Re-engineering knowledge: a case study in pluralist conceptual engineering

New technologies are the source of uncertainties about the applicability of moral and morally connotated concepts. These uncertainties sometimes call for conceptual engineering, but it is not often recognized when this is the case. We take this to be a missed opportunity, as a recognition that different researchers are working on the same kind of project can help solve methodological questions that one is likely to encounter. In this paper, we present three case studies where philosophers of technology implicitly engage in conceptual engineering (without naming it as such). We subsequently reflect on the case studies to find out how these illustrate conceptual engineering as an appropriate method to deal with pressing concerns in the philosophy of technology. We have two main goals. We first want to contribute to the literature on conceptual engineering by presenting concrete examples of conceptual engineering in the philosophy of technology. This is especially relevant, because the technologies that are designed based on the conceptual work done by philosophers of technology potentially have crucial moral and social implications. Secondly, we want to make explicit what choices are made when doing this conceptual work. Making explicit that some of the implicit assumptions are, in fact, debated in the literature allows for reflection on these questions. Ultimately, our hope is that conscious reflection leads to an improvement of the conceptual work done.

<div class="htmlview paragraph">The case study approach, as an educational tool, has achieved widespread use in a variety of disciplines. The case method affords several advantages over conventional and traditional lecture methods of education, but the degree of effectiveness of the case study approach varies considerably between different disciplines. Therefore, an interdisciplinary comparison of case study techniques may be of some value in improving the case study methods used in engineering studies.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">The most notable applications of case methods include the areas of business and management decision making, medicine, the social sciences, and engineering. The Harvard School of Business has established the pattern for business case studies. Much of today's accepted medical practice is based on “case studies.” Many significant sociological and psychological findings are based on case studies, while engineering case studies can be applied to achieve a wide variety of objectives including creativity in design, technical feasibility, etc. The analysis of the case study historically applied in each discipline reveals certain characteristics which seem to be unique to each area of case study application. Interdisciplinary comparison also reveals basic differences in case study techniques. Some of these differences lie in the nature of the discipline itself, while some are based upon extraneous causes which are completely unrelated to the area of study.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">On the basis of the interdisciplinary analysis and comparison, certain conclusions may be drawn regarding the effectiveness of the engineering case study. The evidence seems to indicate that there is far more potential for improvement in the engineering case study than in the other areas considered. The basic recommendation resulting from the comparison of case study methods is that engineering educators incorporate more case studies into their courses. Engineering educators should also integrate into their case studies as many as possible of the characteristics of successfully proven case study techniques used in other disciplines.</div>

Conceptual engineering provides a prima facie attractive alternative to traditional, conceptual analysis based approaches to philosophical method – particularly for those with doubts about the epistemic merits of intuition. As such, it seems to be a natural fit for those persuaded by the critiques of intuition offered by experimental philosophy. Recently, a number of authors [Schupbach, J. 2015. “Experimental Explication.” Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 94 (3): 672–710; Shepherd, J., and J. Justus. 2015. “X-Phi and Carnapian Explication.” Erkenntnis 80 (2): 381–402; Fisher, J. 2015. “Pragmatic Experimental Philosophy.” Philosophical Psychology 28: 412–433; Machery, E. 2017. Philosophy Within its Proper Bounds. Oxford University Press] have suggested that experimental philosophy might be employed in service of conceptual engineering. In this paper, I provide a novel argument for x-phi’s relevance to conceptual engineering, based on a ‘functionalist’ approach to conceptual engineering. In short, I argue that experimental philosophy is distinctively well-suited to investigation of the purposes or functions which our concepts serve, and the means by which they fulfil (or fail to fulfil) those functions. Experimental philosophy thereby uncovers potential engineering solutions that may serve as models for the conceptual engineer.

Engineering education traditionally relies on analytical methods and theoretical instruction, often lacking practical, hands-on learning experiences due to logistical and financial constraints. This study explores a novel approach that integrates Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations with experimental and analytical methods through structured case studies. By leveraging Ansys software, this initiative aims to bridge the gap between theory and application, enhancing students’ understanding of fundamental engineering principles. The study involved a series of multi-day workshops at the University of Waterloo, engaging approximately 500 students from diverse engineering disciplines. These workshops incorporated analytical problem-solving, hands-on experimentation, and simulation-based validation. Case studies in structural mechanics, thermodynamics, and electromagnetics reinforced key engineering concepts across multiple disciplines. This study presents affective feedback from over 100 students across multiple disciplines who engaged in simulation-integrated workshops, evaluating their engagement, perceived relevance, and confidence in applying engineering concepts. Preliminary results indicate that integrating simulation-driven case studies enhances student comprehension and problem-solving skills. Workshop participants reported increased confidence in applying theoretical knowledge to real-world scenarios, recognizing the importance of correlating analytical and experimental data with simulation outputs. Combining case studies with industry-standard software, students develop a more intuitive grasp of complex engineering systems, better preparing them for both academic and professional challenges. Future work will focus on expanding this methodology across additional engineering curricula, refining assessment techniques, and further embedding simulation-based learning into undergraduate education.

