Veterans' Contributions to Enhancing the Capstone Learning Experience of Engineering Cohorts

The capstone course sequence in an engineering or engineering technology program brings together all elements of the curriculum into a comprehensive learning experience. A team of students works together, combining the topics learned during their undergraduate coursework to complete a substantial design project. Design courses can be uncomfortable for many students because of the open-ended nature of the requirement, leading to many questions such as “Are we on the right track? Do I have the right answer? Are we approaching this the right way?” Due to their unique experiences, student veterans in engineering are well positioned to enable their cohorts to overcome these challenges. The military experience teaches veterans to become problem-solvers. Military experience in harsh operating conditions such as desert, mountainous, and combat environments further enhances their problem-solving skills. These environments have also provided veterans with opportunities to engineer their own solutions to overcome limitations. This paper briefly discusses some of the skills attributed to veterans. It then provides examples of veterans in the field engineering solutions to technical problems. It then follows the course of one veteran leading her cohorts through the design capstone course of an engineering technology program, and how this veteran’s experience enabled the class to achieve several “firsts” for a capstone team in the program. Based upon the input from several peers, this veteran played a significant role in the team’s success and accomplishments.