Designing human-centred engineering and design education: analysing student engagement patterns to enhance learning experiences

This paper applies human-centred design principles to engineering education by investigating the relationships between student academic performance, online engagement metrics, and assessment strategies. By analysing datasets spanning three academic years (2021-2023) across 57 modules and 1,157 students, the study provides actionable insights to enhance learning experiences and inform curriculum design as an educational product-service system. Key findings reveal that higher online engagement strongly correlates with better academic performance, with distinct patterns emerging across levels of study and assessment types. Postgraduate students achieve higher marks with lower engagement levels, suggesting more efficient learning strategies that could benefit undergraduates through structured mentoring. Mixed assessment approaches generate highest engagement but lowest marks, indicating potential challenges in balancing diverse requirements. The findings demonstrate how data analytics can inform the design of responsive educational experiences that adapt to diverse student needs and engagement patterns—a core principle of human-centred design that students can directly experience through their learning journey.