Sustainability Components Assessment of Engineering Design Capstone Projects

Bilal Alhawamdeh; M Muchson; Ahmad Mohammad Rasheed Al-Bodour

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Conference: 2024 ASEE North Central Section Conference
Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan
Publication Date: March 22, 2024
Start Date: March 22, 2024
End Date: March 23, 2024
Page Count: 11
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--45637
Permanent URL: https://sftp.asee.org/45637
Download Count: 17

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Paper Authors

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Bilal Alhawamdeh Western Michigan University orcid.org/0000-0002-0422-2933

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Dr. Bilal Alhawamdeh, a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Western Michigan University, is a distinguished Senior Research Associate with a keen interest in integrating sustainablity in engineering education. His career is marked by the development of innovative educational programs and curricula, emphasizing the integration of sustainability into engineering studies. Dr. Alhawamdeh is a proponent of smart technology in classrooms and has supervised numerous senior capstone and student research projects focused on sustainable solutions. His work also involves fostering collaborations between industry and academia, enhancing the practical impact of engineering education.

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M Muchson

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Ahmad Mohammad Rasheed Al-Bodour Western Michigan University

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Abstract

As the engineering community grapples with integrating sustainability into its curricula, assessing how sustainability concepts are infused across various engineering disciplines remains challenging. The senior design capstone project is pivotal in assessing students’ understanding of engineering subjects. Thus, it acts as an effective measure of their awareness and proficiency in sustainability. This study assesses the integration of sustainability in senior design capstone projects across six engineering programs at Western Michigan University: Chemical and Paper Engineering, Civil and Construction Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Engineering Design Manufacturing and Management Systems, Industrial and Entrepreneurial Engineering and Engineering Management, and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, utilizing a validated sustainability rubric. The assessment focuses on nine critical dimensions: dimensions of sustainability, Bloom’s taxonomy, sustainability links, drivers for including sustainability, the positioning of sustainability within reports, qualitative and quantitative incorporation, sustainability sources/references, and sustainability topics. The assessment was conducted via an interrater reliability approach between two researchers, enhanced using an Artificial Intelligence tool. One key revelation from the study is that sustainability is more integrated within the projects’ fabric than existing as a standalone element. This integration, however, is significantly influenced by instructor-driven expectations. The analysis across the six programs indicates that if sustainability is not highlighted as a primary project deliverable, students are less inclined to incorporate sustainability concepts acquired from previous coursework into their reports. This finding underscores the importance of explicitly embedding sustainability requirements within project guidelines. To amplify the focus on sustainability, the study advocates for the direct involvement of sustainability experts in senior design courses, either as course advisors or project mentors. This initiative has shown promising results in certain projects across the examined programs, potentially setting a precedent for a more embedded and holistic approach to sustainability in engineering education.

Citation
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Alhawamdeh, B., & Muchson, M., & Al-Bodour, A. M. R. (2024, March), Sustainability Components Assessment of Engineering Design Capstone Projects Paper presented at 2024 ASEE North Central Section Conference, Kalamazoo, Michigan. 10.18260/1-2--45637

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - As the engineering community grapples with integrating sustainability into its curricula, assessing how sustainability concepts are infused across various engineering disciplines remains challenging. The senior design capstone project is pivotal in assessing students’ understanding of engineering subjects. Thus, it acts as an effective measure of their awareness and proficiency in sustainability. This study assesses the integration of sustainability in senior design capstone projects across six engineering programs at Western Michigan University: Chemical and Paper Engineering, Civil and Construction Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Engineering Design Manufacturing and Management Systems, Industrial and Entrepreneurial Engineering and Engineering Management, and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, utilizing a validated sustainability rubric. The assessment focuses on nine critical dimensions: dimensions of sustainability, Bloom’s taxonomy, sustainability links, drivers for including sustainability, the positioning of sustainability within reports, qualitative and quantitative incorporation, sustainability sources/references, and sustainability topics. The assessment was conducted via an interrater reliability approach between two researchers, enhanced using an Artificial Intelligence tool. One key revelation from the study is that sustainability is more integrated within the projects’ fabric than existing as a standalone element. This integration, however, is significantly influenced by instructor-driven expectations. The analysis across the six programs indicates that if sustainability is not highlighted as a primary project deliverable, students are less inclined to incorporate sustainability concepts acquired from previous coursework into their reports. This finding underscores the importance of explicitly embedding sustainability requirements within project guidelines. To amplify the focus on sustainability, the study advocates for the direct involvement of sustainability experts in senior design courses, either as course advisors or project mentors. This initiative has shown promising results in certain projects across the examined programs, potentially setting a precedent for a more embedded and holistic approach to sustainability in engineering education.
AU  - Bilal Alhawamdeh
AU  - M Muchson
AU  - Ahmad Mohammad Rasheed Al-Bodour
CY  - Kalamazoo, Michigan
DA  - 2024/03/22
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Sustainability Components Assessment of Engineering Design Capstone Projects
UR  - https://sftp.asee.org/45637
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--45637
ER  -