A Consulting Engineering Model for the EE Capstone Experience
Arnold Berger
2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings
unpublished
A Consulting Engineering Model for the EE Capstone Experience I. abstract The ABET-accredited EE degree program at the University of Washington Bothell was started in 2009 with 24 students. Currently, the total enrollment in the program, including BSEE and MSEE students, is approximately 250 students. The program has achieved significant support from the surrounding industrial base in our metropolitan area, largely due to the success of its EE Capstone Experience. The Capstone program was
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... d with the following educational objectives: Master the soft-skills necessary for success in industry Experience a complete product design lifecycle Engage in community-based educational activities With these goals in mind the Capstone Experience was designed so a team of three or four students would form small "consulting engineering" companies and then, over the course of two quarters (six months), work on projects submitted by companies in the area. The student teams are mentored by an engineer or manager at the company and "managed" at our university by part-time faculty from the local industrial talent pool. The Capstone faculty brings the necessary real-world experience and soft skills, such as creating and tracking schedules that students need to execute their projects within the allotted time. In Capstone I the student team creates their development contract. It is then signed by the students, the industrial mentor and their faculty advisor. The course begins with an intense research and design phase during which the students learn the technology they'll need to actually design their project. Capstone 1 concludes with a detailed project specification that is submitted to the industry sponsor for approval. Capstone II consists of the actual construction and validation of the project, followed by a formal presentation for the company, a colloquium and poster session at the university, and finally, a detailed evaluation of each student by the industry mentor that is part of the overall evaluation rubric used to determine student grades. II. history One year prior to the admission of students in the Fall of 2009 and the approval of the degree by Washington's Higher Education Coordinating Board (HEC Board) [1] and the Board of Regents of the University, a faculty committee was formed to lay the foundation for the EE degree and develop the goals, educational objectives, and desired student outcomes for the program.
doi:10.18260/1-2--27458
fatcat:qgjj76x23vhxnkwlic3gc7at5i