Conference Session

Potpourri

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rachelle Reisberg, Northeastern University; Amanda Funai, University of Michigan; Bala Maheswaran, Northeastern University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

throughout the course of engineeringprograms. In an in-depth study of students who switched out of science, math, and engineeringmajors, 77.9% of women cited discouragement and loss of self-esteem as a factor in switching.4Research has shown that women tend to drop out of engineering earlier and with higher GPA’s Page 14.1098.2than men, suggesting a lack of support and confidence. The crucial year appears to be thefreshman year when the largest drop in engineering students is seen5. Focusing on improving thefirst year engineering students’ experience has become a goal for many universities and colleges.Freshmen curriculum include required courses such

Conference Session

Instrumentation and Controls Laboratories

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kayode P. Ayodele, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria; Olawale Akinwale, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria; Lawrence Kehinde, Texas Southern University; Oladipo O. Osasona, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria; E.O.B. ajayi, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria; O.O. Akinwunmi, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

the iLab batched architecture. The client through which theremote student interacts with the ADLab is implemented with Java, which allows for areasonable amount of platform independence.This paper discusses the software and hardware aspects of the ADLab architecture and givessome insight into some design decisions. The paper also reports that the system is beingtested at Obafemi Awolowo University and that student feedback so far indicates high studentsatisfaction with the remote laboratory.Keywords: iLab, ADLab, FPGA, remote laboratoryI. Experimentation and Remote LaboratoriesWhen applied within an engineering curriculum, experimentation is supposed to achievespecific goals. It allows students to develop skills in any combination of up

Conference Session

LABVIEW-Based Experiments and Robotics Laboratory

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jason Yao, East Carolina University; Edwin Bartlett, East Orthopedics

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

client’s needs into attackable engineering problems, designed instrument circuits,developed data acquisition software with LabVIEW, and tested the integrated prototype system.Although the students experienced frustrations, they were excited about the opportunity to be able to workon this real-world project partnered with their client, Dr. Bartlett (an experienced orthopedist in town),and the Office of Technology Transfer at East Carolina University. The overall outcome of the project Page 14.413.2was good.This paper first describes the technical aspects of the project (problem statement, material and methods,experiment results), presents

Conference Session

Attracting Young Minds: Part II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Anant Kukreti, University of Cincinnati; Kenneth Simonson, University of Cincinnati; Kathleen Johnson, University of Cincinnati; Latiera Evans, University of Cincinnati

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

there will always be positions for them. Thus, engineering education will also bechanging, with more emphasis on graduate education, as outlined in a recently released series ofreports by the National Academy of Engineering [30]. Educators recognize that undergraduateresearch motivates students to apply for graduate school, and underrepresented groups mustbecome an integral part of such a technical workforce. However, underrepresented collegestudents do not reflect their numbers in the U.S. population (51% women, 12.1% AfricanAmericans, and 12.5% Hispanics [27, 28, 31]). A recent National Academies report [32]recommends: “Increasing participation of underrepresented minorities is critical to ensuring ahigh quality supply of scientists and

Conference Session

Computational Tools and Simulation II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brianno Coller, Northern Illinois University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

well-equipped to address. It is one of the fundamentalprinciples that guided both the computational methods and DS&C versions of EduTorcs. Ratherthan overtly provide information to students through textbook and lecture, we aspired to create amediated environment in which students could experiment and make discoveries.Nonetheless, Gee acknowledges that one must strike proper balance between overt informationand immersion in actual contexts of practice. One cannot, he explains, give novices a set oframps and balls, and then expect them to arrive at Galileo’s principles of motion on their own.This experience of integrating a video game into a DS&C class has illuminated some of thedifficulty in getting the balance right. In particular, an

Conference Session

New Research and Trends Related to Minorities in Engineering

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Maria M. Larrondo Petrie, Florida Atlantic University; Ivan Esparragoza, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

interest are in modeling complex systems, security, software engineering and pedagogy. Her email is petrie@fau.eduIvan Esparragoza, Pennsylvania State University Ivan E. Esparragoza is an Associate Professor of Engineering at Penn State. His interests are in engineering design education, innovative design, global design, and global engineering education. He has introduced multinational design projects in a freshman introductory engineering design course in collaboration with institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean as part of his effort to contribute to the formation of world class engineers for the Americas. He is actively involved in the International Division of the American Society

