Design Contests as Class Projects: Are They Worth the Effort?

Experiences with the use of international design competitions as class projects in microelectronics classes at the University of Missouri - Rolla are presented. Where there is a good match between the design contest and class goals, a competition can be both useful and gratifying for both instructor and student. On the other hand, contests aren't a panacea. Students who are highly motivated and competitive make good contestants. Students whose goal is to get a degree aren't always interested in contests. This paper presents results from the 2001-1999 VIUF competition and the 1999-2000 Mentor HDL contest.