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Session 2425

FROM GOALS TO PRODUCTS IN A SENIOR DESIGN PRACTICUM COURSE Ajay K. Agrawal and Zahed Siddique School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019

Abstract

Senior Design Capstone is a required component of many undergraduate engineering programs. The program offers numerous challenges for both faculty and students because of the wide variety of projects in a given year as well as from year to year. This paper discusses key phases for successful implementation of a Senior Design Capstone Program to achieve the desired objectives for both faculty and students. The first phase includes project solicitation, project assignment, and articulating goals and strategies. The second phase involves team organization and developing a comprehensive plan of action. The third phase involves plan execution assisted with meetings and conferences, record keeping, and evaluation. The end-result of these efforts is a product that meaningfully adds value to the participants including students, sponsor, and faculty. In this paper we provide details and issues concerning each of the above phases, implemented in a Senior Capstone Course sequence in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. The paper presents our experiences from developing a structured Capstone Program and an evaluation of outcomes from the past few years.

I. Introduction

A survey1 of engineering capstone courses in North America noted that a significant number of schools are recognizing the long-term benefits of offering industrially sponsored projects to assist in the educational process. A majority of these projects are conducted in teams, with the most common team size varied between 4 and 6 students. A majority of group projects are conducted within a single department although a significant number of departments (21%) participate in inter-departmental project teams. Many schools offer a combination of industry and departmental projects. The survey noted that a significant number of schools are recognizing the advantages of offering industrially sponsored projects to assist in the educational process. Long-term benefits of industry-sponsored projects have been discussed in several publications2,3.

The sponsored design projects typically involve three parties working in coordination as depicted in Figure 1. The faculty member coaches and examines the project. The sponsor

Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2004, American Society for Engineering Education

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Agrawal, A., & Siddique, Z. (2004, June), From Goals To Products In A Senior Design Capstone Course Paper presented at 2004 Annual Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah. 10.18260/1-2--13770