The Effectiveness of basic Design Project (Cornerstone) in Students’ Competency Development

Students’ lack of ability to relate basic knowledge such as science and mathematics with engineering problems has often been discussed at various levels. As a solution to this problem, a basic design project (cornerstone project) was introduced at the Department of Civil and Structural Engineering of the Faculty of Engineering of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). Competency measurements have been conducted to determine not only students’ ability to apply basic knowledge but also other competencies such as ability to work in groups, communication skills, critical thinking skills and also engineering skills. The study presents the findings of those measurements as well as the intervention done in order to overcome students’ weaknesses.