The last decade has seen an explosion of meta-philosophical work on conceptual engineering. Beyond simple analysis of concepts, conceptual engineering allows for evaluation and improvement of concepts accord- ing to the purposes for which they will be used. This paper sketches a pluralist account of conceptual engineering and provides a distinction between two different and often conflicting kinds of conceptual engineer- ing: naturalist conceptual engineering (NCE) and moral conceptual en- gineering (MCE), distinguished not by their methods, but by their roles, functions, and purposes. Using the examples of health and animal wel- fare, we demonstrate the application of both MCE and NCE and show how the different contexts in which a concept is used can create con- flicting demands but also how concordance between these demands can strengthen a concept.

Without careful methodological guidance, case studies in software engineering are difficult to plan, design and execute. While there are a number of broad guidelines for case study research, there are none that specifically address the needs of a software engineer undertaking multiple case studies in an industrial setting. Through a synthesis of existing best practices in case study research, we provide a set of comprehensive guidelines for conducting multiple case studies in software engineering research. Our guidelines can assist software engineering researchers with all stages of multiple case study research, although in this paper we concentrate on the early phases, such as focusing the case study and detailed plan design. To date, three exploratory research projects found our guidelines very useful. We illustrate our guidelines with examples from one of these projects.

The Virtual Assembly Technology Consortium is a university/government/industry consortium that seeks to investigate the application of virtual assembly methods in mechanical system assembly processes. In this paper we report three categories of engineering case studies that have been developed by the consortium members over the past two years, describe the overall methodology, and then proceed to feature specific details of two key case studies. An engineering case study has been defined as an account of an engineering activity, event or problem containing some of the background and complexities actually encountered by an engineer, with the objective of providing a medium for learning. The objective of the case studies was to assist consortium members in demonstrating and validating the use of immersive virtual assembly technologies and tools in the simulation of factory floor manufacturing processes. What is of special significance is that instead of modeling simplified problems or perceived representative situations, the case studies were constructed from actual assembly floor projects and situations encountered at industry member sites and with considerable participation from industry engineers and manufacturing shop floor personnel. Based on the success of the case studies, the consortium members inferred that virtual assembly methods are poised to move out of the realm of special projects and test scenarios to deployment in the actual design and manufacturing cycle. However, in order to be truly accepted in industry, there are still issues to be addressed in terms of ease of use, portability of the applications, and preparation of the models for the evaluations. Thus, the case studies added a new dimension to the exploration and understanding of how this new technology could be of practical value in industry.

Building information modeling (BIM) involves the use of collaborative digital mock-ups of an asset to streamline design, building, and operation processes. Collaborative work and the use of an integrated digital mock-up offers many advantages but raises several problems regarding the liability of stakeholders in construction projects. Practitioners involved in the design process of a building (engineers and architects) practice very high-liability professions for which the use of a digital mock-up implies potentially high stakes. Although liability issues have been identified in the literature as a hindrance to BIM implementation, practitioners’ concerns toward their liability have only barely been investigated. In this paper, we propose to explore engineers’ concerns about their liability toward using BIM collaborative digital mock-ups with a case study in civil engineering. We documented these concerns through an exploratory study consisting of semi-structured interviews. The main contribution of the paper is therefore an organized list of concerns. These include: the alignment between their way of working and professional rules, the clarity of the assignment of liabilities, and the reliability of the digital mock-up. These stem from a liability risk that practitioners perceive because of uncertainty about liability allocation and uncertainty regarding the reliability of digital mock-ups. Our research work is part of an overall effort to understand the problems faced by practitioners when implementing new practices associated with BIM and to provide solutions. The results are therefore extensively discussed in order to identify hypotheses and avenues of work to address the identified concerns. The specific context (engineers, in Quebec) and the exploratory nature of the study implies that the results are not generalizable to a wider population. However, the identified concerns may be likely to emerge in similar context like high-liability professions involved in design stages of BIM projects. This paper is a very first step toward identifying these concerns in the construction sector and must be subject to future work.

