Principles of Engineering Drawings

Engineering drawing is any kind of drawing that communicates an idea, concept, or design. There are many types of engineering drawings, and each type has its own set of rules, standards, and conventions. The aim of this project is to create a set of learning modules to introduce students from all engineering disciplines to the basic concepts and the use of engineering drawings in the design, construction, manufacturing, and maintenance fields. In these modules, students will learn the basic knowledge and skills in engineering drawings concepts, develop the capability to read and interpret blue prints, and gain an understanding of 2D, 3D, and Building Information Modelling (BIM) formats of engineering drawings.  

These modules could be used for inverted delivery of an introductory engineering design course or for the hybrid delivery of engineering drawing content in a set of courses. We envision these modules partially or fully replacing in-person lectures and being paired with in-person experiential learning activities, such as design studios and hands-on exercises with real drawings, to create an effective and active learning experience. These modules could also be used to support a fully online course approach that could pair them with online discussions, synchronous chats, and other learning support tools.

The learning modules proposed in this project represent a full one-semester course worth of material. However, they are designed for use across the curriculum in all engineering programs. The module topics start at a first year level with content that is appropriate for introducing students for the first time to basic concepts of engineering drawings. The modules progress with the students’ development, drilling into specific details of each type of engineering drawing, including structural, electrical, and mechanical drawings. These modules also cover the evolution of engineering drawings from their origin, to 2D, 3D, and parametric modelling of BIM. 

Each of the modules, described below, have 4-6 substantial units. The units include a combination of lectures, inline formative assessment, case studies, and instructor-facing resources to guide interactive activities based on the unit topics.