Don't Tell Me What You Know, Tell Me What You Would Actually Do! Comparing Two Design Learning Assessment Approaches

摘要

In comparing two streamlined methods to assess design knowledge, a method focused on critiquing an existing design process is shown to more closely match observed design behaviors than an open-ended prompt. This research paper describes the comparison of two engineering design knowledge assessment methods in terms of their ability to assess the procedural nature of design knowledge. In particular, the focus is on the methods' ability to assess if students know to engage in problem formulation activities early in a design project. Problem formulation activities are not only key drivers of design, but prior work has shown that fewer than 20% of students entering engineering programs recognize the role of and engage in problem formulation1.