Pros and cons of laboratory methods used in engineering education

Abstract

Laboratory activities are the most critical part of an engineering education as most students learn by experimenting, observing, and writing reports. Laboratory activities are commonly implemented in curricula using several different instructional methods: the cookbook, design-based, and proposal-based. In the cookbook method, students are provided step-by-step instructions and are required to prototype, experiment, observe, and draw conclusions based on their observations. In the design-based method, students are only provided specifications and must create their own instructions to accomplish the design. In the proposal-based approach, students are required to propose an idea for a project, create their own instruction, and develop experiments to test their design. In this paper, the pros and cons of each method are discussed. To support the discussion, a survey was conducted using two sections of a design-oriented course as a means for observation. Students enrolled in this course were exposed to each method and their feedback was collected via the survey.