SURVEY-BASED ASSESSMENT OF DESIGN SKILL DEVELOPMENT IN ENGINEERING PROJECT COURSES

Abstract

A pilot of a paper-based assessment tool of design skill is presented. The tool is used to assess the development of skills before and after a first year design experience, and before and after a third year multidisciplinary course in design tools and methodology. The tool is an open-ended survey that may be administered quickly and assessed using a simple rubric. Significant improvements were found over the term of the first year course in the areas of problem definition and testing; improvements were observed in the categories of Conceptual Design, Preliminary Design, and Detailed Design in the third year course. Ideas for future improvement are discussed.