Capstone Engineering Design Projects For Community Colleges

This 12-page article, published in the American Journal of Engineering Education, explores Madison College's experience offering a project-based engineering design course. This article discusses challenges and opportunities for engineering design courses at two-year colleges and includes recommended practices for other colleges and universities.

The following sections are included: Introduction - Engineering Education at Community Colleges; The Engineering Design Experience at Madison College - Engineering Design vs. Scientific Method, Real World Projects and Clients, Hands-on Fabrication Prototypes; Challenges and Recommended Practices - Project and Client Selection, Team Dynamics, Instructor Expertise, Irregular Work Schedules, Budget and Purchasing, Variable Curriculum, Scaling up to Meet Student Demand; Conclusion; Acknowledgements; and References.