Skip to main content
Latest information and updates about COVID-19 (coronavirus) from McMaster University

Integrated Cornerstone Design Projects in Engineering (1P13)

Are you ready for a one-of-a-kind learning experience that will set you apart as a future engineer? This fall, you’ll be the first-ever class in our new first-year design course, called Integrated Cornerstone Design Projects in Engineering.

 

CONTACT US

WATCH THE VIDEO

About Integrated Cornerstone Design Projects in Engineering (1P13)

In Fall 2020, we’re introducing a full-year, project-based learning experience where students are exposed to a series of design projects that will develop both technical and professional skills. Using a unique educational approach, students will learn in three ways:

Video: 

1. Introduce Concepts

Three one-hour classes per week to introduce new subjects, reinforce interesting topics and learn about the profession of engineering. 

2. Develop Skills

Two three-hour labs per week to develop technical skills.

3. Apply in Real Life

Two hours per week to work with your group on projects, as well as to build and test prototypes in our virtual design studio, with access to the instructional team.

Projects transition from well-structured to open-ended as the course progresses, with technical skills and subject expertise steadily building in engineering design and graphics, programming, professional engineering practice, and structure and properties of materials.

With a team of Faculty mentors, instructional assistants, lab technicians and teaching assistants on hand to lend support, students will develop projects to be featured in a personal online portfolio that can be incorporated into co-op job applications.

Here are the list of projects: 

Programming a robot for motion control 

Mechanical design of turbine blades in renewable wind technology 

Design of a system for sterilizing surgical tools 

Design of a system for sorting and recycling containers 

Device design for a working mother with autoimmune conditions

1P13 in the News

New first-year engineering program to offer innovative virtual labs and design projects

May 29, 2020

New first-year engineering program to offer innovative virtual labs and design projects

McMaster Engineering’s project-based course for incoming students was designed from the start to succeed in a virtual setting.

4 Highlights from SHAD’s visit with Mac Eng

July 26, 2019

4 Highlights from SHAD’s visit with Mac Eng

Mac Eng hosts a series of workshops and lectures for SHAD student and test drive new first year curriculum.

The Pivot: Transforming engineering education

March 15, 2019

The Pivot: Transforming engineering education

The Pivot is the largest transformation of the student experience ever taken in 61 years of engineering at McMaster.

Microsoft Teams, also referred to as simply Teams, is a unified communication and collaboration platform that combines persistent chat, video meetings, file storage (including collaboration on files), and application integration. The service integrates with the Office 365 subscription that all McMaster students and staff have access to at no additional cost.

Teams will act as the main communications hub for ENGINEER 1P13 lectures, labs, and design studio sessions.

This is a visual reprsentation of how the course is structured on Teams:  

 

1P13 FAQs

Design Studio is an opportunity for students to meet regularly with their team as they work on a design project. There are five major design projects throughout the course.  You will have 2 hours per week of designated time for your Design Studio project work, but you can work with your group in the space 24/7!

Using Microsoft Teams, virtual breakout rooms for each team within a single design studio will be set up where teams can collaborate, during a scheduled time, and connect in real-time to assigned Faculty Mentors and TAs/IAs for guidance and support. These virtual breakout rooms will be available to students outside of the scheduled times as needed to complete the various project objectives. This allows us to recreate the same type of experience that students would have if they were collaborating in a physical space.

Labs will be scheduled and occur in real-time. These recordings will also be made available for viewing after delivery.

  • Labs will be facilitated by Instructional Assistants (IAs), with support provided by a large team of Teaching Assistants (TAs) who will guide you through the application of course content in a virtual format. Access to the software required for these lab exercises will be made available to students at no cost.* 
  • Students will complete lab assignments in the same breakout rooms where they collaborate on their design projects.

* Computer equipment is purchased separately by students. A computer with a Windows 10 operating system with a minimum Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM  is strongly recommended.   

Lectures covering foundational course content will be scheduled and delivered live to students. These recordings will also be made available for viewing after delivery.

Yes! Students will still learn and apply 3D design skills in CAD. They will be able to send their designs to the instructional team for fabrication and evaluation at McMaster.  

  • All the equipment that would normally be used by students (e.g. robotic arms and terrestrial drones) will be virtualized so that students can control realistic 3D renderings right from their home. 
  • This virtual environment is created using the most powerful 3D creation platforms available. 

Students can ask questions virtually in breakout rooms, in the course room, or via 1:1 chat with a member of the instructional team.

Project showcases will occur in a virtual format at various points throughout the year, including live presentations and pre-recorded videos.

Students will create an online portfolio in the form of a website throughout the year to showcase their work to potential employers.  

 

No, it is a full year course running from September until April that is 13 units. Most courses are 3 units each. This course combines 4 courses that were previously offered separately. 

Groups of 4 students will selected randomly. Teams will be different for each project!

You will need to be able to communicate with your group by video, but no specific type of webcam is required.
 

