Designing Undergraduate Design Experiences—A Framework based on the Expectancy-Value Theory

摘要

Although the need for infusing design experiences throughout the undergraduate engineering curricula is widely recognized, designing a good design experience is a challenge for the instructors. A well-constructed design project may excite the students and enhance their motivation and learning experience significantly. At the same time, a poorly constructed design project may in fact reduce student motivation. Despite the importance of design experiences, there currently is a lack of systematic frameworks to help instructors in core engineering courses. This paper addresses this gap by presenting a conceptual framework based on the expectancy value theory of achievement motivation. The expectancy value theory is based on two important factors that affect students' task-related motivation: expectancy, which is an individual's belief about how well he/she will do on upcoming tasks, and values, which are the reasons/incentives for completing a task. The framework is illustrated using a Systems Dynamics course taught at Washington State University. An assessment tool for the course based on the expectancy value theory is presented in the form of a survey. Statistical analysis of the outcomes of the survey for one semester is presented. The assessment tool presented in the paper can be used for evaluating the effectiveness of the design project and identifying avenues for improvement.