Enhancing the Industrial and Systems Engineering Capstone Design Course through a Collaborative Approach

This paper explores the current strengths and challenges of an Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) senior capstone design course in an ABET-accredited program. We aim to propose changes to improve the course through collaborative discussions with the course instructor. The major contribution of this consultation work is that—by leveraging the educational expertise in the field of engineering education research—it serves as a promising testament to the transformative potential of collaboration efforts in driving educational excellence in course design, delivery, and assessment of a senior capstone design course in a traditional engineering department. Consultations with the Capstone course instructor uncovered some gaps. In particular, we propose the inclusion of learning outcomes that focus on Fink’s Taxonomy of Significant Learning dimensions that have not been sufficiently addressed in the current version of the course to extend beyond the cognitive domain to encompass social and emotional aspects of learning, namely the Human Dimension, Caring, and Learning How to Learn. Recommendations were shared with the Capstone design instructor for potential future implementation through the engineering education faculty overseeing the engineering course improvement initiative.