Conference Session

Learning about Power Systems and Power Consumption

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kala Meah, York College of Pennsylvania; Wayne Blanding, York College of Pennsylvania

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

over 100 projects worldwide, more than 25,000 MWHVDC is under construction in 10 projects, and an additional 125,000 MW HVDC transmissioncapacity has been planned in 50 projects5. To account for the rapid growth of DC transmissionand its technology it is necessary to include the HVDC transmission into the undergraduatepower systems curriculum. Most undergraduate curricula have only one course on powersystems which is typically devoted to AC transmission systems. The Electrical and ComputerEngineering program at York College of Pennsylvania has four concentration areas: powersystems/energy conversion, embedded systems, signal processing/communication, and controlsystems. Every student is required to complete two of these four concentration

Conference Session

Early Engineering Design Experiences

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kelly Crittenden, Louisiana Tech University; David Hall, Louisiana Tech University; Mark Barker, Louisiana Tech University; Patricia Brackin, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

approaches. Several papers have attempted to describe and categorizefreshmen engineering design experiences in the United States.2, 9 It is not the intention of thispaper to describe the multitudes of programs and their various merits and difficulties. This paperaims to describe an approach to an open-ended product design at the freshman level.At Louisiana Tech University, we began our own engineering curriculum reform in 1995. Wecreated an Integrated Engineering Curriculum (IEC) in an attempt to provide a hands-on, active-learning environment for our freshmen and sophomore engineering students and with support Page 14.633.2from NSF fully implemented

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Design in the Classroom

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Taskin Padir, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

AC 2009-1176: A PORTABLE WORKCELL DESIGN FOR THE ROBOTICSINDUSTRYTaskin Padir, Worcester Polytechnic Institute Dr. Taskin Padir is a visiting assistant professor in the robotics engineering program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Prior to WPI, he was an assistant professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Lake Superior State University where he taught undergraduate courses in robotics, machine vision and systems integration, circuit analysis, electronics, and introduction to engineering and advised capstone design projects within the robotics and automation option. He received his PhD and M.S. degrees from Purdue University, both in electrical engineering. He received his

Conference Session

Assessing Design Course Work

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rhonda Young, University of Wyoming; April Heaney, University of Wyoming; James Kladianos, Wyoming Department of Transportation

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

Page 14.252.2develop their writing skills, but the challenge becomes effectively integrating writing objectivesinto a course that is already full of other learning objectives.One of the advantages to incorporating writing into a comprehensive design course is that thiswriting situation is as close as anything found in most engineering curriculum to the professionalwriting experience that students encounter after graduation. A major concern is that a writingemphasis could distract from the important learning objectives of integrating technicalknowledge, applying design concepts, and working effectively in collaborative situations. Thestruggle is finding an appropriate balance between the technical objectives and the writingobjectives. In

Conference Session

Design in Engineering Education Potpourri

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christine B. Masters, Pennsylvania State University; Samuel T Hunter, Pennsylvania State University; Gul Kremer, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

(ideation). Designprocess knowledge, in general, is taught in first year design courses, and then practiced duringcapstone design. During second and third year courses, the engineering curriculum focuses onanalytical concepts and techniques ultimately intended to support design analysis ability.However, students frequently have difficulty in integrating their design process knowledge andanalysis abilities during capstone design projects.Most four year engineering programs include a first year course focused on the engineeringdesign process where students are exposed to the wide range of issues that must be consideredwith regard to the ‘real life’ activity of designing a product or a process. These courses typicallyculminate in a team report

Conference Session

Design Cognition

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rogelio Cardona, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez; Ted Cruz, University of Puerto Rico; Noraica Davila, University of Puerto Rico; Omar Ferrer, University of Puerto Rico; Alexander Gonzalez, University of Puerto Rico; Ramon Gonzalez, University of Puerto Rico; Willie Gonzalez, University of Puerto Rico; Nelson Mendez, University of Puerto Rico; Damian Torres, University of Puerto Rico; José Vega, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

university) the average undergraduatestudent’s life consists of answering tests, participating in extracurricular activities,and performing undergraduate research at different levels. On campus, thedefining moment of an undergraduate engineering student comes by way of his orher Capstone Engineering Design in which students come together to work on aproject that deals with their particular field of study. For purpose ofdemonstration, the ECE Department’s Computer Engineering Capstone Coursehas as its course description: “[Capstone] course in which student teams design aproject to solve a complete Computer Engineering Problem consideringengineering standards and realistic constraints. The project should integrate bothhardware and software.” This is

