2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Interactive learning has been proven to increase students’ retention, interests, way of thinking and job placement. Different methods are followed to achieve interactive learning environments in classroom including group assignments, in-class discussion or online threaded discussions, small projects and semester or year-long projects. Teachers and academic institutions face many challenges when implementing such methods in different courses at different levels. On one hand, challenges arise in securing funding, to mentoring, to identifying industrial partners and selecting proper projects. On the other hand, meeting college learning outcomes and ABET Student Outcomes when applying such tools in classes can pose real challenges if projects and activities are not properly designed to address each outcome. Capstone projects performed by senior year students offer a rich environment to apply concepts where students may apply concepts and knowledge gained throughout their college experience.
This paper examines project-based learning (PBL) implementation in a capstone project course sequence in the School of Engineering Technology at XXX University. The course structure is designed to motivate students and engage them throughout a two-semester long project. Various sources were identified to select proper topics for the different teams. These sources include partners from industry, community foundations, local authorities and companies. Other sources could be research topics with professors in the same institute or other research laboratories. The projects are designed with six milestone deliverables (called “Gates”) throughout the two-semester course. Key elements include high level educational goals for capstone including brainstorming, a marketing survey, design specifications, system development and testing.
The design and implementation of the projects focus on learning processes where students can apply knowledge and techniques, design systems, improve written and oral communication skills while working in a team-oriented environment. These skills are used to demonstrate achievement of ABET Student Outcomes using rubrics designed to assess each Gate. This paper presents the techniques used to evaluate and assess the ABET Student Outcomes using capstone projects.