Overcoming design shock [electrical engineering course]

For several years, a senior design course has been part of the electrical engineering program at Villanova University. Seniors, working in teams of two or three, select an advisor, write a proposal, carry out the project, make progress reports, give an oral presentation, and submit a final report. Problems that the students frequently have in this course include vaguely written proposals, inability to apply theory to practical situations, and naive expectations of instant success. A new curriculum addresses the problem of senior "design shock" by introducing design in several of the early courses. Most required courses include practicums that afford the opportunity to carry out mini-designs. Sophomores design DC and AC circuits as soon as they learn about them. They also learn how to interface various devices such as thermistors, photocells, microphones, light bulbs, buzzers, and motors to digital ICs. Proposals, computer simulations, laboratory testing, oral reports, and written reports are part of the early design experience. In the laboratory, cookbook experiments have been eliminated. Design specifications are derived from student ID numbers or determined by lottery. In the classroom, a portable PC is used to demonstrate circuit simulation and schematic capture on circuits covered in the course. Students are given objectives to achieve and asked to confirm their design using PSpice. The process of assigning course-related design projects is continued throughout the junior year in order to prepare the students adequately for more challenging and meaningful design work in the senior year.