EURECA: A unique approach for final year project at Taylor’s University

In an Engineering undergraduate program, the final year project covering two semesters is a compulsory requirement mandated by Engineering Accreditation bodies worldwide. The final year project tends to be research intensive compared to the design and build projects prior to the final year. It builds upon the foundational knowledge and skills attained in the earlier undergraduate years. Engineering educators and accreditors consider the learning experience obtained by the students in successfully undertaking the final year projects as essential in contributing towards their development in becoming competent and sought after entry level engineers. It also plays a part in laying the foundation for future success in an engineering career through both the hard and soft skills attained. There are many approaches in assessing a student in the final year project. However it must be borne in mind that appropriately designed assessments contribute towards effective learning and development. Therefore the final year project assessment must be aligned with the learning outcomes identified by the faculty. Here at Taylor’s University School of Engineering, in addition to the standard assessment components, a new approach is adopted to include a participation in a conference. Engineering Undergraduate Research Catalyst Conference (EURECA) is a unique approach to assess final year project students.it aims to expose the student in a real environment of a conference to gain further skills. Participation in a peer reviewed conference, assessment by external reviewers, oral defense of thesis, anonymous assessment coupled with prompt feedback to students are some of the approaches implemented to deliver the learning outcomes. This paper shares successful engineering education expereneice to further enhance the final year project component for engineering undergraduate students. This approach aims to produce engineers who are able to address the grand challenges.

Proceedings of the 10th International CDIO Conference, Barcelona, Spain, June 15-19 2014