Methods For Assessing The Impact Of A Design Course On Selected Student Traits

This paper describes the development of a pilot study to determine the impact of a Capstone Design Course on selected student traits (problem solving, critical thinking, initiative, and transfer) identified by business and industry as necessary for success. Included are a review of the literature, a statement of the research question, the design and methodology of the study, procedures for the study, methods for data analysis, and a summary. The Capstone Design course is a requirement for every Engineering Technology student. The researchers’ goal is to determine whether this course enhances, and to what level, the traits. The researchers use four pre-tests at the beginning of the two-semester Capstone Design course and four post-tests at the end of the Capstone Design course to measure enhancement of the traits. These tests form the basis for pilot test assessment of these traits and will become the foundation for future research conducted within the Schools of Engineering & Technology, Education, and Business. Since these four traits, or qualities, are applicable to all areas of successful job placement and job performance, the post-assessment data, which can be thought of as a summative evaluation, of the students’ growth will yield a formative evaluation of the merits of the Engineering Technology program. After the students are made aware of their individual growth in these traits they will be given an open ended survey to give their opinion on why they made progress. Researchers from the Schools of Education and Business administer the tests to maintain confidentiality of student responses until after the completion of the courses. The objective of the research is to determine which elements of the design course experience have the greatest impact on these traits. Aspects of knowledge important to the enrichment of engineering and engineering technology students include problem solving, critical thinking, initiative, and the transfer of knowledge and skills from introductory instruction to working applications. While information and insights into students’ learning in other disciplines should not be discounted, research that is done with students working toward different degrees and/or problems not specific to engineering students and engineering problems is not well understood (Turns, Atman, Adams, and Barker, 2005) 12 . Insights into engineering students’ learning inherently need to stem directly from experience in course contexts for maximum applicability to success in the job market.