Your work in EPICS will be assessed based on the following five evaluation criteria:

  • Individual accomplishments and contributions

Accomplishments address contributions to both the project and the team:

Project contributions:  A variety of tasks throughout the design process which contribute to the project's progress, such as stakeholder analysis, specification development, prototype development, proof-of-concept testing, analysis, brainstorming, testing (user and functional), and finalized and delivered project.  This also can include learning that is needed for the project as long as it is articulated how this contributes to the project and provides artifacts that assist team members in using that knowledge as well (e.g., how-to document).  Excellent accomplishments in this area have a significant impact on the design and/or deliverables, demonstrating an excellent understanding of the relevant discipline-specific issues related to the project as expected for your year.  Documentation of these contributions are not simply lists of tasks, but detail the learning and project design issues being addressed.  The documentation includes the prototypes or products themselves, relevant information in the design documentation, design records, and work in individual notebook.

Team contributions: Accomplishments which contribute to the overall team, such as webmaster, financial officer. 

  • Design process

Demonstrating your process means making visible your thinking and steps throughout the design. 

Documenting procedures and logic used in problem-solving. Respond to the framework (or a framework) of human-centered design. Terms used are consistent with the framework. The process that the student is going through is very visible. Uses multiple ways of documenting processes, including diagrams. Although the low-level procedures are documented, the student connects what s/he is doing to the overall focus of the design. Documents why they are having difficulty in areas of the design, not just that they have issues.

Excellent processes should lead to excellent accomplishments. Intentional and not haphazard. Human-centered and not technology-centered. Strategic - moving the project forward. Thoughtfully iterative - how does their current way of thinking and doing respond to what they have done? How does their design respond to feedback from stakeholders/users? Using the right tool at the right time of the process - converging/diverging on the design at appropriate times.

  • Reflective and critical thinking

There are a variety of ways in which you can demonstrate reflective and critical thinking:

Critical thinking of technical approaches: Noting the next steps with regard to the current status of the project; demonstration of foresight. Does not just describe the procedures taken but also states why the procedural steps were taken. Articulated and thorough explanations of technical problems. Inclusion of testing in the overall process. Artifacts such as a decision-making matrix, DFMEAs.

Critical review of design and team processes: Identifies aspects of design and team processes that are going well, as well as problems and potential problems; can include possible solutions and plans for addressing problems. Not just a description of events but a reflection on those events.

Articulated learning: Provides examples of articulated learning. Makes transparent the realization/learning process. Recognition of how the learning can transfer to other settings. Not just a summary. Follows a clear reflective framework: What did I learn? How did I learn it? Why does this learning matter? What will/could I or others do in light of this learning?

Please note that although it reflects the critical thinking of your learning and your team, it is a professional document that will be kept with the team for future semesters.

  • Teamwork and leadership

  • Oral and written communication

The following artifacts will be used for assessment:

  1. Project
    1. Prototypes, demos, completed projects, etc.
    2. Design documentation
    3. Design review presentations
    4. Project partner communications (e.g., presentations, meetings, memos, feedback)
  2. Individual
  3. Notebook, blog, other posted work
  4. Final reflection
  5. Peer evaluation and feedback (i.e., your participation and others' evaluation of you)
  6. Participation in lab session, project team, and PDHs
  7. Individual evaluation rubric (i.e., self-evaluation of work planned and completed)

The Milestones Schedule provides an overview of the semester deliverables. 

Individual Evaluation Rubric

Instructions for using the IER (docx)

Select the correct rubric for your course level.