2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Reverse Engineering the Pre-Capstone Experience: A Practice-Oriented Model for Industry-Relevant Engineering Education

Presented at Mechanical Engineering (MECH) Session 4: Capstone Design and Project-Based Learning

Engineering education often struggles to bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world engineering practice. In this work, we present a reverse-engineered redesign of a pre-capstone mechanical engineering course, guided by feedback from alumni and industry partners. The goal was to align course outcomes with professional expectations to better prepare students for professional engineering practice.
The redesign focused on aligning course structure, assignments, and evaluation methods with authentic engineering workflows. Traditional written reports were replaced with oral and poster presentations, that mirror design reviews commonly used in professional settings. These changes encouraged students to articulate their design rationale, defend decisions in real time, and collaborate effectively across teams—skills essential for engineering communication and teamwork. In addition, a phase-gated project structure was introduced to promote iterative design and accountability. Each stage required students to justify key design choices before progressing, fostering ownership and responsibility.
To support this transformation, a Lean Engineering module was incorporated to introduce foundational principles such as continuous improvement, waste reduction, Kanban, and the Andon system. These concepts were directly connected to prototype development and process optimization, offering students with practical tools to guide decision-making.
Preliminary outcomes indicate that students demonstrated stronger engagement, deeper understanding of design trade-offs, and improved confidence in presenting technical work. This course redesign illustrates how rethinking assessment strategies—supported by industrial practices and lean principles—can cultivate student ownership and bridge the gap between academic learning and engineering practice.

Authors

Dr. Christopher Dalton The University of Oklahoma [biography]

Dr. Christopher Dalton is an associate professor of practice at the University of Oklahoma's School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. He is the coordinator for the mechanical engineering capstone program and has taught more than a dozen different courses during his time at OU.
Subah Mubassira University of Oklahoma
Daniel Vargas http://orcid.org/https://0009-0000-2877-847X The University of Oklahoma [biography]

Daniel Vargas is a PhD student at the University of Oklahoma’s School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. His work focuses on control systems engineering and educational outreach. He has contributed to academic course development and has a background in engineering education.
Rupa Haldavnekar University of Oklahoma [biography]

Dr. Rupa Haldavnekar has received PhD in Biomedical engineering from Toronto metropolitan University. She did her postdoctoral fellowship at Micheal Smith laboratory, University of British Columbia prior to starting her academic journey at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She also holds Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering and Master of Business Administration degrees.
Dr. Haldavnekar’s research focuses on developing innovative technologies for early cancer diagnosis, biomarker discovery, and real-time treatment monitoring. Her work integrates nanotechnology, Raman and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), and machine learning to create highly sensitive, data-driven liquid biopsy platforms for noninvasive disease detection.
Dr. Haldavnekar collaborates with a multidisciplinary team of researchers, engineers, and clinicians to design rapid and scalable diagnostic tools that can improve cancer detection and patient monitoring. Her research bridges engineering, nanomaterials, and biomedical sciences, with expertise spanning Raman spectroscopy, SERS-based sensing, and machine learning analysis of liquid biopsy biomarkers.
In addition to her research, Dr. Haldavnekar is a dedicated mentor who actively supports the development of early-career scientists. She fosters a collaborative research environment that encourages curiosity, creativity, and interdisciplinary problem-solving to address complex challenges in healthcare.

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