Assessing Student Outcomes in an Engineering Design and Graphics Course

Authors

  • Ronald E. Barr The University of Texas at Austin
  • Thomas J. Krueger The University of Texas at Austin
  • Theodore A. Aanstoos The University of Texas at Austin

Abstract

The Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Texas at Austin has embarked on systemic educational reform throughout the curriculum.  Called PROCEED, for Project-Centered Education, this curriculum reform is an attempt to bring real-world projects into the classroom that underscore the need to learn fundamental principles while adding excitement and relevance to the experience.  The “Engineering Design and Graphics” course at the University of Texas is an integral part of PROCEED.  This freshman course emphasizes the development of a 3-D geometric computer model and application of this digital database to all phases of the design process.  The students make freehand sketches, build computer models, mate assemblies of parts, perform various analyses, create kinematics simulations, build rapid prototypes, and generate final design drawings.  An assessment of student outcomes in the course was conducted in the Fall 2002 semester using a series of self-reported learning surveys.  This paper depicts examples of class work that support these graphics learning activities and presents the results of these preliminary surveys, which universally showed a positive learning trend in the course.

Issue

Vol. 68 No. 1 (2004): Winter

Section

Feature Articles
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