Assessment of Student Learning Attitudes toward CDIO-Based Course Design: A Case Study in Taiwan

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the application of "Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate" (CDIO) approach in the construction and engineering colleges in a private university in central Taiwan. The study wants to investigate students' creative thinking ability, problem-solving ability and their attitudes toward this "learning by doing" method. Students from the construction and engineering colleges were chosen to form interdisciplinary teams, and took interdisciplinary required courses, which are aimed to help students discover questions and find solutions through the process of stimulating students' imagination. After the courses, a 32-item questionnaire on a Likert scale was given to 150 students in both colleges to measure their learning attitude toward the CDIO-based courses. The results showed that students are more engaged and motivated in the courses, and they learn how to integrate feedback from their peers. Overall, students have positive attitudes toward the CDIO-based program and they are willing to take more relevant courses in the future.