Preparation of Engineering Students for Capstone Design Experience through a Microprocessors Course

Abstract

Abstract-This paper presents the outcomes of a developed methodology to handle the project component in a higher-level undergraduate course. The approach relies on providing the students the freedom to choose their own project area as well as the utilized technology. At the same time, the students have to follow certain regulation to allow for the creation of a semi-capstone experience. We illustrate how this approach has a positive effect, not only on the project outcomes at the course level, but also on the students' performances in subsequent capstone courses. Data collected, over five consecutive course offerings, shows that this approach is an effective method to prepare engineering students for their senior design capstone courses.

Design of a Junior-Level Design Class: Work in Progress

“…Strongly Disagree (1) Somewhat disagree (2) Neither agree nor disagree (3) Somewhat agree (4) Strongly agree (5) The students were also asked 11 additional questions to provide more feedback, including qualitative written comments about their experiences in the course and ways that it might be improved. The average scores from the learning objectives assessment portion of the survey are shown in Figure 6.…”

“…[1] This experience most often takes the form of a "capstone" course, often referred to informally as a program's "senior design" course. Adequate preparation in earlier classes is essential for student success in the capstone course, and various curricular approaches have been undertaken by engineering programs to strengthen this preparation as discussed in [2], [3], and [4].…”

The Conversion of Capstone Senior Design to a Two-Semester Format

“…The outcomes with sufficient specificity enable straightforward assessment. With this framework, the course can be revised to accommodate the rise in enrollment [7] and the preparation of students for the course can be implemented [8], [9].…”