Six Aerospace design projects to learn how to engineer

Tomorrow’s engineers are required to have a good balance of deep working knowledge of engineering sciences and engineering skills. In the Bachelor in Aerospace Engineering at TU Delft, students are educated to master these competences so that they are ready to engineer when they graduate. The mainstream Aerospace Design is built up semester after semester of a design project and an accompanying design course. The main objectives of the design projects are related to contextual learning, learning by doing together, and learning and practicing academic and engineering skills, and being a mental organiser for the students. Over the years of study the design projects increase in complexity and openness, from knowing to application and synthesis, from tangible to abstract, from mono- to multidisciplinary, and from mostly individual to team work. All projects exploit the factors that promote intrinsic motivation (challenge, curiosity, control, fantasy, competition, cooperation, and recognition). To assure that the intrinsic motivation factors and the semester themes are well addressed, each design project is characterised by a storyline, professional role, client, real-life problem, engineering process, and certain attainment levels of engineering skills.Support Aerospace EngineeringAerospace Engineerin