Conference Session

Project-Based Learning in ECE Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Archibald, Brigham Young University; Doran Wilde, Brigham Young University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

autonomous vehicles. Dr. Wilde is a senior member of the IEEE and is the father of seven children and eight grandchildren. Page 14.1247.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 The Robot Racer Capstone Project Doran Wilde, James Archibald Brigham Young UniversityAbstractThis article describes a senior design project based on small vision guided autonomousvehicles that satisfies the longtime ABET requirement of a culminating designexperience. The design and development of autonomous robots is well suited to capstonedesign projects because of the

Conference Session

Embedded System Design

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mouna Nakkar, University of Sharjah

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

AC 2009-1140: VHDL PROJECT TUTORIAL ON ALTERA DE2 BOARDMouna Nakkar, University of Sharjah Page 14.1346.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 VHDL Project Tutorial on Altera DE2 BoardAbstractThis paper presents a project tutorial designed for junior/senior students specializing inembedded systems. The project and tutorial provides a practical introduction to system-on-chip(SoC) design and general knowledge of FPGA and reconfigurable computing. The design isimplemented on Altera DE2 board. The board is a small cost FPGA-based SoPC systemdesigned for educational use. It has a wide range of I/O interfaces typically found in standard PC.This design can

Conference Session

Laboratory Development in ECE Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Zorica Nedic, University of South Australia; Andrew Nafalski, University of South Australia; Ozdemir Gol, University of South Australia; Jan Machotka, University of South Australia

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

AC 2009-784: A PROJECT-BASED LABORATORY FOR A COMMONFIRST-YEAR ENGINEERING COURSEZorica Nedic, University of South Australia Zorica Nedic received her MESc degree in electrical engineering, specializing in electronics, from the University of Belgrade, former Yugoslavia. She obtained her ME in electrical engineering (control) in 1997 from the University of South Australia (UniSA), Adelaide, Australia. She worked for six years as a design engineer at the Institute Mihajlo Pupin in Belgrade. Since 1991, she has been working as a lecturer in electrical engineering at the UniSA. She is currently studying for her PhD degree at the UniSA in the field of modeling biological vision.Andrew

Conference Session

Project-Based Learning in ECE Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ed Doering, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Sam Shearman, National Instruments

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

). Page 14.341.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Communication Systems Laboratory Projects Featuring Interactive Simulation and VisualizationAbstractEngineering communication systems courses rely heavily on mathematical descriptions that canbe difficult for students to quickly grasp. Hands-on laboratory projects and interactive simulationare two well-established methods to help students develop an intuitive understanding of aknowledge domain. Constructing a tangible physical system helps students connect themathematically-expressed concepts to something real. Moreover, building an interactivesimulation fosters intuition, provided the simulation itself can be constructed quickly andefficiently.We

Conference Session

Project-Based Learning in ECE Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Hoffbeck, University of Portland

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

) signalswith the ADC's and DAC's. The USRP is an open source platform, so the schematic and designfiles are freely available.In addition, the USRP is compatible with the open source project GNU Radio that hasimplemented a vast array of algorithms needed to construct analog and digital communicationsystems (modulation, source coding, error correction, interleaving, filtering, etc.). The low-levelalgorithms are written in C++ and are controlled by high-level Python programs. The sourcecode for GNU Radio is also freely available.Together the USRP and GNU Radio form a powerful and flexible platform that allows the userto implement various real-time communication systems simply by writing software. Receiversthat operate in real-time can be constructed for

Conference Session

Project-Based Learning in ECE Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stuart Wentworth, Auburn University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

decade, in the first junior level laboratory our Electrical Engineering students haveassembled, tested and analyzed an AM/FM radio using a commercially available kit. A primarygoal for this course is for students to understand basic concepts from electronics,electromagnetics, and signals and systems along with how these concepts are integrated torealize a working radio. Students studied schematics, received training in how to solder,modeled portions of the circuit with PSpice, and studied operation of a variety of devicesincluding diodes, transistors, and antennas. Towards the end of the semester, students weretasked with a design project. This tended to be the students’ favorite part of the course, beingsomewhat more involved than the kit

Conference Session

Project-Based Learning in ECE Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sharlene Katz, California State University, Northridge; James Flynn, California State University, Northridge

