Engineering Design Education: Assessing Student Learning in Cornerstone Through Capstone Programs

Abstract This paper presents a “call to arms” for reconsidering how students’ engineering design learning and skill development are assessed, shifting from a traditional summative assessment to structured, repetitive formative assessment. Students are expected to have developed 21st Century Skills, engineering skills, and design skills by the time that they matriculate through the undergraduate program. These skills are often overlapping and are recognized by faculty as critical and central to student development. However, many of these skills are not directly evaluated and the formative feedback that students need to develop these skills is often lacking. This paper presents an elaboration on these skills, various means of assessment that are common through engineering design curricula, and then a review of different design education approaches used in several mechanical and general engineering programs. The three general phases of an undergraduate students career are detailed with respect to how design is integrated into the first year programs, mid-program, and capstone programs. Finally, a set of recommendations are provided to start the conversation at different institutions. These recommendations are not intended to be the final solution, but can be considered early prototypes that can be refined and edited for the unique needs of each different program. Ultimately, it is recommended that students be provided multiple engineering design project experiences where they are provided feedback and then can use the lessons learned in executing subsequent projects. It is critical that engineering design educators continue to reflect on their current practices, learning from others, and identifying opportunities for improvement, even if it might cause discomfort in a currently well run operation. The student learning should always be at the forefront of all decisions made in engineering design education.