Projects

A common project assignment in engineering courses is a complete design project, from defining the problem through presentation of the design . A complete design project requires students to simultaneously focus on project-management tasks, design-process tasks, and business-related tasks. A complete design project is an authentic task in engineering, yet that can overwhelm students. An alternative is to assign parts or sub-tasks of a complete project to better focus students' attention on particularly difficult sub-tasks.

Ideas for Learning Tasks (i.e., Assignments) that Support Assessment

    • Types of design project

        • "Clean sheet" design OR redesign

        • Product design AND/OR process design

        • Hardware design AND/OR software design

        • Individual work OR teamwork

    • Possible formats for student work

    • Sub-tasks in design (assign one or more of the following)

        • Define the problem, including gathering information

        • Write specifications and requirements for detailed design

        • Generate alternatives using a process of synthesis & creativity

        • Develop selection criteria

        • Evaluate design alternatives, based on criteria

        • Select a design concept for further development

        • Write a test plan for prototypes

        • Plan the manufacturing process

        • Make dimensioned drawings

        • Select materials

        • Make fully documented calculations, where necessary

        • Make a prototype product or process

        • Present a concept or detailed design to stakeholders

    • Sub-tasks in project work (assign one or more of the following)

        • Write a plan for the tasks involved in conducting the project

        • Create a schedule with task assignments for the project

        • Make a budget for the project, providing rationale

    • Sub-tasks in the business aspects of design (assign one or more of the following)

        • Assess market requirements, including key features and target selling price

        • Write a business plan, including initial investment (development costs), pricing, and return on investment

Making Scoring/Grading Useful for Assessment