STUDENT PROFICIENCY EXPECTATIONS AND SELF EVALUATION ON THE CDIO SYLLABUS TOPICS

Students in Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Queen’s University were surveyed on the CDIO Syllabus at the end of the Fall Term, half way through their final year in the program. They were asked to provide a 1 to 5 proficiency ranking on all of the 2.X through 4.X elements in the syllabus for both their own current ability and their perception of an appropriate expected proficiency level for a new graduate from an engineering program. This data set is valuable as a snapshot of student perceptions and for comparison when the same cohort is surveyed subsequent to graduation and entry into the work force. It is particularly valuable as it covers 111 of 116 students enrolled in MECH 460, the fourth year Conceive and Design course that is a core requirement in the MME program. The results indicate that the students are largely in accord with previously measured expectations of other students and professionals and points out the potential for including greater societal and business context as a program enhancement. The discrepancy between expectations and self assessment requires further examination.