Junior Design for Electrical and Computer Engineers: A Novel Course for Discipline-Specific Instruction of the Engineering Design Process

This innovative practice full paper describes a novel design course for electrical and computer engineering students. In the class, students are taught the basics of the engineering design process in the context of electrical and computer engineering applications. Students are guided through a series of three design (ECE) projects, increasing in scope and difficulty, that involve the design of various electronic hardware and software components. In addition to teaching students the design process, well before their capstone design experience, the class is also designed to provide industry relevant exposure to ECE design tools and methodologies. Several examples of student work are provided as well as results from assessment of student learning. The results show that the course excels at preparing junior-level students to tackle the challenge of complex system design.