Abstract:

This paper presents a novel set of tools to enhance the learning process in Computer-Aided Design for Engineering Education. The work is embedded in a wider project that attempts to automate the full cycle of homework scheduling, test design, submission and grading, with a detailed analysis of the skill development process. In this paper, we focus particularly on the workflow encompassing skill mapping, exercise design, homework scheduling, procedural wording generation, test differentiation, management of difficulty levels and homework submission. The main objective is the automaton of the whole process, from the beginning to end, guaranteeing that each student is tackling problems that are substantially different from their peers, keeping equal the complexity of their tasks. With full automation, not only repetitive instructor tasks such as exam revision are reduced or eliminated in favor of a more personal tuition style, but student feedback becomes immediate, and exercises can be adapted in real time to the learning pace of each student. Moreover, side activities can be automatically proposed whenever a special need for developing a specific skill is detected. The learning cycle must be completed by automating the grading system, but as this is a complex topic, it will be reported in subsequent work. The whole system has been implemented in practice in the Loyola Andalusia University for several years, and some of the results are analyzed.

Keywords:

Engineering Education, Automatic Evaluation, Internet Web-based Learning, Problem-based learning, Computer Aided Design, CAD.