Student Engagement and Industry Readiness in a Systems Exploration, Engineering, and Design Laboratory (SEED Lab)

摘要

Laboratory courses have been a key component of engineering education in the United States since the founding of the earliest American engineering schools. Today, well-designed laboratories in the undergraduate curriculum play a critical role in the development of students' hands-on skills, problem-solving abilities, teamwork skills and analytical thinking while also deepening the content learned in lecture-based classes. The primary focus of this paper is the design, evaluation and improvement of a multi-faceted, intra-disciplinary laboratory called the Systems Exploration, Engineering, and Design Laboratory (SEED Lab). Created with the support and input of industry partners, the SEED Lab aims to emulate our students' likely future experiences in a professional environment. The course employs assessment techniques such as reflection logs, CATME evaluations, team presentations at regular intervals, performance-based demonstrations, and case studies.