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Abstract. The number of smart appliances and devices in the home and office has grown dramatically in recent years. Unfortunately, these devices rarely interact with each other or the environment. In order to move from environments filled with smart devices to smart environments, there must be a framework for devices to communicate with each other and with the environment. This enables reasoners and automated decision makers to understand the environment and the data collected from it. Semantic web technologies provide this framework in a well-documented and flexible package. In this paper we present the Casas Ontology for Smart Environments (COSE) and accompanying data from a test smart environment and discuss the current and future challenges associated with a Smart Environment on the Semantic Web.

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Assessment of design process, design products, team process, and professional practice are natural fits in an engineering capstone design course. In order for instructors and students to fully experience the value of capstone course assessment activities, the activities must not only be carefully developed but must also be deployed in an appropriate manner. Course designers must choose an optimal set of assignments based on local needs, while balancing time intensive design project activities with professional growth experiences. Instructors must facilitate the complete cycle of usage of a single assignment in order to ensure that the value is understood before and after completion of the assessment. This paper introduces guidelines for achieving effectiveness in selecting, timing, and sequencing assessment activities, preparing for activity deployment, and implementing a facilitation plan. Additionally this paper reports on the feedback from students and faculty using the system that highlights the importance of naturalistically integrating assessment.

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