Session: 10-07-01: Problem Solving Techniques in Engineering and Technology Education, Research Methodologies, Practice, Workshops and Seminars

Paper Number: 163872

Management of a Large-Scale Senior Design Capstone Course 

Management of a Large Scale Senior Design Capstone Course

                  Vito Moreno                                                                      Jason Lee

    University of Connecticut                                              University of Connecticut

          Storrs, Connecticut                                                          Storrs, Connecticut

 

The Senior Design Captone course in the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Manufacturing Engineering in the College of Engineering at the University of Connecticut has historically had large class sizes (190-200).  Recruiting multiple industry/government sponsored projects, together with the philosophy of limiting team size (3-4), results in having 60+ teams over the two-semester course. This paper focuses on the metrics and methods used to effectively manage the teams to ensure that they can meet overall project objectives and give each student the opportunity to achieve the course learning objectives.

Team projects are typically structured to investigate the feasibility of a concept or help improve a product or process design.  A by product of this is that a successful student experience proves to be a great asset in obtaining a full-time job, either with the sponsoring company, or as the primary discussion topic in a company interview.

The methodology incorporated to enable teams to be successful includes oversite and mentoring provided by the authors, as course owners, but also utilizes faculty advisors and the sponsor mentor. Class lectures enable the teams to become aware of project management tools, including Gant charts, RACI and Pugh charts, risk assessment and design of experiments (DOE) to provide a framework for the project execution over the two semesters.

Touch points to gauge the progress (and challenges) of each team include twice a semester oral presentations, focusing on approach and results to date. In addition, assessments by both sponsor and faculty advisors provide the authors with additional insight into the technical, professional and communication performance of each team. In cases where a team continues to struggle, additional guidance and mentoring is provided by bring in industry experts, usually retirees, to provide additional guidance, either on overall planning, or in specific technical areas to help with complex computer simulations. 

The smaller team size, together with assessment feedback, allows identification of students who are not contributing or sharing their responsibility on the team progress. The authors reach out to those teams to understand the team dynamic and provide guidance on methods to improve student engagement. The program is highly recognized in the southern New England area with typically between 30 – 40 sponsors participating on an annual basis. Over the past 10 years, over 250 companies and government agencies have participated as project sponsors.

The continual oversite and assessment feedback are used to ensure that all teams are able to meet their project and learning objectives.

Presenting Author: Vito Moreno University of Connecticut

Presenting Author Biography: Dr. Moreno has 11 years of experience at the University of Connecticut and has served as the Director of the Mechanical, Aerospace and Manufacturing Engineering Senior Design Capstone Program and as an instructor of both graduate and undergraduate courses. In his Senior Design role, he is responsible for a senior class of 180-200 students and the solicitation of 60 – 70 industry and government agency sponsored projects annually that will enable the students to meet the ABET leaning objectives that students will be able to “model, analyze, design, and realize physical systems, components or processes; and be prepared to work professionally in both thermal and mechanical systems areas”. He provides guidance to the student teams and presents supporting information, in lectures, to enable successful project planning and execution. Dr. Moreno also serves as the Faculty Advisor to the student chapter of ASME and he advises graduate students in the Masters of Engineering Program (MENG) on their capstone projects.

Authors:

Vito Moreno University of Connecticut
Jason Lee University of Connecticut