Ingenieur Vol.72 ingenieur October 2017-FA3 | Page 33

Interdisciplinary Capstone
Design Project in
Engineering Curriculum:
Issues and Challenges
Fathiyah Mohd Kamaruzaman, Roszilah Hamid and Azrul A. Mutalib
Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
In the 21 st century, technology is rapidly
changing, requiring engineering education
to prepare engineering graduates who
can meet the demands of Education 4.0,
which integrates the latest technologies
with industrial needs and global
partnerships. As engineers are required
to solve complex real-world problems,
interdisciplinary learning is required to
solve complex questions and problems.
In the engineering field, interdisciplinary
learning can be implemented in fourth
year capstone design projects. Currently,
interdisciplinary capstone design projects
are offered at most engineering faculties
nationwide. However, there is a limited
curriculum in many engineering schools
in Malaysia to cultivate interdisciplinary
learning in capstone design projects.
Issues and challenges to implement
interdisciplinary capstone design projects
are discussed in this article.
A
capstone design project or integrated
design project (IDP) is a compulsory subject
for all engineering programmes in Malaysia.
Based on an interview session with the Director
of Engineering Accreditation Department, Board
of Engineers Malaysia, Ir. Assoc. Prof. Abdul Aziz
Omar [1], it is crucial that a capstone design
project is included in an engineering programme
for it to be accredited by the Engineering
Accreditation Council (EAC).
The preparation of engineering graduates
for industrial careers, meeting workforce needs,
global economic competitiveness, capacities for
responding to global challenges features and work
as part of a team frequently involves a range of
specialists in industrial and academic literature
[2-7]. On top of that, engineering education is
requi