Evidence-based conclusions concerning practice, curriculum design and curriculum reform in a civil engineering capstone design course in Hong Kong

Abstract

This study aimed to provide evidence-based conclusions from students concerning a capstone-design course in a civil engineering programme in Hong Kong. The evidence was generated by designing a student-experience questionnaire. The questionnaire instrument was assessed for internal consistency in four scales (curriculum and structure changes; design and problem solving; personal and transferable skills; and Industrial-Links and Real-Life Authentic Academic Knowledge). The internal structure of each scale was also examined separately. Overall, the findings suggest that this internal structure is uni-dimensional in nature and has good internal consistency. Our quantitative and qualitative data have provided support on the student learning experience in the reformed capstone-design: how students were able to develop depth and breadth in engineering knowledge and skills that were previously not covered by teachers in conventional taught courses to enhance student learning. Rationale and changes of the curriculum were documented to contribute to the building of an authentic capstone-design curriculum.

Keywords:

• capstone design
• curriculum reform
• engineering
• higher education
• transferable skills
• experiential learning

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge the faculties and students who participated in this study. The authors are grateful to Lillian Luk for her assistance on the data analysis and data collection.

Additional information

Funding

Funding. The research described in this paper is funded through the General Research Fund (GRF), funded by the Hong Kong Research Grants Council (RGC), project number 741611. Any opinions, findings and conclusions expressed in the paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsoring agencies.