Abstract:  Product design is one of the most important activities that can influence sustainability. Therefore, it is critical to educate students about these methodologies as they are the next generation of engineers. This paper details a study conducted among engineering graduate students for teaching sustainability through design critique. The students were part of a graduate level design course and were required to conceptualize designs of novel products. Upon completion of their designs, questionnaires which assessed their familiarity with sustainable design and its relation to product design were handed out. A team of design experts reviewed the final design concepts along with these questionnaires and offered a detailed design critique focused on redesign with regards to sustainability. The students then revised their design based on the feedback. A post-evaluation questionnaire and the modified design concepts were then collected to assess the success of the design critiques. Although student projects are limited in scope, and simplify real world problems, the learning through this project will enable them to design products that consider environmental sustainability.
