Enhancing engineering competencies through Outcome-based Education: A mixed-methods study in an intelligent control course

Bridging the gap between theory and practice remains a persistent challenge in engineering education, especially in complex, algorithm-heavy courses like intelligent control. In such contexts, students often know the abstract concepts but struggle to turn them into workable engineering solutions. Outcome-Based Education (OBE), which focuses on what students can do, offers a promising way forward. However, detailed evidence on how well OBE works at the individual course level in technically demanding fields is still limited. In this quasi-experimental, mixed-methods study, we redesigned an undergraduate intelligent control course around OBE principles, using constructive alignment together with project-based and case-based learning. We compared an intervention cohort (n = 97) with a historical control cohort (n = 89) who had taken the same course the previous year under traditional lectures. Quantitative results from pre- and post-course surveys, exams, and project scores showed meaningful gains for the intervention group across several areas: learning engagement (t = 9.87, p < .001, d = 1.28), practical application skills (t = 13.21, p < .001, d = 1.73), innovation abilities (t = 12.88, p < .001, d = 1.68), final exam scores (84.2 vs. 76.5, p < .001, d = 0.89), and perceived career relevance (t = 11.34, p < .001, d = 1.62). Student feedback further suggested that hands-on projects and regular feedback helped make abstract theories feel concrete and connected to real engineering work. Because we used a historical control group and changed several instructional elements simultaneously, these findings point to a strong positive association rather than definitive cause and effect. Even so, they suggest that a thoughtfully implemented, constructively aligned OBE reform can help build key competencies and bridge theory and practice in advanced science, technology, engineering, and mathematics courses.