Olin College maintains a strong emphasis on practically grounded education, teaching not only the concepts but also connecting them to real-world challenges and projects. During their first year at Olin, students receive training in Olin's machine shop for project-based work. First-year students are required to take "Design Nature," a class that teaches design tools and processes. In this class, students design and build mechanical toys based on biological systems (such as the click beetle's jumping mechanism). Projects often take a "do-learn" approach, with the application of concepts being taught before the formal introduction of the underlying theory.

I have not only taken this course, but also have been a teaching assistant, instructing first-year students in the mechanics of the actuated insects and animals through the design and prototype process including SolidWorks.

Design Nature in the IEEE Spectrum: http://spectrum.ieee.org/may06/3432