Sixteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

Design education forms a core part of the engineering learning experience. For many engineering education programs, the senior design capstone project is the platform to convey the importance of design approaches and associated skillsets to the students. This study used empirical research to examine the importance of helping students identify and learn valuable design aspects at the freshman level. An 8-week course titled ‘Design Thinking’ with 17 students was a part of the study. Students learned about concepts ranging from problem identification to concept testing. These learning outcomes were tested by having students work in teams for three projects seeking innovative design solutions. Assessment of student performance and course survey indicates strong learning experience and greater interest in learning engineering concepts.