ORCHESTRATING CDIO-ALIGNED LEARNING TASKS THROUGH A COURSE-TYPE–DRIVEN ASSIGNMENT FRAMEWORK

Engineering education is being increasingly challenged to equip graduates for a fast-changing technology thrust that demands implementation, systems thinking, and applied problem solving. Though the CDIO (Conceive–Design–Implement–Operate) framework provides a coherent basis for these challenges, faculty frequently report difficulty in translating these program-level principles into applicable course-level assignments. This paper addresses this gap by proposing a course-type-driven task design and orchestration framework. The framework is composed of three major contributions: a classification of nine undergraduate engineering course types; a CDIO-compliant task taxonomy of core, communication, and reflective tasks; and a logic for orchestrating student pathways under semester constraints. The tripartite task structure ensures that engineering action, communication, and judgment are interwoven in a single assignment. The framework was institutionally implemented in a third-year Mechanical Engineering course titled Design of Machine Elements (DME) as part of routine course delivery. By replacing existing numerical problem sets with an integrated design project, the framework activated prior learning and emulated professional work without transforming the curriculum. Results show that the framework increases assessment reliability, decreases faculty cognitive load in the design of assignments, and allows students to create engineering products of portfolio quality.