The results from a survey of first-year design-implement experiences are presented. The data was collected from four engineering departments located across Europe and North America, and covered a range of topics broadly categorized under four headings: Project Information; Teaching and Learning; Assessment and Learning Environment.
All the project deal with large student cohorts that are organized into a number of small teams. The projects are all minor components of the students’ first-year and are run with relatively modest amounts of money and faculty time commitment. The emphasis is on practical sessions and self-directed learning, with a limited number of lectures. Assessment is all team-based, with some moderation of grades achieved through peer assessment.
Considering all the projects presented here have been developed independently there is a surprising level of consistency across the different institutions. This is probably due to the lessons learned from the development of capstone projects over a larger number of years.
Proceedings of the 3rd International CDIO Conference, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, June 11-14, 2007