2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This Evidence-Based Practice work presents an innovative approach to grading Computer Aided Design (CAD) parts in engineering education through the development of an Automated Grading Platform (AGP). The platform helps educators overcome challenges in teaching engineering graphics, particularly in effectively conveying design knowledge through the creation of many parts and the application of engineering graphics standards. Thus, while practice and collaboration are essential for achieving a high level of competency, the question remains: How can educators accurately grade and check a large number of parts while providing timely feedback to each student?
AGP is designed to provide immediate feedback to students at any instant within the assignment time window. It rejects any parts that don’t meet the required threshold set by the instructor. The flexibility of the system allows a conducive learning environment where students are encouraged to take risks, make mistakes, and build critical thinking skills, all in an effort to creatively discover an appropriate solution and engage with the instructor and peers.
AGP allows the instructor to be freed from routine manual grading of part files and to focus more on discussing design strategies and supporting students in course material. In addition, AGP is safe and suitable for remote learning as students can submit parts from anywhere using Virtual Private Network. AGP not only allows for the real-time effective grading of Mechanical parts but it counteracts plagiarism due to duplicate parts. The plagiarism feature is necessary to validate an effective grading system.
AGP was implemented for several semesters in the “Engineering Design Methods” course for undergraduate students in the Mechanical Engineering program. The platform shows a positive impact in student learning outcomes and fostered a more interactive and formative learning environment through surveys, performance metrics, and instructor feedback. AGP introduces an enhanced approach to teaching engineering graphics. In the future, we plan to expand beyond part grading to include assembly evaluation features.