Examining the Effectiveness of Software Strategies and Student Perceptions of Software in Building-Centered Capstones

A vital component of undergraduate engineering education is the capstone experience. Many modern capstone projects require students—individually or in teams—to apply both previously acquired and newly developed technical knowledge to their projects that vary in the degree of industry realism. Current literature on capstone practices covers topics such as team formation, group dynamics, and project scope definition, to name several. However, despite the growing use of advanced technology and software in the building design industry, limited research addresses the integration and impact of such software in capstone courses. This paper presents trends observed in how multidisciplinary architectural engineering teams collaborated, integrated, and technically designed building systems over a yearlong capstone course using multiple industry-grade software tools. Discussions within the paper show that software can support nontechnical aspects of teamwork, enhance project integration, and be incorporated into course assignments. Findings suggest that when collaboration, communication, and project management technologies are integrated into workflows, student teams are capable of producing cohesive and integrated design solutions. Student perceptions of the software tools were also evaluated, and the results indicated positive perceptions aligned with observed outcomes. Notably, no statistically significant differences were found in performance outcomes across cohorts. This lack of statistical significance may be interpreted positively, as it suggests that software adoption did not disproportionately advantage or disadvantage any particular group.