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Mechanical Engineering Students’ Perceptions of Design Skills Throughout a Senior Design Course Sequence

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Conference

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Location

Virtual Conference

Publication Date

July 26, 2021

Start Date

July 26, 2021

End Date

July 19, 2022

Conference Session

Capstone Design

Tagged Division

Design in Engineering Education

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

20

DOI

10.18260/1-2--36523

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/36523

Download Count

353

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Paper Authors

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Valerie Vanessa Bracho Perez Florida International University

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Valerie Vanessa Bracho Perez is a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering student and Graduate Research Assistant in the School of Universal Computing Construction and Engineering Educations (SUCCEED) at Florida International University (FIU). She also holds a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from FIU. Her research interest includes integrating LAs into engineering courses, examining responsive teaching practices in engineering courses, and faculty development.

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Anilegna Nuñez Abreu Florida International University

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Anilegna Nuñez Abreu is a Mechanical Engineering undergraduate at Florida International University. With a year of industry internship experience, her professional interests include systems engineering and human-centered design. In addition, Anilegna's research interests include improving engineering design practices, integrating culturally responsive teaching, and raising engineering retention rates within academia.

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Ameen Anwar Khan Florida International University

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Luis Enrique Guardia Florida International University

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Luis Enrique Guardia is a Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering student and Graduate Assistant in the School of Universal Computing Construction and Engineering Education (SUCCEED) at Florida International University (FIU). Luis also holds a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering from FIU and is particularly interested in the intersect between medicine, engineering, and learning. His research interests include empathic teaching and learning, mentorship relationships, and improving stakeholder considerations in students.

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Indhira María Hasbún Florida International University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-6940-392X

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Indhira María Hasbún is a Ph.D. candidate and Graduate Assistant in the School of Universal Computing, Construction, and Engineering Education (SUCCEED) at Florida International University (FIU). Her research analyzes the interplay between institutional structures, culture, and agents at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) to identify how colleges of engineering at HSIs can leverage their institutional systems toward educational transformation as they pursue their goals of serving undergraduate Latinx engineering students.

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Alexandra Coso Strong Florida International University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0003-4988-361X

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As an assistant professor of engineering education at Florida International University, Dr. Alexandra Coso Strong works and teaches at the intersection of engineering education, faculty development, and complex systems design. Alexandra completed her doctorate in aerospace engineering at Georgia Tech. Prior to attending Georgia Tech, Alexandra received a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from MIT and a master’s degree in systems engineering from the University of Virginia. Alexandra comes to FIU after completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Georgia Tech’s Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL) and three years as a faculty member at Olin College of Engineering in Massachusetts. Alexandra’s research aims to amplify the voices and work of students, educators, and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) overall and support continued educational innovation within engineering at these institutions. Specifically, she focuses on (1) educational and professional development of graduate students and faculty, (2) critical transitions in education and career pathways, and (3) design as central to educational and global change.

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Abstract

Engineering design requires high-level, interdisciplinary, collaborative problem-solving skills to successfully solve complex and dynamic challenges. For this reason, engineering design courses have served as a platform for educators to provide students with skills and experiences to face the global challenges they will encounter in their careers. This study examines students’ perceptions of and reflections on the skills developed throughout the courses taken throughout their undergraduate engineering curriculum. Students in a senior design sequence were surveyed during each semester of the course about their perceptions of senior design and the skills and previous courses that were most relevant to design. The study was conducted within a large, public, MSI over the course of five semesters of the Mechanical Engineering Senior design sequence. Relationships between particular course groups and the skills students perceived as important for design were found. The results demonstrate that students perceived Engineering Core Courses, Engineering Design Courses, and Engineering Track Core Courses as important in preparing them for senior design. In addition, correlations between the courses mentioned and the skills students considered important for design or were confident in using in design illustrated influential components of the curriculum. Some of these skills included: written communication, programming, hands-on building, teamwork, project management, using machine shop tools, and oral communication. Students’ resulting perceptions of which skills are “very important” and which they are “very confident in” design suggest the need to explore alternative assessment methods. Alternatively, these results may illustrate gaps in the existing curriculum around particular skill development and areas where faculty may want to foster students’ understanding of and the skills necessary for design. Overall, this study aims to inform researchers and educators about the type of courses that may impact students’ skill development and understanding of design to serve as a basis for designing more student-centered engineering curricula.

Bracho Perez, V. V., & Nuñez Abreu, A., & Khan, A. A., & Guardia, L. E., & Hasbún, I. M., & Strong, A. C. (2021, July), Mechanical Engineering Students’ Perceptions of Design Skills Throughout a Senior Design Course Sequence Paper presented at 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual Conference. 10.18260/1-2--36523

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