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This paper summarizes the experiences of global faculty (N. America, Europe, Asia) in using an open design platform approach for project-based active learning in electronics, computing and ICT engineering education. A common design platform was used to support courses spanning a range of university engineering levels from 2 nd year undergraduate to 2 nd second year postgraduate programs, and across a range of disciplines from Digital Systems, Embedded Systems, VLSI/SoC-Design, Digital Communications and Signal Processing.

Engineering and science education is on a trajectory in which core domain knowledge is complemented by the economic and human dimensions of technology. Adding these dimensions can attract a broader range of students to technical careers while also producing more socially conscious innovators. There is growing interest in learning models that can combine technology and community engagement for exposing students to economic and human impacts. This paper outlines lessons learned from two different institutions with programs giving students deep experiences in community-based, technical design projects across both domestic and international environments. One program has grown within a large established university for almost two decades with an emphasis on engineering applied towards community-based design, and has scaled to over 20 universities. The other program emphasizes global collaboration and has been running for five years at a small, private engineering college with a focus on the intersection of engineering, entrepreneurship and society. Highlighting common elements of the two programs gives insights into how to introduce and sustain such education models. We present the lessons learned in critical areas such as curriculum and credit, institutional context, community partnering, faculty development, student preparation and assessment, development processes, project selection, project operations, team organization, advisor roles, and mentoring.

The National Academy of Engineering report "The Engineer of 2020" calls for the engineer of the future to exhibit "practical ingenuity". This requires an educational environment where the student can practice a systematic approach to engineering design. Based on global faculty best practices and industry experience, this paper outlines an electronic system design platform that is optimized for "active learning" approaches to improving ECE/ICT education and that emphasizes teaching students a systems approach to engineering. The platform focuses on the "Design & Build" of intelligent and embedded electronic systems as these are at the heart of solving global challenges in energy, environment, transportation, communications and healthcare.

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