A different approach to engineering laboratory instruction

All undergraduate engineering education programs provide for laboratory experience. However, the approach used to provide the experience varies considerably at different institutions. Design is also a crucial ingredient in all engineering curricula. However, due to time and budget constraints, the design experience in a university is often very limited. To satisfy both of these needs, the Department of Electrical Engineering at Texas Tech University (USA) began stand-alone project design laboratories in the early 1960s and has continued to develop this concept over the past 30 years. This paper describes the undergraduate electrical engineering laboratories at Texas Tech and how the laboratories are used to incorporate design and research into the curriculum