Interdisciplinary projects have emerged as a cornerstone of modern engineering education, offering students a platform to integrate knowledge from multiple domains and tackle complex, real-world challenges. These projects are particularly effective in demonstrating how students achieve the specific outcomes required by ABET, the leading accreditation body for engineering and technology programs worldwide. By blending disciplines such as mechanical, electrical, computer, and civil engineering, students learn to synthesize diverse perspectives, communicate across technical boundaries, and develop innovative solutions that mirror professional practice. This article explores how interdisciplinary projects serve as a robust vehicle for assessing and validating ABET student outcomes, providing educators with actionable insights for curriculum design and accreditation preparation.

Understanding ABET Student Outcomes

ABET accreditation is a hallmark of quality in engineering education, ensuring that programs prepare graduates to enter the global workforce with the necessary skills and knowledge. The ABET Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs (2023–2024) define seven student outcomes (numbered 1–7) that all graduates must demonstrate. These outcomes replaced the earlier (a)–(k) criteria and reflect a more concise, performance-oriented framework. They are:

  • Outcome 1: An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
  • Outcome 2: An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
  • Outcome 3: An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
  • Outcome 4: An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
  • Outcome 5: An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
  • Outcome 6: An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
  • Outcome 7: An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

These outcomes form the backbone of program evaluation during ABET accreditation visits. Programs must provide evidence that their curricula and assessments ensure students achieve each outcome. Interdisciplinary projects, by their nature, address multiple outcomes simultaneously, making them a powerful tool for both instruction and assessment.

For official ABET criteria, refer to the ABET Engineering Accreditation Criteria.

The Role of Interdisciplinary Projects in Meeting ABET Outcomes

Interdisciplinary projects require students to draw upon knowledge and skills from two or more engineering disciplines (or from engineering and other fields such as business, humanities, or natural sciences). This integration mirrors the collaborative nature of modern engineering practice, where solutions to problems like climate change, infrastructure resilience, and medical device innovation demand expertise across many areas. Below we examine how interdisciplinary projects specifically contribute to each ABET outcome.

Solving Complex Engineering Problems (Outcome 1)

Complex engineering problems are those that involve multiple components, conflicting requirements, non-technical constraints, and the need for innovative thinking. Interdisciplinary projects naturally present such complexity. For example, designing an autonomous agricultural drone requires knowledge of aerodynamics (mechanical), control systems (electrical), computer vision (software), and even agronomy to ensure the drone is usable. Students must formulate the problem holistically, model interactions between subsystems, and iterate through solutions. This process directly aligns with Outcome 1. Assessment can occur through deliverables such as design reports, simulation results, and prototype demonstrations that capture the multifaceted nature of the problem-solving process.

Applying Engineering Design (Outcome 2)

Engineering design in an interdisciplinary context demands that students consider not only technical specifications but also broader societal, environmental, and economic factors. A project to develop a water purification system for underserved communities, for instance, forces students to address cost constraints, cultural acceptance, maintenance requirements, and environmental impact alongside chemical and hydraulic design. By working across disciplines, students learn to weigh trade-offs and produce solutions that are both effective and responsible. This directly meets Outcome 2. Faculty can evaluate design decisions via oral presentations, design reviews, and written justifications that demonstrate consideration of the required factors.

Effective Communication (Outcome 3)

Interdisciplinary projects enhance communication skills because students must explain concepts from their own discipline to team members with different backgrounds. A mechanical engineer describing a heat transfer mechanism to a computer science student or a civil engineer justifying a material choice to an environmental scientist require clarity, adaptation, and audience awareness. Students also produce written reports, technical drawings, and oral presentations that must be understandable to diverse stakeholders. Rubrics that assess communication clarity, organization, and responsiveness to audience needs provide evidence for Outcome 3. For guidance on teaching communication in engineering, see the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) resources.

Ethical and Professional Responsibilities (Outcome 4)

When students work across disciplines, ethical considerations often become more apparent because the impacts of engineering decisions extend beyond a single technical domain. For example, a team designing a smart city traffic management system must grapple with privacy concerns (data collection), equity (which neighborhoods get priority), and safety (system failures). Interdisciplinary teams bring diverse ethical perspectives, forcing students to articulate and defend their professional judgments. Assignments that require ethical analysis, such as writing a position paper on trade-offs or participating in a structured ethical reasoning exercise, can generate evidence for Outcome 4. ABET’s Ethics resources provide examples of how to embed ethical reasoning into curricula.