A laptop running Windows 10 is strongly recommended.  Lab will require use of Autodesk Inventor, which runs on Windows 10.  For students with a Mac, students will be able to connect remotely to a virtual machine running Windows, where all the required software will be available to them.  While students can depend on access to these virtual machines during their scheduled lab, access outside lab time will depend on demand.  By having Windows 10, students can access Autodesk Inventor 24/7.

TLDR: it won't hinder you if you have a Mac, but you'll have so much more flexibility running Windows

EMBER will help prepare you for Chem, Math, and Physics, but will also give you a chance to meet professors, TAs, and students. You'll get used to working in a virtual environment, which will help with 1P13.

Python 3.8 is taught to students in 1P13 assuming no prior knowledge of coding. The only prior knowledge we will assume you have is based on your high school required courses - Chemistry, Physics, Calculus, and English. If you are not feeling confident in your math and sciences, EMBER will help with getting you up to speed. It's free and offered virtually. 
 
 

Curriculum components are broken up within the course that spans all year. If you are unsuccessful in a portion of the courses, there is an opportunity to take a summer course for that portion. We encourage you to reach out to your Academic Advisor throughout the year with your questions. 

The first project is meant to be done in the span of a single 2-hr Design Studio.  For the remaining 4 projects, they will range in length from 4 to 6 weeks.

Message from the Dean 

Video: 

A message to applicants from Dean Ishwar K. Puri regarding the fall semester.

But I can say with confidence that McMaster Engineering will be ready for the fall. We are a faculty that is resilient, quick to adapt and ready to meet the challenges ahead.

When COVID-19 closed campus in March, Professor Colin McDonald led the quick transition of IBEHS 1P10  Health Solutions Design Projects 1 into a virtual format. We'll be taking what we learned from this experience and applying it to ENGINEER 1P13 for fall 2019. 

Hear what students have to say about their experience in 1P10 this past term:

What was it like working with your team virtually?

Surprisingly easy!

Surprisingly easy!

Working with my team was surprisingly easy. It was easier for us to find time to meet as well as work individually on the reports and such. I found that organizing shorter but more frequent calls were more beneficial than meeting once every few weeks in person for hours trying to figure stuff out.
 
~Agatha (Chemical & Biomedical Engineering)
Not any different.

Not any different.

Working with my team for the last design project virtually was not any different from working with them at the design studio. As a group, we had to re-create a working schedule as some members had already moved back home. However, after overcoming the timing issues, we were successfully able to communicate through Microsoft Teams and continue working on our project. 
 
~Ola (Electrical & Biomedical Engineering)
Easier to schedule!

Easier to schedule!

One benefit working online was that it was easier to find times to meet, not needing to worry about where to meet and whenever everyone is on campus. As well we often met during our designated design studio time slot, so we would often ask Dr. McDonald or our TA to join into the call and provide feedback / ask questions the same we would have done in person. At first it was kind of weird meeting online but as soon as we got going it felt normal and we were all comfortable sharing with each other in this virtual environment.
 
~Matt (Mechatronics & Biomedical Engineering)
Good experience.

Good experience.

It was a good experience working virtually. All the deliverables for the project had been modified to ensure that we would be able to complete and submit online. It was also nice to still be able to hold meetings during our designated design studio time, where we would be able to collaborate with team members, professors, TAs, and lab assistants.

~ Fatima (Health, Engineering Science & Entrepreneurship)

 

How difficult was it to access your professors and TAs for support?

Simple communication.

Simple communication.

Colin McDonald was hands down one of the best profs before and during this pandemic. He did live lectures, so you could ask questions in real-time, and he responded to our team's questions within a few hours. The Microsoft teams system was set up well so we could, in fact, reach our TA's even easier than we could in design studio (because they could see our message over the whole week instead of just one day). 
 
~Ishan (Mechatronics & Biomedical Engineering)
Extremely easy.

Extremely easy.

It was extremely easy to access our professors and TAs. Dr McDonald did a really good job of supporting all of us throughout the project as well as with any concerns we had about remote learning in general. The TAs also worked together really well to cover all the tutorials so there was always someone we could ask for help.
 
~Agatha (Chemical & Biomedical Engineering)
Designated Office Hours.

Designated Office Hours.

It was very easy to contact our TAs and professors for support during the change to online platforms. I think that the ease of using MS Teams was a key factor that aided in this matter. Especially during online lectures, we were easily able to ask our professors questions in the chat window. There were also designated office hours, which were held on MS Teams as well to ask additional questions.
 
~ Fatima (Health, Engineering Science & Entrepreneurship)
Always available!

Always available!

My TAs were always available online and were quick to answer my questions.

~ Ansh (Electrical & Biomedical Engineering)

How did you test or build projects?

Virtual modelling.

Virtual modelling.

Our group was planning on building a mechanical device for our final DP 4 project, so when we moved online we modeled all the components of the device on Autodesk Inventor - which we did not have experience in prior to 1P10, but learned all we needed to during labs over the year - then assembled these components and constrained them so they would move just as they would have in person. Although it wasn't the same as doing it in real life, it still showed you things you hadn't considered yet and what you needed to improve in your design.
 
