Design and Manufacturing
The design and manufacturing process that we have gone through in this class was similar to what we did in my ENGR 100 section. However the level of intensity and time needed for this class is at a whole other level. For me, this is the most intense class I have taken yet.
After the competition and actually manufacturing I learned a lot about designing. The thing that had the greatest impact on me was how detailed we have to be during the designing process. I knew that the design process was going to be like a funneling process, but never quite realized how narrow the end of the funnel would be until I was done with this class.
In terms of manufacturing, I learned quite a lot as well. I had very little machining experience prior to this class, so this was really something new to me, working with the mill and the lathe. I really enjoyed working in the machine shop, although it was sometimes challenging. It also helped me appreciate some designs around us that may seem simple to make, but in fact required some effort.
Teamwork and time management
Again, this wasn't the first time that I had to work in teams. After this class, my view on teamwork still remains the same. That is communication is the most important thing. It is extremely important that we make sure what each other is trying to convey, it is more important though, that we have the eagerness to make sure that our message is delivered and that we know exactly what the other members are trying to convey. If any of the members gives up on trying to understand what the other person is trying to say then the team will not work. And this is something I will try and continue to improve in the future, since I don't think I did a very good job in terms of that in this class.
In terms of time management, personally I think our team started each assignment a bit late every time, we often find ourselves constantly trying to finish out task a few hours before the deadline, sometimes even minutes before the deadline.
How the course can be improved
Personally, I think the lectures should be shorter, and we should spend more time in the machine shop. It would have been better if we had started tackling the problem as soon as possible. Although the beginning design process were important, but in my opinion we spent a bit too much time on that. It would’ve been great if the ratio of lecture time and lab time were slightly modified.
It would also be great, if we can be presented with clear slotbots rules at the beginning. I am aware that this is new, and slight modifications would always happen, since the game has changed drastically compared to last semester, but setting out clear rules at the beginning might help the students next semester.
One last thing is that, it would be better if we can be more clearly informed in terms of what will be tested on the midterm exam.
How I could have improved my performance in the course
Like I previously mentioned, it would have been better if I put in more effort in communicating with the other team members. I could’ve also put in more effort to try and start assignments earlier, so we do not rush towards the end.
Another important thing that I could have done is to finish, often I find myself starting good, with most of the things set, but failed to finish it all the way to the end. For example designing a small component, but failed to clearly mark up all the dimensions needed. And I find myself wasting lab time trying to just putting in the finishing touches of the previous assignment, rather than working on the next one. This could also be related to my time management skills.
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