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

, oscilloscopes and signal generators – at a mouse click. Thestudents benefit from immediate and tangible experience in applying the complex theories andprinciples they are trying to master.Perhaps the most attractive aspect of SDR is the availability of signal databases8-10. In SDR Page 14.1332.3large sections of the RF spectrum can be digitized and recorded in computer files. These filesallow students to experiment with real signals without any hardware component. This alsoallows faculty to assign projects to students without requiring expensive hardware. Section III ofthis paper gives an overview of SDR for those unfamiliar with this relatively new

Conference Session

Project-Based Learning in ECE Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Keith Hoover, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; JianJian Song, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Edward Wheeler, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; James Drewniak, Missouri University of Science and Technology

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Conference Session

Innovations in ECE Education II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Radian Belu, Drexel University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

AC 2009-792: A PROJECT-BASED POWER ELECTRONICS COURSE WITH ANINCREASED CONTENT OF RENEWABLE-ENERGY APPLICATIONSRadian Belu, Drexel University Page 14.91.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009A Project-based Power Electronics Course with an Increased Content of Renewable Energy ApplicationsAbstractThis paper will described a project- and problem-based learning approach in teachingpower electronics for upper-level undergraduate students enrolled in the appliedengineering technology program at our university. This course will have an increasedcontent of applications of power electronics in renewable energy conversion systems.Power electronics, still

Conference Session

Laboratory Development in ECE Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mustafa Guvench, University of Southern Maine

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

AC 2009-2152: MOSIS FABRICATED CMOS OPERATIONAL AMPLIFIERS FORCLASS PROJECTS IN AN ANALOG I.C. DESIGN COURSEMustafa Guvench, University of Southern Maine Dr. Mustafa G. Guvench received M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics from Case Western Reserve University. He is currently a full professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Southern Maine. Prior to joining U.S.M. he served on the faculties of the University of Pittsburgh and M.E.T.U., Ankara, Turkey. His research interests and publications span the field of microelectronics including I.C. design, MEMS and semiconductor technology and its application in sensor development, finite element and analytical

Conference Session

Design in the ECE Curriculum

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mustafa Guvench, University of Southern Maine

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

AC 2009-2191: DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF IMPACT (ACCELERATION)SENSORS AS CLASS PROJECTS IN A MEMS COURSEMustafa Guvench, University of Southern Maine Dr. Mustafa G. Guvench received M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics from Case Western Reserve University. He is currently a full professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Southern Maine. Prior to joining U.S.M. he served on the faculties of the University of Pittsburgh and M.E.T.U., Ankara, Turkey. His research interests and publications span the field of microelectronics including I.C. design, MEMS and semiconductor technology and its application in sensor development, finite element and analytical

Conference Session

Design in the ECE Curriculum

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mihaela Radu, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Clint COLE, Washington State University, Pullman; Mircea Dabacan, Technical University of Cluj Napoca, Romania; Joe Harris, DigilentInc; Albert Fazekas, Technical University of Cluj Napoca, Romania; Ioana DABACAN, Technical University of Cluj Napoca, Romania

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

community 4. Several students answering the surveys said that it sounded fun or cool, and one student was proud to represent his school. At both schools, the emphasis of the competition is on conceptual design, implementation andvalidation of original and projects using FPGA boards and HDL languages (VHDL at TUCNand Verilog at RHIT). The contest is mainly dedicated to undergraduate students, who enter thecompetition with original projects. In terms of logistics the idea is to have a “Call for Projects”in the fall quarter at RHIT /fall semester at TUCN, to assess and accept the projects in the Page 14.414.3winter quarter/ fall semester, and to

Conference Session

Design in the ECE Curriculum

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gregory Bucks, Purdue University; William Oakes, Purdue University; Jeffrey Richardson, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

leadershipskills. The younger students are integrated into real engineering projects earlier in their careersgiving them a genuine engineering experience that serves to address retention challenges facingmany engineering programs. A challenge, however, is creating projects that both challenge theolder students and allow the younger students to participate. At Purdue University, verticallyintegrated teams are brought together to address the needs identified in the local community.LabVIEW tools are utilized to allow the younger students to get up to speed on the projects andparticipate in areas such as data acquisition, data analysis, and microcontroller programming.This paper describes how the vertically integrated teams are formed, provides an overview of

