Enhancing the quality of senior design projects: The introduction of a coordinated sequence of design courses to prepare students for the capstone experience in electrical engineering

General dissatisfaction with the quality of capstone projects led the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (UCC) in the Electrical Engineering Department at The Pennsylvania State University to adopt a coordinated sequence of design courses that will prepare students to make better use of the capstone semester. The goal for this re-definition was to revitalize the capstone program by offering broader opportunities for students to find ambitious projects aligned with their professional interests. In addition, there was a desire to breach the wall between graduate and undergraduate programs and to increase professionalism training. An assessment plan was developed at the same time as the curriculum. Assessment measures, embedded throughout the sequence, will validate the effectiveness of the curriculum changes, encourage the continued evolution of the program, encourage coordination among the constituent courses and thus provide coherence to the sequence. The assessment plan includes surveys, an e-portfolio, focus groups and a final evaluation of the capstone project itself. Some preliminary data from pilot semesters are included here.