Improving Capstone Outcomes: Changes to Deliverables and Accommodating Remote Learning

Alexander Mackay; Hamid Timorabadi

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Conference: 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Start Date: June 26, 2022
End Date: June 29, 2022
Conference Session: ECE Division Technical Session 2: Long-Term Institutional Outcome Evaluations and Capstone Innovations
Page Count: 19
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--40567
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/40567
Download Count: 453

Paper Authors

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Alexander Mackay University of Toronto

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Alexander Mackay received a B.Eng degree in electrical engineering from Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2017. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering at the University of Toronto, where he received a M.A.Sc. degree in 2020. His research interests include engineering design projects and their implementation, phased array feed structures, leaky-wave antennas and radar imaging systems.

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Hamid Timorabadi University of Toronto

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Hamid Timorabadi received his BSc, MASc, and PhD degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto. He has worked as a project, design, and test engineer as well as a consultant to industry. His research interests include the application of digital signal processing in energy systems and computer networks. He also has deep interest in engineering education and the use of technology to advance the learning experience of undergraduate students.

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Abstract

It has become evident in the past years that capstone design project course in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department (ECE) does not provide adequate guidance to students. The fall semester of this two-semester course was spent largely on project proposal deliverables, delaying project implementation. There was a disconnect between course instructors, administrators, and students about project expectations and scope. Also, the COVID-19 pandemic forced all courses to take place online and restricted student access to most university facilities. This work evaluates changes to the course structure based on student surveys and observations from teaching staff. To address concerns with project execution and expectations, the timing and format of course deliverables were changed. A September proposal meeting was introduced to allow all stakeholders to clearly define project expectations and scope. As a result, misinterpretations of the project were resolved at early stages. The “Implementation Plan” deliverable was delayed from September to late November, giving students adequate time to consider implementation strategies before following with documentation. An Interim Demonstration was introduced during the first week of December to encourage students to kick-off the implementation phase during fall semester. After the Interim Demonstration, requirements and methods were clear to most students, allowing them to complete the projects with minimal supervision. Deliverable expectations must be better communicated in future years however, as student feedback identified how deliverables were not well-suited to software projects and were not always clear. In addition to changes in deliverables, significant changes had to be made to accommodate remote learning. Online networking sessions were held during summer to help form teams and build community within the class. The sessions were well-attended and resulted in formation of several student teams at early stages of the course. Course lectures were held online with minimal difficulty, following an identical format to other online ECE courses. Team meetings with administrators and supervisors were held online, and students’ feedback were positive. The end-of-course design fair was moved online, with pre-recorded videos replacing in-person presentations. Some students expressed disappointment that they were not able to present their projects to a wider community. Despite pandemic challenges and changes to deliverables, a detailed end-of-semester student survey showed that students perceived the course workload to be similar to other courses. Despite accommodations for remote learning, student surveys revealed that the pandemic affected their choice of project, and negatively affected the quality of their projects. The survey also showed, however, that the changes to deliverables and the early all stakeholders’ meeting were effective and improved overall project quality. 71% of students indicated they would take the course even if it was not a program requirement. The structure of deliverables for the 2022-2023 will be similar, and remote learning tools will still be used when appropriate.

Citation
Format

Mackay, A., & Timorabadi, H. (2022, August), Improving Capstone Outcomes: Changes to Deliverables and Accommodating Remote Learning Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--40567

TY - CPAPER
AB - It has become evident in the past years that capstone design project course in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department (ECE) does not provide adequate guidance to students. The fall semester of this two-semester course was spent largely on project proposal deliverables, delaying project implementation. There was a disconnect between course instructors, administrators, and students about project expectations and scope. Also, the COVID-19 pandemic forced all courses to take place online and restricted student access to most university facilities. This work evaluates changes to the course structure based on student surveys and observations from teaching staff.
To address concerns with project execution and expectations, the timing and format of course deliverables were changed. A September proposal meeting was introduced to allow all stakeholders to clearly define project expectations and scope. As a result, misinterpretations of the project were resolved at early stages. The “Implementation Plan” deliverable was delayed from September to late November, giving students adequate time to consider implementation strategies before following with documentation. An Interim Demonstration was introduced during the first week of December to encourage students to kick-off the implementation phase during fall semester. After the Interim Demonstration, requirements and methods were clear to most students, allowing them to complete the projects with minimal supervision. Deliverable expectations must be better communicated in future years however, as student feedback identified how deliverables were not well-suited to software projects and were not always clear.
In addition to changes in deliverables, significant changes had to be made to accommodate remote learning. Online networking sessions were held during summer to help form teams and build community within the class. The sessions were well-attended and resulted in formation of several student teams at early stages of the course. Course lectures were held online with minimal difficulty, following an identical format to other online ECE courses. Team meetings with administrators and supervisors were held online, and students’ feedback were positive. The end-of-course design fair was moved online, with pre-recorded videos replacing in-person presentations. Some students expressed disappointment that they were not able to present their projects to a wider community.
Despite pandemic challenges and changes to deliverables, a detailed end-of-semester student survey showed that students perceived the course workload to be similar to other courses. Despite accommodations for remote learning, student surveys revealed that the pandemic affected their choice of project, and negatively affected the quality of their projects. The survey also showed, however, that the changes to deliverables and the early all stakeholders’ meeting were effective and improved overall project quality. 71% of students indicated they would take the course even if it was not a program requirement. The structure of deliverables for the 2022-2023 will be similar, and remote learning tools will still be used when appropriate.

AU - Alexander Mackay
AU - Hamid Timorabadi
CY - Minneapolis, MN
DA - 2022/08/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Improving Capstone Outcomes: Changes to Deliverables and Accommodating Remote Learning
UR - https://peer.asee.org/40567
DO - 10.18260/1-2--40567
ER -