Conference Session

New Trends in ECE Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Arun Ravindran, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Patricia Tolley, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Arindam Mukherjee, University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

required for the course areprogramming using a high level language such as C/C++ or Java and an understanding of logicdesign, both which a typical undergraduate computer engineering student acquires at thesophomore or the junior level. An associated laboratory component was also developed, whereweekly hands-on laboratory sessions serve to reinforce the ideas learned in the lecture. Thecourse projects are drawn from a variety of disciplines which use high performance computingincluding bioinformatics, scientific computing, and signal processing. The course was assessedthrough pre and post tests, focus groups, and external evaluators drawn from faculty from otherdepartments. Our assessments indicate that the course has had a significant impact on

Conference Session

Innovations in ECE Education II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rachid Manseur, State University of New York, Oswego; Adrian Ieta, State University of New York, Oswego

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

AC 2009-566: INTEGRATION OF AN INNOVATIVE ENGINEERING PROGRAMIN A SUNY COLLEGERachid Manseur, State University of New York, OswegoAdrian Ieta, State University of New York, Oswego Adrian Ieta holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering (2004) from The University of Western Ontario, Canada. He also holds a B.Sc. in Physics from the University of Timisoara, Romania (1984), a B.E.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from the Polytechnical University of Timisoara (1992), and an M.E.Sc. from The University of Western Ontario (1999). He worked on industrial projects within the Applied Electrostatics Research Centre and the Digital Electronics Research Group at the University of Western Ontario and is an IEEE

Conference Session

New Trends in ECE Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kuang Xu, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Elizabeth Van Ruitenbeek, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

something about it.Leading a student initiative to bring research opportunities to freshman and sophomore electricaland computer engineering (ECE) students, Xu directed the creation of the PromotingUndergraduate Research in ECE (PURE) program.The primary aim of PURE is to provide motivated undergraduate students with researchopportunities while they are freshmen and sophomores. At the beginning of the semester, PUREactively recruits both graduate and undergraduate students and facilitates the mentor-menteematching process. Then, over the course of the semester, the graduate student research mentorguides the undergraduate student through an educational research project. For manyundergraduate participants, PURE provides their first real exposure to

Conference Session

Laboratory Development in ECE Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adnaan Jiwaji, MIT; James Hardison, MIT; Kayode P. Ayodele, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria; Sandy Stevens Tickodri-Togboa, Makerere University; Alfred Mwambela, University of Dar-es-Salaam; V. Judson Harward, MIT; Jesús A. del Alamo, MIT; Bryant Harrison, MIT; Samuel Gikandi, MIT

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Faculty of Technology, Makerere University. He holds B.Sc. (Hons.) in Electrical Engineering, M.Sc. (Hons.) in Radio Engineering, PhD (Technical) in Electrical Communications Engineering. Presently he is the Deputy Dean (Finance & Administration), Head of Engineering Mathematics and a Member of the University Senate. He is the Principal Investigator on the iLabs (iLabs@Mak) Project, Faculty Mentor on the Vehicle Design Summit (VDS) Project, and Team Leader on the Academic Records Management System (ARMS) Project, all at Makerere University. His Research areas include Information Communications Technology (ICT), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Mathematical

Conference Session

Innovations in ECE Education I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Susan Burkett, University of Alabama; Charles Snead, University of Alabama

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

brainstorming, formalizing a construction plan,drawing schematic representations of the instrument/lamp, generating a parts/tool list, andimplementation of the design. This project addressed the need for promoting creative thought inengineering undergraduate students for enhanced product design. Attention was given to theartistic component, a view often neglected. There were 43 total students in the class and theywere arranged into seven groups. The music department donated the instruments that included a:saxophone, clarinet, bassoon, piccolo, trumpet, mellophone, and trombone. The students weretasked to design and build a lamp from these instruments and the team budgets averaged $60 pergroup. The laboratory activity and completed lamp designs will be

Conference Session

ECE Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Haluk Ozemek, San Jose State University; Preetpal Kang, San Jose State University; Albert Khanh Nguyen, San Jose State University; pradeep badhan, San Jose State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

transducers. A complete set of lab exercises enable students to build robots as a class projectwithout requiring any background in electronics or programming. The course also introduces thefundamentals of embedded systems and hardware/software co-design to sophomore students.INTRODUCTIONComputer Engineers must have proficient knowledge of both computer hardware and softwarewhich has produced the fundamentals of this course. In this course, a sophomore becomesknowledgeable on how software can interact with hardware, and how real world problems aresolved by employing both hardware and software. As a result, students establish strongeducational foundation which eliminates the difficulties on an actual project that they encounterin their professional

