2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Assessment and Experience of Boatbuilding-Based PBL in Two Naval Architecture Programs

Presented at Ocean & Marine Engineering Division Technical Session 2

Numerous studies highlight the advantages of Project-Based-Learning (PBL) for skills development, motivation, and retention (both in terms of students staying in the major and in terms of retaining learned skills) of engineering students. While all students take design courses leading to their senior capstone projects, they do not all build prototypes of their work. Typically, in naval architecture and marine engineering programs, PBL projects focus on building small models due to time, space, and cost issues with using full-scale vessels. Exceptions to this approach are taken at the United States Coast Guard (CGA) and Naval Academies (USNA), where students may take elective courses that feature full-scale construction of 10-15 feet long plywood craft. At CGA the first-year, 1-credit, course introduces statistical design methods combined with fundamental naval architecture principles leading to an individual design by the end of the first semester. Students then select one of their designs and build it during the spring. Course graduates then have the option to serve as mentors, teaching aides and course instructors, building their leadership, technical and communication skills. At USNA the fourth-year students build either an off-the-shelf design or one of their own. The students build their boat from construction plans through finishing with decreasing amounts of guidance from instructors. By the end of the course, students can read plans and determine viable construction steps independently and recognize when a design might be improved for fabrication. Along the way they become familiar with the use and maintenance of a variety of hand and power tools. This paper presents the curricula, lessons learned, and assessment using student and faculty feedback of educational impact and motivation, and retention data, which showed significant improvement at both schools.

Authors

Mr. Daniel Brahan US Coast Guard Academy [biography]

CDR Dan Brahan joined the Coast Guard Academy staff in 2020. Previously, he served as the Chief of the Port State Control Branch at Sector Los Angeles – Long Beach from 2018 to 2020. In this role, he led a staff of 22 civilians, officers, and enlisted to complete over 900 safety and security exams of foreign vessels calling upon the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Before fulfilling this role, he served as a vessel inspector at Sector LA – LB, inspecting U.S. small passenger vessels and foreign vessels from 2016 to 2018.

Prior to his assignment at Sector Los Angeles – Long Beach, LCDR Brahan served as a Staff Naval Architect at the Marine Safety Center from 2013-2016. In this assignment, he reviewed general arrangements, structures, stability, and structural fire protection plans and calculations for floating production platforms, offshore supply vessels, and barges. As a collateral duty, he served as a duty officer on the Salvage Engineering Response Team (SERT) working on over 50 salvage cases and deploying on three separate cases.

He served as a Student Engineer onboard USCGC TAMPA (WMEC 902) from 2008-2011, and is a 2008 graduate of Officer Candidate School.
Dr. Thomas W. Denucci United States Coast Guard Academy [biography]

Thomas DeNucci is an Assistant Professor of Ship Design at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT. He holds a PhD in Ship Design from the Technical University of Delft, Delft, the Netherlands. His research interest include ship design and optimization tools and fishing vessel stability.
Dr. Jaye Falls United States Naval Academy [biography]

JAYE FALLS is a faculty member in the Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Program at the USNA and received a B.S. in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from Webb Institute in 1995 and an S.M. in Ocean Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1997. She completed a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland at College Park. Her research focus is on coupled aero-hydrodynamics of vehicle systems and novel vessel design.
Dr. Paul H. Miller, P.E. United States Coast Guard Academy [biography]

PAUL H. MILLER is a Professor in the Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Department at the USCGA and received a B. S. M. E. from Tufts University in 1985 and a M. E. in Ocean Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology in 1987. From 1987 to 1999 he worked in shipyards and design offices while attending the University of California at Berkeley part time and earning a M. E. in Naval Architecture and a D. Eng. in Civil Engineering. He is a licensed P.E. in Maryland and a Fellow in RINA and SNAME. His research includes marine composites and micro-autonomous surface vessels.
Peter A. Sousa United States Coast Guard Academy [biography]

Engineering Lab Technician in the School of Engineering and Cyber Systems at the United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA). After serving as a Machinery Technician in the United States Coast Guard I worked for a top-end yacht service company before joining the USCGA. My area of expertise include fabrication in metals, wood and composites, and operation of a variety of CNC machines

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