The Design and Evaluation of Laboratories in Engineering Education: The Purpose-First Approach

Abstract

Laboratories are a key component in engineering education, shaping much of its identity. New technologies have disrupted these activities, but adoption remains sporadic and understudied. This thesis examines how laboratory design and evaluation practices may inhibit adoption and explores ways to enhance their effectiveness, asking: “How may laboratories in engineering education be effectively designed to meet the purposes their stakeholders require, and evaluated against these purposes?”. Quantitative experimental designs often fail to capture the complexity of these contexts, leading to research with limited validity. This thesis instead employs an Educational Design Research (EDR) methodology. EDR aims to produce both artifacts and design insights through iterative refinement.

These artifacts include an Approach that defines ontology, epistemology, and process, and a Framework that provides structural and communicative support. Iterative refinement was conducted with input from engineering education researchers and practitioners. The resulting artifacts are the Purpose-First Approach and the PIPOV Framework. The Purpose-First Approach embodies ontological, epistemological, methodological, and process perspectives with laboratories' purpose as the foundation. It integrates the EDR methodology to improve evaluation outcomes. The PIPOV Framework facilitates the adoption of this Approach by practitioners without extensive theoretical backgrounds. Empirical validation included expert review, a longitudinal collaborative study, and validation studies. Findings indicate that the artifacts effectively support laboratory design and evaluation. Their design processes align intuitively with engineering educators' practice.

Engineering education faces imminent technological disruption. Current practices struggle to address evolving challenges. The Purpose-First Approach and PIPOV Framework offer empirically validated, practice-tested solutions to meet this need.