Conference Session

Laboratory Development in ECE Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mukul Shirvaikar, University of Texas, Tyler; Karthik Somaraju, University of Texas, Tyler

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

in ElectricalEngineering (BSEE) curriculum has a required course in microprocessors and the prerequisitesare courses in structured programming and digital systems. The laboratory procedures developedfor this course are aimed at meeting the learning objectives of this course including assemblylanguage programming, program debugging, serial communication, input/output devices,interrupts, interfacing, and direct memory access (DMA). The laboratory projects introducestudents to the host–target environment using an integrated development environment (IDE). Theplatform currently utilized is a Freescale Semiconductor 68HC11 board produced by AxiomManufacturing. The 68HC11 is a dated 8-bit architecture and has proved to be a robust platformto teach

Conference Session

Embedded System Design

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

matt gallagher, Vermont Technical College; Andre St. Denis, Vermont Technical College; John Murphy, Vermont Technical College

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

peripherals and a complexprocessor appear to serve the immediate needs of the introductory microprocessor course.Students who chose to use a microcontroller in a future project were forced to design circuitboards requiring fabrication and assembly at outside vendors at considerable cost; this tended todiscourage their use in our capstone projects course. We discuss our current introductory coursethat uses a MC9S08QG8/4 microcontroller from Freescale. It comes in a sixteen pin DIPpackage, has an internal clock and can be programmed using the same Codewarrior softwareIDE Freescale uses for all of its microcontrollers and can be programmed through aUSBSPYDER08∀interface. We developed a set of four simple input/output boards so studentscan exercise

Conference Session

Design in the ECE Curriculum

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mark McDermott, University of Texas, Austin; Jacob Abraham, University of Texas, Austin; Mihir Ravel, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

requires the student to apply the knowledge of the three laboratory assignments to a realworld application. These applications include generating functional elements and libraries thatcan be used as building blocks in a larger VLSI implementation. The project is reviewed by thecourse instructor(s).Course 2 - Advanced VLSI DesignThe second course focuses on the “Early Design Planning” of complex SoC platforms andfeasibility analysis of critical circuits in the design. The students are required to do a class projectin lieu of individual lab assignments. The class project is designed to be as “real-world” aspossible utilizing a synthesizable open source Verilog model of a SoC as the design platform.The design platform undergoes detailed power and

Conference Session

Innovations in ECE Education I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Eric Freudenthal, University of Texas, El Paso; Mary Kay Roy, University of Texas, El Paso; Alexandria Ogrey, University of Texas, El Paso; Ann Gates, University of Texas, El Paso

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

plan at UTEP (“CS-1”), a large fraction of incoming freshmen mustattend several semesters of preparatory “pre calculus” math courses. Most of these students willhave limited if any prior exposure to programming or engineering. The initial implementation ofour course was intended solely to provide an engaging first experience with programming, andfollowed Mark Guzdial’s “Media Computation” curriculum. Dr. Guzdial’s curriculum hassuccessfully engaged Liberal Arts students in programming through the creation of aestheticallymotivated multimedia projects. Attendees in pre-engineering and pre-professional programsreported lack of interest in these aesthetically- focused projects and requested more practicalprojects and assignments. The course has

Conference Session

Innovations in ECE Education II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carl Shek, Virginia Tech; Kathleen Meehan, Virginia Tech; Robert Hendricks, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

. Theadvantage of podcasts is that students can view the tutorials while their computers are runningthe oscilloscope program, enabling real-time instructional support as they work on their labswhile on or off campus. The podcasts are a mixture of still images and screen shots imported intoa Powerpoint presentation with an audio track added. Currently, tutorials are compatible withthree platforms: iPod nano, iPod Classic, and the iPod Touch. An explanation of the techniquesapplied during the development of the tutorials and a brief review of the current tutorials areprovided.IntroductionA project known as Lab-in-a-Box (LiaB) was developed at Virginia Tech as one of the outcomesof a department-level reform of the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE

Conference Session

Innovations in ECE Education I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Xingguo Xiong, University of Bridgeport; Linfeng Zhang, University of Bridgeport; Junling Hu, University of Bridgeport; Lawrence Hmurcik, University of Bridgeport

