Engineering Graphics Concepts: A Delphi Study

The Delphi technique is a consensus building, forecasting technique conducted via mail or Internet with a selected panel of experts, and in 2010 the authors were awarded a National Science Foundation grant to conduct a Delphi study to define the fundamental concepts of engineering graphics. The concepts determined through this study will be used to develop an Engineering Graphics Concept Inventory. A concept inventory is an instrument that can help faculty identify the concepts that their students do not understand and decide which misconceptions are the most prevalent. It can be used to help define important fundamental topics for instruction and learning. The Delphi technique typically encourages panelists to include comments as they make their ratings resulting in a rich written conversation about choices made, possible options, and changes that might be made in future rounds. The conversation, which is shared with all the participants, can help shape decisions made by other participants. This paper will focus on the results of the engineering graphics Delphi study that included graphic experts from universities, community colleges, high schools, and industry.