Search

Background: Undergraduate students in engineering mostly encounter problems that have unique solutions and are well defined. In their professional life they are most likely to encounter problems that are ill-structured. Hence, in AME4163 Principles of Engineering Design, we strive to provide an opportunity for students to learn and internalize the principles of design and to develop competencies to help them succeed in their careers. Salient features of AME4163 include an authentic, immersive experience and scaffolding of learning via structured assignments and lectures. Purpose: In this paper we focus on the development of competencies by students using an authentic, immersive experience. The course is scaffolded and explicitly focuses on student learning and development of competencies throughout the semester. In this paper we track change- over-time of development of student competencies, specifically related to team, communication, and design process, for a better understanding of the effects of assignments on development of competencies. Method: An instrument was developed and administered to the students in the course for self- reported evaluation of competencies. After each assignment a survey was given to the students to express their understanding of the new tools and concepts, and development of related competencies. Some of the items of the instrument were modified to reflect the assignments. In this paper we focus on the results of the competencies. Results: The data gathered through the instrument indicate that self-reported level of developed competencies fluctuated throughout the semester. Senior students in mechanical engineering in AME 4163, in most instances, perceived to have well-developed competencies from the beginning of the semester. A positive influence was found on competencies related to the design process. Competencies related to managing a team and communication stay steady or show a decline. These are areas that indicate the need for improvement in the course. Conclusions: Data driven analysis provides us with the information we need to continuously improve the course. In the areas where students have indicated an improvement of competence the course was effective. For the areas where the students showed no improvement we recognize the need to modify the course and in the last section we have identified possibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A structured approach using surveys was implemented within the boundaries of an undergraduate design course to track progressively the changing student self-perceptions of competence during a semester long design activity. Using self-evaluation, the students were asked to reflect and articulate upon their own competency levels while being led through an ill structured system design, build and test experience. The subject course sits in the final year of a mechanical engineering undergraduate degree and has its focus on learning the principles of design in the context of the project which is a precursor to undertaking an industry sponsored capstone project. The hypothesis was that students would recognize their competencies developing through team-based and self-learning activities. The desire to understand students' awareness of their own learning and development is foundational / fundamental. Hence, the research questions are: (i) How do students perceive their competence while executing a design project? and, (ii) How does the perception of a set of competencies develop in design courses? Presented in the paper is a list of competencies targeted for the course, a description of the course and a summary of some of the survey findings. Through better understanding and calibrating student perspectives, it follows that course design can be modified to better achieve course goals - a growth in competence. It was observed that students have emphatically shown that they have perceived increases in their competency level in a course but that they build their perceptions in phases: (i) an initial estimation based on performance in prior courses, (ii) calibration of their perceptions (often down) through the early formative feedback in the subject course and (iii) recovery and increase in perceived competence through greater awareness, reflection and experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]