An Undergraduate Design/Project Course Utilizing a Microcomputer

Project-based courses offer one of the greatest education opportunities in an electrical engineering student's undergraduate curriculum. The ultimate success of this type of educational experience is keyed primarily to 1) the selection of a project with a high chance of success along with the right amount of challenge and 2) adequate planning. Faculty may choose to avoid a microcomputer-based design/ project due to their lack of experience in selecting suitable projects and planning for the support required. This paper describes a project which has considerable flexibility for individual definition of goals and, hence, the amount of challenge can, in some sense, be customized. The support required for a microcomputer-based design/project is distinct from that of a conventional design/project course. These planning and support requirements for microcomputer-based projects are described along with the course structure, content and approach to grading