Full Paper: Assessing Achievement of Course Objectives in an Introductory Engineering Design Course

Students in an introduction to engineering design course completed a survey to assess whether the course achieved the fulfillment of the main course objectives. These objectives were to develop the students' ability to work in teams, solve open-ended problems, understand the engineering profession and curriculum, and improve their communication skills. This introduction to engineering design course involves both a lecture and lab, and two main design projects throughout the semester. Students learn about the main course objectives in the course through lecture, and practice this knowledge in solving the design projects in lab. Each design project requires that the students work on multidisciplinary teams of four, and complete two reports within their teams to communicate their design results. The focus of this introduction to engineering design course was to prepare the students for their future academic and professional careers, and to provide the foundation needed for success on both of these future paths. The survey of the achievement of the course objectives was conducted at the end of six semesters over three academic years. The results for this survey were analyzed to assess if there have been significant changes in the feedback from the students on whether the course objectives were achieved over the six semesters, and to also examine which of the objectives received favorable feedback, and which ones are signaling a need for improvement. The course objectives of developing the ability to work in teams and understand the engineering profession and curriculum were found to be achieved by the students in the course. The course objectives of developing the ability to solve open-ended design problems and improve their communication skills were still found to be achieved, but to a lesser degree and needing improvement. Overall, there was not much change in the results over the six semesters, with the students each semester providing a similar assessment of the course objectives.