Teamwork and Collaboration (Outcome 5)

Outcome 5 emphasizes the ability to function effectively on teams, including leadership, collaboration, goal-setting, and task management. Interdisciplinary projects create authentic team experiences where members bring complementary expertise. A project to build a solar-powered charging station might involve electrical engineers (power electronics), mechanical engineers (structural design), and civil engineers (site preparation). Students must learn to delegate tasks, schedule interdependent activities, and resolve conflicts arising from different disciplinary norms. Peer evaluations, team charters, and self-reflection essays are common assessment tools. Programs should also provide training on teamwork skills early in the project to maximize learning. Research shows that interdisciplinary teams produce more creative solutions but require intentional facilitation to overcome communication barriers (National Academy of Engineering, 2005).

Experimentation and Data Analysis (Outcome 6)

Interdisciplinary projects often involve designing and conducting experiments that span multiple domains. For instance, a team testing a new prosthetic limb must design mechanical tests (strength, fatigue), electrical tests (sensor accuracy), and user trials (human factors). Students must decide which data to collect, how to analyze it statistically, and how to draw conclusions that inform design iterations. This aligns with Outcome 6, which expects students to apply engineering judgment to interpret data. Evidence can come from laboratory notebooks, data analysis reports, and presentations of experimental results. Programs should ensure students are exposed to appropriate statistical methods and experimental design principles within the context of the project.

Lifelong Learning (Outcome 7)

Interdisciplinary projects encourage lifelong learning because students inevitably encounter topics outside their core expertise. They must independently learn new concepts, software tools, or methodologies to complete the project. For example, a civil engineering student working on a bridge monitoring project may need to quickly learn basic programming for sensor data acquisition. This self-directed learning directly addresses Outcome 7. Assessment can include reflective essays where students articulate what new knowledge they acquired, how they acquired it, and how they plan to continue learning. Portfolios that document the progression of skills also provide strong evidence.

Designing Effective Interdisciplinary Projects

To maximize the impact of interdisciplinary projects on ABET outcomes, faculty and program administrators must carefully design both the project and the supporting assessment framework. Below are key considerations.

Curriculum Integration

Interdisciplinary projects should not be isolated events but rather embedded in a sequence of courses that build skills incrementally. Many programs use a capstone design course as the culminating interdisciplinary experience, but earlier project-based courses in the sophomore and junior years can also incorporate cross-disciplinary elements. For example, a “cornerstone” project in the first year might introduce students to teamwork and basic engineering design, while a “keystone” project in the junior year adds complexity and disciplinary integration. A curriculum map can help ensure that each ABET outcome is addressed in multiple courses and that interdisciplinary projects provide direct evidence for assessment.

Assessment Strategies

Assessment of ABET outcomes via interdisciplinary projects should be direct, systematic, and embedded in the work students produce. Common direct assessment methods include:

  • Rubric-scored reports: Evaluate final reports against criteria linked to each outcome. For example, a report grade might include a component for ethical analysis (Outcome 4) and another for data interpretation (Outcome 6).
  • Oral presentations with rubrics: Assess communication skills (Outcome 3) and ability to answer questions about design decisions (Outcome 2).
  • Peer and self-assessments: Collect evidence of teamwork (Outcome 5) and lifelong learning (Outcome 7).
  • Design reviews: Use faculty panels to judge design quality and the consideration of constraints (Outcome 2).
  • Prototypes and demonstrations: Verify that the solution works and meets specifications (Outcomes 1, 6).

Indirect methods such as exit surveys can supplement but should not replace direct evidence. Programs should archive samples of student work from interdisciplinary projects to present during ABET accreditation visits.

Faculty Collaboration and Support

Effective interdisciplinary projects require collaboration among faculty from different departments. This can be challenging due to differences in teaching philosophy, workload allocation, and administrative structures. Schools should provide incentives such as teaching credits, joint appointments, or funding for curriculum development. Workshops on interdisciplinary pedagogy can help faculty learn best practices. Additionally, having a dedicated project coordinator or a center for engineering education can streamline logistics and ensure consistency.

