Assessing Mechanical Engineering Undergraduates’ Conceptual Knowledge in Three Dimensional Computer Aided Design (3D CAD)
Research on the relation between conceptual and procedural knowledge has shown that fusing them enhances understanding of domain knowledge. Various methods have been developed to assess undergraduates’ conceptual understanding of a particular domain. Nevertheless, in the teaching and learning of Computer Aided Design (CAD) in higher education, students were not assessed on their conceptual understanding on the utilization of the software. The assessments of outcome were based on procedural or command knowledge rather than the conceptual understanding, which is usually associated with a particular subject matter. In addition, both types of knowledge are emphasized within the context of achieving outcomes of domain related subject matter such as Machine Design or Technical Drawing. Some students might not be aware that there are concepts underlying the procedure they are using. As such, students’ conceptual knowledge in Three Dimensional Computer Aided Design (3D CAD) is as important as their procedural knowledge. The question now arises as to whether the students acquire adequate conceptual knowledge through a formal or informal learning process in higher institution before they are employed by manufacturing industries. This chapter briefly discusses the concept of developing 3D CAD model. Then, categories of the essential concepts in the development of the model are presented. Implementation of Concept Map to assess students’ conceptual understanding on 3D modeling technique will be addressed.