentation, recommend reasonable accommodations, and prepare
an Accommodation Letter for faculty dated in the current quarter in which the
request is being made. Students should contact the OAE as soon as possible
since timely notice is needed to coordinate accommodations. The OAE is located
at 563 Salvatierra Walk; phone: 650/723-1066.
If you require a disability-related
accommodation to participate in the course, please contact the
course instructor. Requests should be
made at least two weeks in advance.
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