Case Studies of Successful Interdisciplinary Projects

Several universities have implemented interdisciplinary projects that effectively demonstrate ABET outcomes. Below are three examples illustrating different approaches.

Example 1: The Solar-Powered Vehicle Project (University of Michigan)

At the University of Michigan, students from mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering collaborate on the design and construction of a solar-powered passenger vehicle for the American Solar Challenge. The project spans two semesters and includes detailed design reviews, manufacturing, testing, and competition. Team members must integrate thermodynamics, power electronics, aerodynamics, and embedded systems. The project provides evidence for all seven ABET outcomes, especially Outcome 2 (design with sustainability) and Outcome 5 (multidisciplinary teamwork). Faculty assess outcomes through design reports, competition performance, and peer evaluations. More information can be found at the University of Michigan Solar Car Team website.

Example 2: The Assistive Technology Design Course (Olin College of Engineering)

Olin College’s “Engineering for Humanity” course pairs engineering students with clients from disability service organizations. Teams of students from mechanical, electrical, and software engineering work alongside occupational therapists and end-users to design and build custom assistive devices. The interdisciplinary nature of the project forces students to understand human factors, ethical obligations, and constraints such as affordability and simplicity. Outcomes assessed include ethical reasoning (Outcome 4), teamwork (Outcome 5), and lifelong learning as students often need to learn new fabrication techniques. The project culminates in a prototype demonstration and a design report. Olin’s approach is described in their Sponsored Projects program documentation.

Example 3: The Urban Agriculture System (Colorado School of Mines)

At Colorado School of Mines, an interdisciplinary capstone project focused on designing and building a controlled-environment agriculture system for an urban rooftop. The team includes civil engineers (structural loading), mechanical engineers (HVAC and irrigation), electrical engineers (lighting and controls), and environmental engineers (water quality). Students must integrate knowledge across these fields while also considering economic feasibility and community impact. The project provides a rich context for assessing design under constraints (Outcome 2), complex problem-solving (Outcome 1), and experimentation (Outcome 6) as students test different lighting configurations and crop types. Details are available through the Mines Capstone Design Program.

Overcoming Challenges in Interdisciplinary Education

While interdisciplinary projects offer clear benefits, they also present challenges that programs must address to avoid undermining the educational value and assessment validity.

Misaligned Disciplinary Expectations

Different disciplines have varying norms for rigor, documentation, and problem-solving. For example, a mechanical engineer may prioritize thorough analysis before prototyping, while a computer engineer may prefer iterative development. These differences can lead to conflict and frustration. Programs can mitigate this by providing explicit training on integrated design processes (e.g., systems engineering approaches) and by scaffolding team interactions early in the project. Checklists and milestone templates that define expectations for each discipline help standardize deliverables.

Assessment Consistency

Because interdisciplinary projects involve multiple faculty advisors, grading can become inconsistent if rubrics are not clearly defined and calibrated. Programs should conduct norming sessions where faculty score sample student work together and discuss discrepancies. Using electronic portfolios with embedded rubrics can streamline the collection of evidence for ABET outcomes. Additionally, having a single course coordinator responsible for assessment ensures uniform application of criteria.

Resource and Logistic Constraints

Interdisciplinary projects often require specialized laboratory space, equipment, and software across departments. Institutions must invest in shared facilities and allocate budgets for consumables. Scheduling common meeting times across different majors is also difficult. Solutions include reserving specific afternoons each week for project work, using online collaboration tools, and adopting a common project management platform. Administrative support from the dean’s office is critical to sustain these initiatives.

Conclusion

Interdisciplinary projects are not just a pedagogical innovation—they are a necessity for demonstrating ABET student outcomes in a holistic, authentic manner. By requiring students to integrate knowledge from multiple fields, communicate across technical boundaries, consider ethical and societal impacts, and work effectively in diverse teams, these projects directly address all seven ABET outcomes. Furthermore, they prepare graduates for the interdisciplinary nature of modern engineering practice, where the most pressing problems—sustainable energy, healthcare accessibility, resilient infrastructure—demand collaboration across disciplines. Engineering programs that invest in well-designed interdisciplinary projects, coupled with robust assessment strategies, will not only meet accreditation requirements but also produce engineers who are adaptable, innovative, and ready to lead. As ABET continues to evolve its criteria, the importance of interdisciplinary learning will only grow, making it a cornerstone of 21st-century engineering education.