~Matt (Mechatronics & Biomedical Engineering)
Household items!

Household items!

We were asked to create a 4-6 page design progression document that included all the details on how we would've created our product (ie. materials we would've used, input/output devices, software options, etc). In my group, we created a very low fidelity prototype using household items that visually presented our product. We then used AutoDesk Inventor to 3D model another visual that was close to how we imagined our product to look like. We were not asked to specifically test our products since we did not have access to tools and supplies.
~Ola (Electrical & Biomedical Engineering)
Autodesk Inventor.

Autodesk Inventor.

For our project, we worked on the design of a water bottle. Our final product included 3D modelled parts that we created on Autodesk Inventor. Each team member built a part and we fitted them together in an assembly file on Autodesk Inventor.

~ Tammy (Software & Biomedical Engineering)

Electrical Equipment!

Electrical Equipment!

Our team was lucky that we had access to some of the electrical equipment that we needed to complete and test our prototype. Specifically, two of our team members had access to breadboards, raspberry pi, and the specific sensors/pumps that we needed to execute the electrical component of our project. The other prototypes we had constructed were mostly sketches and 3D modelled parts created on Autodesk Inventor. Being able to share these inventor files with teammates, so that they could modify and edit them for the team was easy to do and beneficial.

~ Fatima (Health, Engineering Science & Entrepreneurship)

Favourite moment that took place during this virtual 1P10 experience?

Live lectures.

Live lectures.

Attending Dr. McDonald's online lectures and having them be even more entertaining than they were in person.Although this is definitely not ideal, even online 1P10 was still my favourite course of first year and you learn so many different things and meet many people which will be super useful in a virtual setting.
~Matt (Mechatronics & Biomedical Engineering)
Microsoft Teams.

Microsoft Teams.

My favourite moment during this experience was using Microsft Teams. More students seemed to engage in lectures using the comments while the professor was delivering the content. It was very easy to communicate and ask any questions or clarifications. All our professors had a very positive attitude and handled this unexpected transition very well.

~Ola (Electrical & Biomedical Engineering)

Informal class calls!

Informal class calls!

I really enjoyed the class calls which happened after all the lecture content had already been covered. It was in these times we got to interact on a less serious note and iBiomed truly felt like a family.
~Agatha (Chemical & Biomedical Engineering)
Dr. McDonald\'s jokes :)

Dr. McDonald's jokes :)

I definitely enjoyed the live lectures. Getting up early helped me to be productive in the mornings, and they were my only live lectures, so they were very engaging and it was awesome to have a live chat where I could interact with all my peers at the same time. Dr McDonald kept it interactive and brought music and humour to the lectures and they became the highlight of my day in a difficult time.
~Ishan (Mechatronics & Biomedical Engineering)

What advice would you pass on to an incoming student about succeeding in this course virtually?

Be positive :)

Be positive :)

Don't stress too much on the whole virtual idea because professors will be very understanding and cooperative throughout the course. Students will not be asked to create or design devices beyond the tools that they have access to. I would also advise students to have a positive attitude when working with their team members. Students should calmly plan all their meetings and ensure that all group members agree with them since some students may be living in different places.
 
~Ola (Electrical & Biomedical Egineering)
Stay on top of the content.

Stay on top of the content.

Try your best to stay on top of the content and spend a couple minutes after each lecture to take more thorough notes which will be really useful for reviewing for tests and assignments. Taking notes right after the lecture is best as all the additional/ spoken info is still fresh in your mind and it usually doesn't interrupt with other class time.
 
 ~Agatha (Chemical & Biomedical Engineering)
 
Work with others!

Work with others!

Work with other people. It's easier for other people to hold you accountable, and you'll also find that it's very much a collaborative course, so working with others is highly recommended! 

 ~ Ansh (Electrical & Biomedical Engineering)

Be passionate.

Be passionate.

Put passion into your design projects. The mark is effectively a representation of your enthusiasm for the project, and the more invested you are and the more eager you are to develop the project, the better you end up performing as well as enjoying the experience. 1P10 is one of the most important courses for your future in first year though it may not seem like it, so take the time to appreciate and enjoy what you're doing instead of stressing about the work involved.
 
~Ishan (Mechatronics & Biomedical Engineering)

Faculty Leads

Colin McDonald

Colin McDonald

Integrated Biomedical Engineering & Health Sciences

Shelir Ebrahimi

Shelir Ebrahimi

Chemical Engineering

Bosco Yu

Bosco Yu

Materials Science and Engineering

Elizabeth Hassan

Elizabeth Hassan

Mechanical Engineering

Robert Fleisig

Robert Fleisig

Mechanical Engineering

Thomas E. Doyle

Thomas E. Doyle

Electrical & Computer Engineering

5 Support Staff, including a Laboratory Technician and Instructional Assistant

10 Instructional Assistant Interns

100 Teaching Assistants