Engineering 098 Pilot (2014)

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the course outcomes in the pilot offering of Introduction to Engineering Design (ENG 098) had been met. Students from the pilot offering were interviewed in groups about the content knowledge they gained and their experiences in the course as well as the College of Engineering (CoE) in general. The research design was informed by CoE administrators’ interest in engaging “students in engineering design while improving their oral communication skills,”[1] while also creating conditions that can improve retention.[2]

[1] Excerpted from the Report from the Engineering Communications and Design Committee.

[2] ibid, “Many students leave engineering because their freshmen level courses include little engineering content or connection to the creativity involved in open-ended problem solving. A freshmen level course that includes an introduction to design would expose students to the application of math and science to real world problems and instill an appreciation of the problem solving skills needed for engineering.”