Students' perceptions of an active learning approach to capstone projects

Engineering graduates, local and international, need to communicate effectively. The requirement of better communication skills is recognised as important generic skills applicable to all graduate engineers. Evidence shows that communication skills of engineering students, particularly, in producing reports, poster, and giving oral presentations are often below their expected level in an industrial environment. The final year capstone project in the engineering curriculum addresses the need for communicating effectively. These skills have been incorporated into the early stages of the final year capstone project, as an active learning process, in a series of seminars and practical applications to provide the students with these capabilities. These are very important for international students, whose first language is not English and who may not have had the appropriate training or experience. This article provides the results of a survey conducted among final year engineering students, who enrolled in the final year capstone project. It examines the effect of an active learning process to boost their communication skills. The outcomes show that the majority of students, both international and local, found intensive tutorial activities to be most useful as an adjunct to their learning.