Recent changes to the criteria for engineering accreditation in Canada emphasize continuous curriculum improvement through outcomes-based assessment. In this paper, we show how the CDIO approach not only enables continuous improvement, but can assist Canadian engineering programs with the overall graduate attributes assessment process.
Conceive
Defining customer needs; considering technology, enterprise strategy, and regulations; developing concepts, techniques and business plans.
Design
Creating the design; the plans, drawings, and algorithms that describe what will be implemented.
Implement
The transformation of the design into the product, including manufacturing, coding, testing and validation.
Operate
Using the implemented product to deliver the intended value, including maintaining, evolving and retiring the system.
