This study explores the impact of freshman engineering design experiences on student engineering design-related perceptions and performance. The impact of two teaching methods, faculty-mentoring versus web-guidance, used in the teaching of engineering design were also explored. Four skills associated with engineering design were assessed: open-ended problem solving, information search, mechanical building, and teamwork. Web-use related skill of information search was also assessed. Assessment methods included: pre- and post-activity student skill self-report surveys, observations of student teamwork and presentations, student interviews, and performance scoring of team design notebooks using a scoring rubric developed for design-related activities. Post-activity student skill self-reports revealed statistically significant gains in problem solving and mechanical building skills for Mentored and Web-guided groups when compared with pre-activity responses. Performance assessment of the Web-guided group using a team-based engineering design work scoring system showed higher scores for the use of technical concepts in the design process than the Mentored group. Based on teamwork observations and performance assessments of design notebooks, it was concluded that Web-guided students' higher scores in this skill were due to the fact that the web-based electronic design portfolio template, or Design Process Templates, helped students complete pertinent steps in the design process. This data also revealed that students in the Web-guided group were hampered by differences in HTML programming skills within the group. This difference limited some students' ability to act as a team in using the Web-based Design Process Templates for much of their design work. This issue was a particular problem for women who reported lower pre-activity HTML programming skills than men. Furthermore, instructor versus student conceptions of the design process hampered some students' use of the Design Process Templates.
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