Conference Session

DEED Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Marie-Pierre Huguet, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Frank Wright, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

instrument ineducation3 and its integration is often seen as a significant force driving change4. It is nowcausing educators to re-think the very nature of teaching and learning. But where do you start?How can instructors design powerful, innovative, and effective web-based environments that canbe successfully integrated in a face-to-face class or stand alone to support a distance course?In this paper, we answer the question from the perspective of a four-year long project that led aninstructor from using an institutional, unimaginative, web-based template to designing a fullycustomized, award-winning course that truly reflected his teaching style and philosophy,supported the institution’s mission statement and the course objectives, and supported

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Chappell, University of Alabama; Keith Woodbury, University of Alabama; Robert Taylor, University of Alabama

the program including several for HeatTransfer. These modules have been integrated and significant online help modules developed toassist the user. Additional integration occurred in the second year of the NSF project withmodule development assisting in Energy Systems Design engineering calculations. The methodfor developing these modules mimicked the approach used in development of the Heat Transfermodules. Similar online help was developed for the Energy Systems Design modules. Details ofthe help compiler process, which are not widely documented, are described. Example problemsillustrating sound engineering workbook solution techniques and access to the help files aregiven.IntroductionIn the mechanical engineering curriculum, consistent

Conference Session

Capstone Design II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Hitt, United States Military Academy; Daisie Boettner, United States Military Academy; Stephen Suhr, United States Military Academy; Joel Dillon, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

additional time for capstone projects, and incorporated arequirement that all capstone projects must include not only design but also prototypefabrication. Mechanical Design (weapons design) was eliminated from the curriculum. The resulting curriculum deliberately integrated the three-courses in the design sequence. Inthe first course, Manufacturing and Machine Component Design, students learn failure modes,machine component design, and hands-on manufacturing techniques culminating in the limiteddesign but significant build of a water turbine prototype for course competition. The secondcourse, Mechanical Engineering Design, formally introduces the design process with anindividual design and build project requirement and then transitions into team

Conference Session

Design for Society and the Environment

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christopher Williams, Virginia Tech; Richard Goff, Virginia Tech; Janis Terpenny, Virginia Tech; Jenny Lo, Virginia Tech; Tamara Knott, Virginia Tech; Karen Gilbert, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

include first-year engineering curriculum, engineering ethics instruction, and student diversity.Tamara Knott, Virginia Tech Tamara Knott is an Associate Professor in Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. She focuses on pedagogical issues associated with teaching freshman engineering. She is the course coordinator for the second semester Exploration of Engineering Design course taken by approximately 900 freshman engineering students each spring.Karen Gilbert, Virginia Tech Karen Gilbert is the Assistant Director of the Center for Student Engagement and Community Partnerships and the Coordinator of VT-ENGAGE at Virginia Tech. The Center is devoted to being a hub for student engagement

Conference Session

Early Engineering Design Experiences

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shawn S Jordan, Purdue University; Nielsen Pereira, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

began for the second modules. The fourth class was used to complete the design of,build, and test the second modules. Class 5 was spent completing the second modules andintegrating and testing them together with their first modules. In class 6, groups reassembledtheir machines and tested them again before their final demonstrations to family members andclassmates.The Instructors This class had two instructors, who were in charge of developing the curriculum and leadingclass activities and two course assistants, who worked directly with groups making sure theywere engaged in the proposed activities. Instructor 1 was an Engineering Education graduatestudent who has 8 years of experience teaching college students, in addition to facilitating

Conference Session

Assessing Design Course Work

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Peter Schmidt, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; James Conrad, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; William Heybruck, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Daniel Hoch, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Deborah Sharer, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Linda Thurman, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Nabila (Nan) BouSaba, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Patricia Tolley, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Martin Kane, University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

AC 2009-190: STUDENT EVALUATIONS OF SPONSOR INTERACTION IN ACAPSTONE INTERDISCIPLINARY SENIOR DESIGN PROGRAMPeter Schmidt, University of North Carolina, Charlotte Peter L. Schmidt received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Louisville, a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and his doctorate degree in mechanical engineering from Vanderbilt University. He is currently an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He has served as a research associate and as an instructor at Vanderbilt University. He has also worked at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, Indiana; at Precision

