Development and Empirical Research on Competency Indicators for Starlink Design-Based Learning Innovation Courses

Development and Empirical Research on Competency Indicators for Starlink Design-Based Learning Innovation Courses

This study aimed to enhance a Starlink Design-based Learning (DBL) Innovation course at a Science and Technology university by formulating competency indices, course content, assessment tools, and instructional materials. Thirteen experts in satellite communication, spectrum management, satellite applications, launch, and system integration employed the fuzzy Delphi method to evaluate the significance of the capability indices. Taking 39 junior students enrolled in practical courses as the subjects, this study conducted an 18-week quasi-experimental teaching and used importance-performance analysis to explore the impact of the Starlink DBL Innovation course on student learning effectiveness. This study identified five key capability indices, encompassing the Starlink system, satellite communication technology, spectrum management, satellite network applications, and sustainable satellite technology development, with 21 specific indicators. The Starlink system index garnered the highest importance according to the experts’ evaluations. According to the IPA results, 21 indicators were classified into the four categories of Keep Up the Good Work, Concentrate Here, Low Priority, and Possible Overkill, which were used to provide specific and feasible suggestions for course improvement so as to adjust the teaching content and methods in a targeted manner and thereby improve student learning experience and effectiveness. At the same time, this study proposed a number of relatively low-importance performance indicators that were present in the overall evaluation of the students, which may provide new directions in future teaching and research and are worth further in-depth research and exploration. These findings could inform the development of the Starlink DBL Innovation course and other relevant thematic courses, offering a pioneering framework for interdisciplinary technology education and cultivating adept graduates. This research contributed to the literature by providing practical tools to elevate technology-focused curricula.