Improvements to a University Capstone Design Program Through the Use of Industrial Mentors and Increased Milestone Deliverables

Abstract

This paper reviews some recent major changes made to the Senior Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Program at UBC. The program now consists of a two-term senior level design sequence where student teams work on open-ended design problems sponsored by outside clients. In order to reinforce relevance and ensure that practices parallel those of industry, the Department recruited local senior engineers to serve as engineering mentors to the students and work in concert with the course instructors. Several milestones were established during the duration of the program year to reinforce good design practice beginning from an agreement on client needs and proceeding through concept generation, selection, analysis and finally ending with prototype construction and evaluation. The paper highlights the improvements made to the program as a result of these changes and presents an example of a student design project developed under the new model.

Current Practices in Final Year Engineering Design Courses

“…Different approaches are taken to solicit and manage industry sources. Some institutions directly solicit companies [4,9,10], while others have students recruit industry sponsors [11]. Companies are usually required to provide a mentor or contact for the student team.…”

“…In most Canadian capstone courses, students form their own teams. However, in 13% of capstone courses, students are assigned to teams ( Figure 10) via an application process [4,13,20], random selection [21], or by grades [22,23]. Interdepartmental teams are permitted or required in 39% of Canadian capstone courses reviewed.…”

“…Some universities charge fees as high as thousands of dollars for student work on the project and use of the university facilities [5,12]. Others charge nothing, or request "in-kind" support for the student team"s budget [4,10]. Often, companies are also required to provide their own facilities for student prototyping or to fabricate a prototype in-house.…”