Student centered teaching in engineering design

This paper reviews experience with teaching procedures introduced into an engineering design course to promote professionalism in undergraduates. One procedure used is a prize award for performance in project work and the other procedure is a Socratic style of teaching in the classroom. Both procedures intend to shift responsibility for learning away from the teacher towards the student. Student performance is measured by project results, examination results and by design studies. It is found that the use of design studies, a type of student centered examination procedure, has the most profound effect on performance in this complex subject.