A dual purpose design is presented in this paper to face high gas presence and sand production conditions in petroleum wells with an Electric Submersible Pump (ESP) system installed. The results of this design's application in severely problematic wells, due to high gas and sand production, will confirm the importance of conditioning the fluid before it gets to the pump intake. This engineered design consists of different stages from the isolation of the pump intake until the tubing bodies in charge of gas and sand handling. Engineering concepts were applied in the construction of this solution such as gas re-solubilization, changes of pressure and velocity, agitation, and vortex effect to finally present a design that is capable of breaking gas slugs into smaller gas bubbles that can be produced by the ESP system without impacting its performance, and at the same time separating fine solid particles (<250 microns) using centrifugal forces. Case studies from wells located in the Permian basin will better explain the positive impact of selecting a proper downhole conditioning system to improve the ESP systems efficiency. A drastic improvement on the sensor parameters will also illustrate the effect of handling the gas and sand before the pump intake, which also leads to one of the most important consequences: A decrease in the number of shutdowns, which in turn decreases non-productive time, resulting in positive impact of fluid production. Additionally, the flexibility of this design is significant, since it allows it to be installed in a wide range of fluid production, gas-liquid ratio, tubing and casing sizes. The novelty of this new design is the addition of the surge valve below the packer, which accomplishes multiple purposes: to avoid surging in the well, to allow testing the packer to assure it is properly set, and finally, allow chemical injection below the packer.

The current approaches to the software engineering education fall short to fulfill the industry demand for quality software engineering. A constant need to create and imbibe more effective learning environments is growing in order to manage this demand. This paper discusses the learning disabilities possessed by both the conventional and the non-conventional approaches for teaching software engineering. We propose that case studies can be used as effective teaching mediums and a case study centric learning environment can address these learning disabilities. A case study approach can help the students to gain and retain realistic exposure to concepts of software engineering as they are applied in the real world, and the students of today can be groomed as excellent professionals who have experienced the intricacies and complexities of the real world as well as tried their hands to manage these complexities.

This chapter presents several examples of practical applications of the ranking aggregation problem in the field of Engineering, mainly in the context of design, development, and evaluation of the quality/reliability of products, services, and manufacturing processes.These examples prove (1) the diffusion of the ranking aggregation problem within the Engineering field and (2) the great flexibility/adaptability of the aggregation techniques previously shown in this book (e.g., BC, EYA, and ZMII) to the most varied practical contexts.

Towards Inclusive Excellence: A Case Study in Engineering

This paper summarizes a two-part curriculum reform that is well underway in the University of Michigan Engineering Department. The first part of the reform was developed by a college-wide task force, and addressed the overall structure of the thi r teen Bachelor's of Science in Engineering (BSE) programs across the College, and the courses that are common to all of the engineering curricula. The second part of the reform was developed inside the Engineering department, and addressed the portion of the curriculum unique to Aerospace, as well as how the department chose to implement the recommendations of the college-wide effort. The primary elements of the reform are: • The adoption of a four-credit per course/four course per semester/eight semesters to graduation (4 X 4 X 8) model. • One engineering course each semester of the freshman year — the first an introduction to engineering; the second an introduction to computers and computing. • Enhanced flexibility for students to tailor their senior years to address specific career goals. • The implementation of implicit curricula!' threads (i.e. coverage of topics via coordinated portions of courses throughout the four-year program, as opposed to coverage in a separate course). — wr i t t en , oral and visual technical communications; — engineering problem solving through computing; — engineering ethics; — teamwork and team leadership; — randomness and uncertainty; — environmental impacts and issues. • Increased use of teamwork in courses: five of the ten required courses inside the department are to be based on team projects and team grades. • A two-semester seminar sequence, covering current topics in aerospace and case studies in engineering. • A two-semester design sequence. Development of the outlines and supporting materials, including educational software modules, for new and modified courses is now underway. First-year s tudents entering in Fall 1997, the graduating class of 2001, will go through the new curriculum. ' A n onl ine version of this paper can be accessed on the Department home page [1] Aerospace Engineer ing Department ''Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs ' ' V i s i t i n g Faculty Member, Supported by the Boeing Fellow-on-Campus Program 1 The College-Wide Curriculum 2000 Effort 1.

Introducing Generative AI in Higher Education: Two Case Studies in Engineering and Humanities Disciplines

The purpose of this paper is to document the experience of introducing and delivering enterprise education into vocational disciplines at Heriot-Watt University, with a key objective being to provide a model that other institutions may find useful. It describes the various and important reasons for the inclusion of enterprise in these disciplines, not least of which are the requirements of professional vocational institutes, brought about by changes in the economic infrastructure nationally and globally. Essentially, to maintain competitiveness within existing and emerging vocational industries, enterprise is increasingly regarded as an essential element of the professional. This paper documents how enterprise education has been 'embedded' within core vocational degrees, and uses the case study of the various Engineering disciplines taught at Heriot-Watt University to illustrate how this has been achieved. This paper details the effective incorporation of enterprise via both horizontal and vertical integration with core vocational subject material. This integration is argued in the paper to best prepare the vocational graduate for the realities of a career in his/her future profession within the current economic circumstances.