Senior capstone classes are unique and crucial experiences for undergraduate students, in that they provide long-term, often synthesis-based projects in a collaborative environment. However, this collaboration often exists between students in the same specialization or concentration within a discipline. For example, electrical engineering has several areas of concentration such as controls, robotics, machine learning, software systems etc. However, each concentration has its own capstone course and students rarely engage with students in other areas. Most importantly, most programs do not provide students with the chance to work cooperatively across disciplinary lines. Those that do typically only allow for interaction between groups within the same overarching discipline. Yet, in the workplace, graduates are expected to work collaboratively with experts in their own and often other unrelated domains. Subsequently, capstone classes are lacking the ability to prepare undergraduate students for membership on the multi-disciplinary teams that exist in the workplace. Consequently, there is a need for courses at the undergraduate level that are aimed at providing students with the opportunity to learn and work in a truly multidisciplinary environment. This project will seek to 1) examine the process of creating and implementing a multidisciplinary capstone course, 2) explore what influence, if any, established norms of collaboration like notions of authority, problem definition and what passes for an acceptable solution to a given problem have on team members’ interactions within a multi-disciplinary capstone class, and 3) compare the findings from this course to other multidisciplinary courses at other institutions, where they exist, to ultimately create a model of collaborative capstone design that might be of interest to the broader transdisciplinary community. Furthering our understanding of collaboration in multidisciplinary contexts holds several positive implications for the overall undergraduate experience. For students, the experience of working in a diverse team environment and having the chance to confront expectations that they may not even be aware that they harbor about others prepares them better for their professional careers and makes them more attractive to potential employers.

Midterm Report

Project Summary

The purpose of this qualitative investigation is three-fold: first we will examine the process of creating and implementing a multi-disciplinary capstone course through the Creativity and Innovation group. Second, we will explore what influence, if any, established norms of collaboration like notions of authority, problem definition and what passes for an acceptable solution to a given problem have on team members’ interactions within a multi-disciplinary capstone class. Finally, we will compare the findings from this course to other multi-disciplinary courses at other institutions, where they exist, to ultimately create a model of collaborative capstone design that might be of interest to the broader transdisciplinary community

Proposed activity

Goal 1 – Evaluate the current design and implementation of a connected capstone course

RQ1.1  How is the connected capstone course currently being taught?

RQ 1.2 How is the division of work managed among instructors and students?

RQ 1.3 What are students and instructors’ perceptions of the collaboration in the connected capstone setting?

Goal 2 – Identify established norms associated with effective collaboration in multi-disciplinary design teams

RQ2.1 How do students enrolled in a connected capstone courses problem solve?

RQ2.2 What overt collaborative behaviors do students exhibit as they engage with their teams during the studio session?

Goal 3 – Systematically study multi-disciplinary capstone courses across the United States

RQ3.1 What is the current status of multi-disciplinary capstone courses in higher education institutions?

RQ3.2 How do capstone instructors characterize their process for evaluating students as collaborators in multi-disciplinary capstones?

Completed to date

Goal 1 – Evaluate the current design and implementation of a connected capstone course

Two of the three instructors of the Connected Capstone course were interviewed. This reflection interview sought to explore lessons learned, overall course execution and what are strategies for moving forward.

An observatory study of a similar course offered at Virginia Tech was done. The CREATE course was observed through an almost semester long effort to detail how the course is designed, organized and executed primarily from the instructor lens. A new member was added to the team. Dr. David Gray, who will be assisting the design of a flexible, adaptable multi-disciplinary module for use in the ENGE1216: Foundations of Engineering II course (Spring 2019). Data in the form of students’ perception and overall module effectiveness will be collected in the Spring.

Goal 2 – Identify established norms associated with effective collaboration in multi-disciplinary design teams

Students of the CREATE course were invited to participate in focus groups to share their experience navigating working with students from other disciplines on a common project. To date only one student has accepted the invitation but we plan to recruit more students at the class’ end of semester poster event on Tuesday December 10th.

Next Steps

 More data collection is scheduled for the Spring.

We hope to connect with persons teaching similar courses here at VT and other institutions.

Summer working sessions where the full project team or a portion thereof interprets the data and creates the Module for the ENGE 1216 courses that will be adaptable to other contexts here at VT. 

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