Capstone Prepares Engineers for the Real World, Right? ABET Outcomes and Student Perceptions

Abstract

Abstract Capstone design is expected to tie together several components of a student’s engineering degree program, provide valuable skills for the student’s transition to real-world employment, and in the process satisfy a large number of the program’s ABET requirements. Typical capstone course objectives reflect this ambitious set of requirements, and student outcomes can be aligned with these objectives. This work addresses the links among course objectives, what students think they learned in capstone, and the competencies reflected in their final work. This analysis contributes to the assessment of how capstone prepares students for their careers. The objectives of Unnamed University’s Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (IE) Capstone Design course map strongly to the new ABET student outcomes. The students’ progress in meeting those objectives was evaluated from multiple perspectives. Faculty advisor evaluations assessed technical problem-solving success, a validated tool judged the completeness of the prototype solution and validation testing, and a systematic examination of capstone teams’ final reports evaluated application and synthesis of knowledge obtained earlier in the curriculum. Additionally, students were asked individually to reflect on and outline the skills and competencies they learned as well as the characteristics they discovered about themselves during their capstone experience. Twenty capstone teams of 4-5 students from the Spring 2018 semester were surveyed. Prototype/project completeness scores indicated that 80% of the teams demonstrated a high ability to solve engineering problems and create design solutions. The assessment of skills from earlier in the curriculum showed that teams typically applied from 17-52% of learning objectives of their previous core courses. The student reflections showed an interesting disconnect: When asked what they learned in through the capstone experience, open-response answers focused on specific technical skills, along with project management; when asked what they learned about themselves, they mentioned communication, teamwork, and personal development skills such as time management, perseverance, and tolerance for ambiguity. Students rarely, if ever, mentioned problem solving, design, experimentation, or typical IE skills as things they learned or developed during the capstone. This study demonstrates a number of ways that student success in meeting course and ABET objectives can be measured. It also illustrates gaps in the measurement of student achievement, and a notable disconnect between the students’ perceptions of what they learned and the desired learning outcomes. Finally, evidence suggests that students do recognize having gained competencies and characteristics that will translate to real-world success.

Topics & Concepts