A capstone design course in EE

The electrical engineering capstone design course sequence offered at Montana State University is described. The author discusses the effort in implementing the sequence, and offers insights on the successes as well as the problems encountered. The three-quarter, six credit sequence is organized as follows: (a) a one-credit course whose purpose is to introduce the student to the design process and then apply the principles to an engineering problem. The final product of which is a design proposal document that forms the basis for the design project; (b) a three-credit course whose purpose is the implementation of the design project approved in the first course and that results in a prototype if the design project is a hardware project or a preliminary report if the project is a study; and (c) a two-credit course in which the final system is completed together with the reporting phase of the project. A technical manual, if appropriate, is produced with full instructions.<
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