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

till finally the nano-devices are shaped. Thenanolithography techniques, such as extreme UV lithography (EUV), X-ray lithography,E-beam projection lithography (EPL), ion projection lithography, microcontact printing,nanoimprinting, and SPM (scanning probe microscope) based techniques are used in top-down approach. In bottom-up approach, it creates a construct by assembling simplebuilding blocks (atoms, molecules, etc.) according to pre-designed scheme. It relies onthe self-assembly and self-organization of the molecules, which is totally different fromthe top-down approach used in VLSI fabrication in the past decades. In conclusion, microand nano fabrication techniques are important knowledge backgrounds to understand theMEMS and

Conference Session

ECE Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Georgios Anagnostopoulos, Florida Institute of Technology; Michael Georgiopoulos, University of Central Florida; Veton Kepuska, Florida Institute of Technology; Kenneth Stanley, University of Central Florida; Alison Morrison-Shetlar, University of Central Florida; Pat Lancey, University of Central Florida; Paula Krist, University of Central Florida; Tace Crouse, University of Central Florida

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Effectiveness Assessment process and supports assessment of academic programs and administrative departments. She also designs statistical studies to provide information about student engagement, institutional conditions that enhance student learning outcomes, progression, and retention to provide actionable reports to decision makers to include upper administration, faculty and staff. Dr. Lancey has served as the outside evaluator for several NSF funded grant projects. Prior to this, she held positions at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Westat, Inc., University of Alabama, and Palm Beach Community College. She presents papers and workshops for faculty and administrators on educational

Conference Session

Laboratory Development in ECE Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Prakash Ranganathan, University of North Dakota; Richard Schultz, University of North Dakota

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

richard.schultz@mail.und.eduAbstract - This paper focuses on a new approach to teach electrical engineeringprinciples and how to promote student learning through different innovative projects thatcan be developed with the use of the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT kit powered by acustomized National Instruments LabView program. Even though, the use of LEGONXT brick has been in practice and prevails in today’s K-12 classrooms, this paper willprimarily focus on how the use of NXT can be expanded to students in colleges anduniversities at freshmen and Sophomore levels using simple DAQ board and prototypeinterface unit. Originally, NXT was intended for use by children at home or in theclassroom, but the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT system has been acquired by tens ofthousands of

Conference Session

Innovations in ECE Education III

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Buket Barkana, University of Bridgeport; Navarun Gupta, University of Bridgeport; Lawrence Hmurcik, University of Bridgeport

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

AC 2009-687: IMPROVING TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES OF TEACHINGGRADUATE ENGINEERING COURSES BASED ON STUDENTS’ LEARNINGSTYLES AND MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCESBuket Barkana, University of Bridgeport Buket D. Barkana received the B.S. degree from Anatolia University, in 1994, and the M.S.E. and Ph.D. degrees from Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Turkey, in 1997 and 2005, respectively. She is now Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Bridgeport, CT. Dr. Barkana’s current research projects include: voice/audio signal processing, speech disorders, and innovations in engineering education.Navarun Gupta, University of Bridgeport Dr. Navarun Gupta is an Assistant Professor of Electrical

Conference Session

Embedded System Design

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Wagdy Mahmoud, University of the District of Columbia

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

paperprovides details of laboratory exercises and a senior project that is implemented using both softcore and hard core processors on three different FPGA boards. Advantages and disadvantages ofeach of these implementations will also be presented. The paper will also detail the challengesinvolved in using continually-evolving embedded processing tools and the efforts made to reducetheir learning times.IntroductionThe Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) requires providing studentswith a significant hands-on design experience. Graduating electrical engineering students shouldhave the ability to design, test, and verify the correctness of operation of systems, subsystems,and components for real-time application.The aggressive

Conference Session

Pedagogy and Assessment I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ehsan Sheybani; Singli Garcia-Otero; Keith Williamson

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

lessons learned andinnovative approaches in the new ABET accreditation process at VSU∀in this first visit arepresented.Capstone Senior Design Course:Capstone senior design experience is both a graduation requirement for undergraduateengineering majors and for ABET accreditation of these programs. A senior design course istypically the last bridge for students between undergraduate education and the engineeringprofession in their respective disciplines. The course differs from other lecture and laboratorybased courses in the engineering curriculum in fundamental ways. Many capstone senior designcourses include lectures to develop students’ knowledge of the product development process,project management, professional engineering practice, and the