A Quality Assessment Method for Engineering Student Designs in Project-Based Learning

Abstract

This study utilized a qualitative approach to explore how the quality of first-year students' design projects can be improved using a Quality Function Deployment framework (QFD). It also investigated students' perceptions of an excellent design. In the first phase of the study, the QFD was utilized to develop a rubric for evaluating the quality of design projects completed by first-year engineering students. The rubric was designed to incorporate key components of the QFD, including context, input, process, output, and feedback, to ensure a comprehensive assessment of project quality. The rubric was then used by independent raters to assess a sample of first-year engineering student design projects, with feedback provided to refine the rubric. In the second phase of the study, the refined rubric was used to assess a larger sample of first-year engineering student design projects. Thematic analysis was used to explore students' perceptions of excellence in their design projects through their self-reflection statements. The analysis revealed that students valued factors such as technical accuracy, passion, functionality, domain knowledge, and user experience in their designs. Students perceived their projects to be of higher quality when these factors were present. However, these identified themes do not directly translate to an excellent quality of design. The findings of this study have significant implications for the design and evaluation of first-year engineering student design projects. By incorporating the designed QFD rubric for self-assessment in project-based learning, the quality of student designs can be improved. Additionally, understanding students' perceptions of excellence in their designs can inform pedagogical strategies aimed at developing students' design skills and competencies. The study concludes with recommendations for future research aimed at further investigating the use of the QFD in the assessment of first-year student design projects and exploring the transferability of the rubric to other disciplines. The study contributes to pedagogy of assessment in engineering education.