Product Development Process and Student Learning in an Engineering Technology Capstone Project: Electrical Go-kart

Abstract

Project based learning (PBL) is a dynamic classroom approach in which students actively explore, solve real world problems and gain knowledge through developing real products. In our Engineering Technology program, a project based capstone design class is offered that provides graduating seniors a hands-on opportunity to experience team-based design under conditions that closely resemble current industry practice. In this paper, we introduce a capstone project, an electrical go-kart. A group of 20 students spent 15 weeks and around $600 designing and building a working electrical go-kart. This multidisciplinary project allows students to integrate knowledge from across the core curricula, and take a systems approach to product design and problem solving. Student learning outcomes are assessed using a survey and the grades of their final projects. The results are compared with other semesters in which relatively simple projects were assigned. We have observed an overall improvement of student learning outcomes in nearly all aspects. Hence we believe the multidisciplinary projects, such as the electrical go-kart, help students learn valuable knowledge of product development that are usually only acquired through real world working experiences