Lessons Learned In Implementing A Multi Disciplinary Senior Design Sequence

During the 2003-4 academic year, the authors advised four student senior capstone teams. Unlike traditional capstone teams at Ohio Northern University, these teams were intentionally chosen to be multi-disciplinary, including students from two departments and a variety of majors, and faculty with varying specialties. Two teams worked on a national robotics competition, one team for an industry-sponsored project, and one team on a research project in the area of robotic controls. The challenges and rewards of these projects will be discussed in the paper, including coordination between departments, suitability of projects, and student feedback. Lessons learned and requirements for future multidisciplinary projects, as well as student preparation, will also be discussed.