Conference Session

Design Methodology

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Steven Kurtz, University of Notre Dame; Jay Brockman, University of Notre Dame; Ramzi Bualuan, University of Notre Dame

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

. The firstimplementation focused on logic layout at the mask level to produce an ApplicationSpecific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). The second implementation involved Verilog codebeing mapped to a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). Both methods providedstudents with different insights into the design process while exposing them to a varietyof CAD tools used in manufacturing today.This project grew out of Project G (short for Godzilla), an earlier endeavor in which agroup of undergraduates constructed a Lego® robot using the Lego MindstormsTM toolkit. This work looked for alternative ways to control the robot and was performed as amixture of class projects and faculty directed undergraduate research. The project hasresulted in successfully

Conference Session

Design in Freshman and Sophomore Courses

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Madiha Khurshid, University of Calgary; Marjan Eggermont, University of Calgary; Daryl Caswell, University of Calgary

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

ofeach 28-person group.As part of this project, community members will be surveyed to consider their needs for potentialfuture affordable housing developments. The surveys will be used to identify specific concernsthe community has about affordable housing projects and how these homes/buildings can bebetter designed to minimize those concerns. Including a community voice in the affordablehousing project may help to reduce NIMBYism (Not In My Backyard).This design project hopes to educate engineering students about the local issue of homelessness.At the same time, it will give students the opportunity to apply their skills and knowledgetowards a solution to an open-ended, real-world problem. This paper will describe the projectdetails and will

Conference Session

Design Methodology

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Rinehart, NIOSH; Donna Heidel, NIOSH; Andrea Okun, NIOSH; Michael Barsan, NIOSH

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

Design (PtD) National Initiative. He continues to work on PtD through a project that brings PtD principles into engineering textbooks as they are being updated.Donna Heidel, NIOSH Donna Heidel is a certified industrial hygienist with over 25 years' experience in the health care industry. Ms. Heidel received a B.A. from DeSales University and an M.S. from Temple University. She has spent the last 15 years of her career building a world-class, global, integrated occupational toxicology and industrial hygiene program at Johnson & Johnson, a decentralized company consisting of 230 operating companies in 57 countries. At J&J, she developed and implemented their global health hazard and control

Conference Session

Teams and Teamwork in Design I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yogesh Velankar, Purdue University; Sean Brophy, Purdue University; Masataka Okutsu, Purdue University; Daniel Delaurentis, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

for this course is ~120 students per semester (Fall and Spring for 16 weeks).This introductory aeronautical design course is ideal for an engineering serious gamesince teaching the fundamental task of engineering, which is to develop technicalsolutions by applying established scientific principles, is already embedded within thecourse. Also, this course is available to students early in the academic curriculum. Openenrollment to pre-college students with good academic background may also be apossibility, allowing prospective college students to explore engineering as their possibleacademic career. Most importantly, experience in this game can simulate the real-life of aworking engineer. The established sense of “presence” in a corporate

Conference Session

Capstone Design I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Widmann, California Polytechnic State University; Lynne Slivovsky, California Polytechnic State University; Brian Self, California Polytechnic State University; J. Kevin Taylor, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

devices to allow greater inclusion of persons with disabilities in recreational activities.Adaptive physical activity projects are well-aligned with the goals of service learning andprovide rich open-ended design experiences for students. This paper provides a framework foraligning capstone and service learning outcomes.BackgroundService-learning occurs when “Students engage in community service activities with intentionalacademic and learning goals and opportunities for reflection that connect to their academicdiscipline” (Cress et al, 2005)1. Reflection is an integral part of learning and helps to developcritical thinking skills (Jacoby, 1996; Tsang, 2000; Tsang, 2002)2,3,4. The development of thesecritical thinking skills enables engineering

Conference Session

Assessing Design Course Work

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Oliver Platts-Mills, University of Virginia; Reid Bailey, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

courses are designed with theopposing goal of providing as uniform of an experience as possible to all students. Due tothis fundamental difference, that some courses aim to provide a uniform experience forall students while others embrace a range of experiences for individual students, the sameevaluation framework cannot be applied to both types of courses.While an evaluation framework for a course with minimal variation between studentexperiences can assume that each student receives the same "treatment," the effect ofdifferences between individual student experiences must be integrated into an evaluationframework for a capstone course within which there is a large range of individualexperiences. In this paper, an assessment framework is

