1. Development and Implementation of a Multi-Specialty Advanced Capstone Design Course
Zeynep Dilli and Neil Goldsman
University of Maryland, College Park, USA

2. Outline Introduction Course design goals Implementation Outcomes
Components
Timeline
Main project
Outcomes
Student gains
Student comments
Conclusion and future changes

3. Design Courses in ECE
Engineering jobs require design experience from graduates
ABET requirements: Engineering school graduates need to be able to
“…design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs…”
“…identify, formulate and solve engineering problems…”
“…function on multi-disciplinary teams…”
Capstone Design Courses address this need

4. Design Courses in ECE
Electrical and computer engineering covers many subjects and progresses rapidly
UMCP offers Capstone design courses on
Signal processing
Communications
Microcontroller based design
Optoelectronics
Digital VLSI
Mixed-signal VLSI…
Senior students have time to specialize in a few branches

5. ENEE 498C: Capstone II, Advanced Design
Pilot run in Fall 2003
Builds on single-semester Capstone courses
Students with different specialties
Interaction between electrical engineering specialties
Easier to implement and offers more freedom than industry-partnership courses

6. Course Design Goals
Expose students to system-level design collaboration
Combine varying previous design experiences
Allow students to shape the project themselves
Present their previous experiences
Determine project specifications by themselves
Expand on single-semester Capstone courses and address more industry expectations

7. Implementation: Lecture Component
One lecture hour per week
Guest lecturers: Professors of different Capstone design courses
Student-ran seminars:
Presentations of their past design experience
Training classmates
Project group meetings

8. Implementation: Timeline
Student presentations on past design experience
Warm-up project: IC design and fabrication
Main project
Guest lectures interspersed through the semester
They chose what to design; laid it out, fabricated through MOSIS

9. Implementation: Main project
Instructor proposed outlines…
…student-led discussions focused on possible projects…
…instructor provided a functional definition…
“A system useful for large groups to find each other… in a big place, like a shopping mall or amusement park. Performs two functions: 1) Indicates… the direction of a target unit … 2) Acts as a basic walkie-talkie.”
Students determined
Detailed specifications
Block diagrams
Group composition
Work assignments
Block dependencies
Task lists & timeline

10. Implementation: Main project
Projects:
Direction finder
Range finder
Required technical skills:
Microcontroller-based design
Digital design
RF design
PCB layout experience
Required project skills:
System-level design
Teamwork:
Work division
Inter- and intra-team communications
Project management
Final: Project reports and demos

11. Implementation: Main project: Direction finder

12. Implementation: Main project: Direction finder

13. Outcomes Assessment Excellent student performance and contribution
Final reports
Project results
Student commentary
Through the semester, and
At the end of the semester
Instructor observations
Excellent student performance and contribution
independently of their GPA or previous academic performance!

14. Outcomes: Student Gains
Teamwork and Project Management
Work division
Intra- and inter-team communication
Time management
System Engineering Experience
Awareness of the need created by complexity and interacting subcomponents
Student suggestion: intro-level system engineering course
The Design Process
Student-designed process along with product
Spec modifications and requirements
Documentation: Task lists, block design reports, block dependency lists
Varying Technical Strengths
Combining past design experiences

15. Outcomes: Student Response
Enthusiastic student response to autonomy
Provided training to each other
Expanded the original design goals
Created a course website for discussion and resources

16. Possible Modifications
Offering the course in Spring instead of Fall, for students graduating in Spring
Add seminars on business, marketability and legal aspects of product design
These issues were considered when relevant
Students comment more formal coverage could be useful
Instructor might require discussion on these points in final reports

17. Conclusion
Students comment that the course provided them with chances to
use project management and teamwork/ communication skills
experience a system-level design process
co-operate with others having different technical skills
use their own background skill set
simultaneously learn from more experienced students and teach less experienced ones
This is a valuable addition to the curriculum.