2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Work in Progress: Increasing motivation in large design courses through a scalable and unique project structure using collaborative competitions

Presented at Design in Engineering Education Division (DEED) Postcard Technical Session

Facilitating learning in introductory engineering design is easier and more effective when students are intrinsically motivated to strive for the best outcomes, have a low-stakes, but compelling, design challenge from an authentic client, and supportive teams and peers. Implementing these aspects at scale in large departments presents logistical difficulties.

Two years ago, in our large engineering “Introduction to Capstone Design” course (approximately 200 students), we restructured our design challenge to better balance these motivation and implementation challenges using a common design prompt paired with several real-world “clients”, each with distinct needs. This structure enabled meaningful peer design reviews within studio sections, a friendly competition between teams working with the same client, and a manageable way of supporting the design projects with infrastructure and mentorship.

To strengthen students’ engagement and user-centered design skills, each team identified additional requirements through recorded client interviews and progressed through a sequence of milestone design reviews. We report on early outcomes from two consecutive course offerings, drawing on course evaluations, mid-quarter feedback, and post-capstone surveys. Preliminary results suggest improvements in student motivation, perceived preparedness for capstone, and overall course satisfaction. We discuss implementation details, the generalizability of the approach, and opportunities for additional systematic evaluation.

Authors

Prof. Eli Patten http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7563-6925 University of Washington [biography]

Dr. Patten received his B.S. in mechanical engineering at Washington State University and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at UC Berkeley, where he studied the wear of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene as used in joint replacements. At Berkeley, he was a graduate student instructor for several courses, covering various topics, styles, sizes, and class levels. After completing his PhD, he joined Makani Power, leading the design and development of the electromechanical tether for a wind energy kite and was an inventor on over a dozen patents. In 2020, he joined the Mechanical Engineering department at the University of Washington as an Assistant Teaching Professor, where he co-leads the capstone design program and co-teaches the senior-level design sequence.
Sirine Maalej University of Washington
Mia E Hoffman http://orcid.org/https://0000-0001-5836-5836 University of Washington
Dr. Mohammad Sayem Bin Abdullah http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8559-0211 University of Washington [biography]

Sayem received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington-Seattle, where he taught capstone design, materials and manufacturing courses. Currently, Sayem is employed at the Boeing Company as a Manufacturing Engineer.
Mahsa Shabani University of Washington
Dr. Renee M. Desing http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4052-2423 University of Washington [biography]

Dr. Renee Desing is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Washington. Her research interests include diversity, equity, and inclusion in the engineering classrooms and workplaces. Dr. Desing graduated from Ohio State with her Ph.D. in Engineering Education, and also holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a M.S. in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from the Pennsylvania State University.

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