Self Reflection - Jimmy Wobith

During this fall semester I learned many different things from ME250. This class was the first time working with design and manufacturing on this type of a level. Although I have gone through the design and brainstorming process it was never with any specific steps or methods. The FRDPARRC method basically added to the knowledge I already had about starting to formulate a design. I also had experience with CAD before but this is something I need to improve, so working with solidworks was very beneficial. As far as working in the shop I didn’t really have any experience before this class. I enjoyed getting a feel for the different tools and machines and also realizing the preparations and requirements necessary to fabricate simple and more complex parts. I would say my outlook on manufacturing is a better with this added experience.

Teamwork was another important skill in this class. We had to collaborate a lot, as everything went smoother with input from everyone, but also had to make individual decisions as well. Many times the team was not able to meet as a whole due to our different schedules and shop hours, and one or two members would have to make the executive decision on something. I believe this was good though because you needed to trust your group and also yourself to make the right choice.

The structure of this class was very dynamic so time management was key in completing tasks and assignments on time. Unlike other classes it was not the same homework format due on the same day of every week. Some assignments were repetitive while others were completely different. This also associated a lot with teamwork, because the last part of the class was group assignments.

I really enjoyed the project idea and the final competition of this course and also gained a lot from the individual portion, which taught about the design and manufacturing process. But this is also where I believe the class could use improvement. We had several assignments on creative ideas and thinking. While a change from more methodical homework is good in a way, how do you grade creativity equally and fairly? It’s very hard to do. Other times I thought assignments were very general or vague; I didn’t really know what I was being graded on. Did each part of this table I created have a certain point value, or is my GSI just giving his best guess at what grade it should receive? It seemed as though my grade was based more on a specific person’s interpretation of my work than what I actually knew. To improve this I would suggest clearer instructions on homework or maybe more examples on what is actually required. The exam was a struggle as well. I was expecting more of a general overview of the class information, but instead it covered everything from general to specific and also required complicated calculations and diagrams. It was very difficult to prepare for, but was also weighted low to make up for it.

To improve my performance in this class I should have taken more time on the first few homeworks and also more preparation for the midterm. The CAD assignments would have been a lot easier if I had spent a little more time with Solidworks as well. I definitely needed more improvement in this area as opposed to the project portion of the class.

Overall though I had a good experience in me250 and am glad that we went with the chosen project over creating a computer mouse.

- Jimmy Wobith