Preliminary Results from a Study Investigating the Transition from Capstone Design to Industry

Authors

Susannah Howe, Smith CollegeFollow
Laura Mae Rosenbauer, Smith College
Julie Dyke Ford, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Nicholas Emory Alvarez, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Marie C. Paretti, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Chris Gewirtz, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Daria A. Kotys-Schwartz, University of Colorado, Boulder
Daniel Knight, University of Colorado, Boulder
Cristian Hernandez, University of Colorado, Boulder

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

2018

Publication Title

2018 Capstone Design Conference Proceedings

Abstract

This study investigates engineering students’ transitions from academic to professional environments by examining the role capstone design courses play in preparing graduates for the workplace. To better understand how capstone design experiences contribute to graduates’ professional preparation, we are collecting data from participants from four different institutions with project-based capstone courses as they begin post-graduation positions in a variety of engineering workplaces. Through quantitative and qualitative methods, our study is designed to collect insights from participants in their first 12 months on the job. Currently we are collecting and analyzing data from the first of two planned cohorts of participants. Preliminary results for the participants in the first cohort point towards interesting trends regarding participants’ frequency of activities and perception of their preparedness. Professional skills such as team meetings were listed most frequently as activities engaged in by participants, and while there were particular areas such as budgeting where participants felt less prepared, overall their perception of preparedness indicates that capstone design courses and the larger engineering curriculum they are housed within are preparing students for professional careers.

Keywords

learning transfer, professional preparation, capstone design, school-to-work transition

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Rights

Licensed to Smith College and distributed CC-BY under the Smith College Faculty Open Access Policy.

Comments

Peer reviewed accepted manuscript.

Sponsoring organization: National Science Foundation

Recommended Citation

Howe, Susannah; Rosenbauer, Laura Mae; Ford, Julie Dyke; Alvarez, Nicholas Emory; Paretti, Marie C.; Gewirtz, Chris; Kotys-Schwartz, Daria A.; Knight, Daniel; and Hernandez, Cristian, "Preliminary Results from a Study Investigating the Transition from Capstone Design to Industry" (2018). Engineering: Faculty Publications, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
https://scholarworks.smith.edu/egr_facpubs/56