Considering Life Cycle During Design: A Longitudinal Study Of Engineering Undergraduates

Implications of Findings The findings from this study provide a baseline assessment of how broadly engineering undergraduates approach design with respect to life cycle considerations. Our assessment suggests that there is a great deal of room for improvement in this regard, justifying the increasing interest in courses and curricula concerning life cycle and other sustainability-related topics for all engineering students. This study also highlights the utility of life cycle as a framework for assessing and facilitating the development of student ability to approach design with a broader perspective. In particular, the use of life cycle in assessment shows promise in research like ours and is likely to be equally applicable to formative goals in design courses and curricula.