Assistive Technology product innovation through undergraduate projects

Anthony Edward Ward; Ian Grout; Laura Grindei; D Mandru

Assistive Technology product innovation through undergraduate projects

Anthony Edward Ward, Ian Grout, Laura Grindei, D Mandru

Electronic Engineering

Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review

Abstract

The final year or capstone individual project undertaken by students in Electrical and Information Engineering programmes is the opportunity students have to demonstrate their ability to integrate all their academic learning and use it appropriately to undertake a significant engineering project in a professional manner. The project not only allows them to demonstrate their proficiency in technical skills but also in a range of generic skills whilst offering potential bonus benefits. This paper proposes that projects that focus on Assistive Technology (AT) solutions to real disability related issues make both excellent project topics from a technical and generic skills perspective but also serve to raise the general awareness of problems individuals with a disability face in their general living and working lives. Such projects also, potentially lead to innovative new commercial product ideas. This paper starts with an introduction to the supply side academic objectives of the student first employment transition in the form of programme learning outcomes and graduate attributes and then describes three AT projects undertaken by students in SALEIE Project partner institutions. It shows that these projects are effective in all the above stated respects and that they provide an excellent topic for student projects. A signpost to a freely available source of disability related project ideas is given at the end of the paper.

Original language	English
Number of pages	7
Publication status	Published - 12 Oct 2016
Event	International Conference on Advancements of Medicine and Health Care through Technology, MediTech 2016 - Cluj-Napoca, Romania Duration: 12 Oct 2016 → 14 Oct 2016 http://www.meditech.utcluj.ro

Conference

Conference	International Conference on Advancements of Medicine and Health Care through Technology, MediTech 2016
Abbreviated title	MediTech 2016
Country/Territory	Romania
City	Cluj-Napoca
Period	12/10/16 → 14/10/16
Internet address	http://www.meditech.utcluj.ro

Keywords

DISABILITIES
product innovation
assistive technologies
final year projects
equality in higher education

Access to Document

Cluj2016_Disabilities_final_v8Proof, 3.08 MBLicence: Unspecified

Cite this

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title = "Assistive Technology product innovation through undergraduate projects",

abstract = "The final year or capstone individual project undertaken by students in Electrical and Information Engineering programmes is the opportunity students have to demonstrate their ability to integrate all their academic learning and use it appropriately to undertake a significant engineering project in a professional manner. The project not only allows them to demonstrate their proficiency in technical skills but also in a range of generic skills whilst offering potential bonus benefits. This paper proposes that projects that focus on Assistive Technology (AT) solutions to real disability related issues make both excellent project topics from a technical and generic skills perspective but also serve to raise the general awareness of problems individuals with a disability face in their general living and working lives. Such projects also, potentially lead to innovative new commercial product ideas. This paper starts with an introduction to the supply side academic objectives of the student first employment transition in the form of programme learning outcomes and graduate attributes and then describes three AT projects undertaken by students in SALEIE Project partner institutions. It shows that these projects are effective in all the above stated respects and that they provide an excellent topic for student projects. A signpost to a freely available source of disability related project ideas is given at the end of the paper.",

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TY - CONF

T1 - Assistive Technology product innovation through undergraduate projects

AU - Ward, Anthony Edward

AU - Grout, Ian

AU - Grindei, Laura

AU - Mandru, D

PY - 2016/10/12

Y1 - 2016/10/12

N2 - The final year or capstone individual project undertaken by students in Electrical and Information Engineering programmes is the opportunity students have to demonstrate their ability to integrate all their academic learning and use it appropriately to undertake a significant engineering project in a professional manner. The project not only allows them to demonstrate their proficiency in technical skills but also in a range of generic skills whilst offering potential bonus benefits. This paper proposes that projects that focus on Assistive Technology (AT) solutions to real disability related issues make both excellent project topics from a technical and generic skills perspective but also serve to raise the general awareness of problems individuals with a disability face in their general living and working lives. Such projects also, potentially lead to innovative new commercial product ideas. This paper starts with an introduction to the supply side academic objectives of the student first employment transition in the form of programme learning outcomes and graduate attributes and then describes three AT projects undertaken by students in SALEIE Project partner institutions. It shows that these projects are effective in all the above stated respects and that they provide an excellent topic for student projects. A signpost to a freely available source of disability related project ideas is given at the end of the paper.

AB - The final year or capstone individual project undertaken by students in Electrical and Information Engineering programmes is the opportunity students have to demonstrate their ability to integrate all their academic learning and use it appropriately to undertake a significant engineering project in a professional manner. The project not only allows them to demonstrate their proficiency in technical skills but also in a range of generic skills whilst offering potential bonus benefits. This paper proposes that projects that focus on Assistive Technology (AT) solutions to real disability related issues make both excellent project topics from a technical and generic skills perspective but also serve to raise the general awareness of problems individuals with a disability face in their general living and working lives. Such projects also, potentially lead to innovative new commercial product ideas. This paper starts with an introduction to the supply side academic objectives of the student first employment transition in the form of programme learning outcomes and graduate attributes and then describes three AT projects undertaken by students in SALEIE Project partner institutions. It shows that these projects are effective in all the above stated respects and that they provide an excellent topic for student projects. A signpost to a freely available source of disability related project ideas is given at the end of the paper.

KW - DISABILITIES

KW - product innovation

KW - assistive technologies

KW - final year projects

KW - equality in higher education

M3 - Paper

T2 - International Conference on Advancements of Medicine and Health Care through Technology, MediTech 2016

Y2 - 12 October 2016 through 14 October 2016

ER -