Conference Session

Early Engineering Design Experiences

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

M. Reza Emami, University of Toronto

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

. H 11. Think with a system orientation, considering the integration and needs of various facets of the problem. HW 12. Define and formulate an open-ended and/or under-defined problem, including specifications. HW 13. Generate and evaluate alternative solutions. H 14. Use a systematic, modern, step-by-step problem solving approach. Recognize the need for and implement iteration. HW 17. Make rational decisions about design alternatives based on certain criteria. HWA2: System Analysis Capabilities: 8. Use analysis in support of synthesis

Conference Session

Capstone Design II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John K. Estell, Ohio Northern University; Juliet Hurtig, Ohio Northern University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

Criterion 5 states that “[s]tudents must be prepared for engineering practice througha curriculum culminating in a major design experience based on the knowledge and skillsacquired in earlier course work and incorporating appropriate engineering standards and multiplerealistic constraints.” However, the definition of what constitutes an “appropriate engineeringstandard” has been subjected to various interpretations, both wide and narrow. Arguments havebeen made that all capstone design projects must include engineering standards from theappropriate professional society: IEEE Standards for electrical and computer engineers, ASMEStandards for mechanical engineers, and so on. However, members of the educationalcommunity have objected to this approach

Conference Session

DEED Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Laura Ruhala, University of Southern Indiana

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

AC 2009-2431: REACHING OUT TO A NONTRADITIONAL CAPSTONESPONSOR: DESIGN OF A UNIVERSAL EYE SPECULUM WITH VIBRATIONALANESTHESIALaura Ruhala, University of Southern Indiana Laura (Wilson) Ruhala earned her BSME from GMI Engineering & Management Institute (now Kettering University) in 1991. She then earned her PhD in Engineering Science & Mechanics from The Pennsylvania State University in 1999. She has three years industrial experience at General Motors, served as the Director of Safety & Testing at Pride Mobility, and taught at Lafayette College. She has been an Assistant Professor in the Engineering Department at USI since 2002, and has developed and taught many of the mechanical

Conference Session

Design for Society and the Environment

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Scott Reichle, Old Dominion University; Avery Bang, University of Colorado; Carol Considine, Old Dominion University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

project to design and construct a footbridge as an augmentedsenior design project, satisfying a component of the department’s required curriculum. Thestudents were guided by the non-profit organization Bridges to Prosperity (B2P), based out ofYorktown, Virginia. Bridges to Prosperity is a volunteer based charity committed toempowering the impoverished in rural communities around the world through footbridgebuilding and infrastructure capacitation programs.B2P was established in 2001 by Ken Frantz. He was inspired by a photo in National GeographicMagazine of a broken bridge along the Blue Nile. Frantz traveled to Ethiopia to help repair thespan. The experience of rebuilding the broken bridge and seeing first-hand the project’s impactencouraged

Conference Session

Design in Freshman and Sophomore Courses

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Saeed Niku, California Polytechnic State University; Frank Owen, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

curriculum,from introductory classes to the graduate program. Most of our mid- and upper divisionclasses have a lab associated with them. We also emphasize projects, whether design oranalysis, in most classes, and we provide opportunities for students to engage in manyextracurricular projects.Recently, there was a series of discussions held on campus related to the differencesbetween learn-by-doing and project-based learning. Most faculty involved in thesediscussions agreed that although these two philosophies share many attributes, and eventhough they are both very legitimate ways of approaching education, the learn-by-doingphilosophy is more encompassing. For example, both pedagogies do involve projects;however, learn-by-doing can be accomplished

Conference Session

Capstone Design II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Susannah Howe, Smith College; Ron Lasser, Tufts University; Katie Su, Smith College; Sarah Pedicini, Smith College

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

and developmentand b) the disconnect between perceived and expected proficiency for capstone graduates. Thiseffort adds to a growing body of work to understand and ultimately improve capstone education.1. Introduction and MotivationCapstone engineering design course program instantiations are based upon academic institution,department, and instructor. Each brings a unique perspective to the course and the learningenvironment. Capstone engineering design projects are each unique in their own right sinceindividuals or teams may select a project that has never been done before. In this context ofvariations of uniqueness, if that can be used as a means to define an educational environment, isit possible to evaluate a capstone engineering design