Investigating Impact of Disruption to Biological and Agricultural Engineering Senior Design Capstone Courses Due to Covid-19

ABSTRACT

Senior Capstone Design is a culminating course of the undergraduate engineering curriculum which gives students the opportunity to work in teams on designing a solution to real-world problems submitted and mentored by industrial and research project sponsors. In Biological and Agricultural Engineering disciplines, these projects can involve tasks such as field data collection, laboratory experiments or fabrication of prototypes that require access to specific laboratories and equipment. In the Spring 2020, Universities across the US shut down to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and transitioned to remote or virtual courses. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of the transition to remote and virtual courses on senior design or capstone courses in Biological and Agricultural Engineering to find lessons learned and help plan for future disruption in these courses. Four Senior Design Capstone Course instructors from different Biological and Agricultural Engineering departments were interviewed to gather their perspectives and experiences regarding changes in instruction;student projects' management and outcomes;as well as students' learning and performance in the course. The shift to remote learning triggered frustration on both students and instructors' sides. They also faced unprecedented challenges with technology and access. Instructors acknowledged student resilience and adaptability to the situation. The creative flexibility that instructors applied to course delivery, project deliverables and assessment is a key tool that allowed them to maintain the real-world experiential nature of BAE capstone programs. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021