An Undergraduate Design/Project Course Utilizing a Microcomputer

Project-based courses offer one of the greatest education opportunities in an electrical engineering student´s undergraduate curriculum. The ultimate success of this type of educational experience is keyed primarily to 1) the selection of a project with a high chance of success along with the right amount of challenge and 2) adequate planning. Faculty may choose to avoid a microcomputer-based design/ project due to their lack of experience in selecting suitable projects and planning for the support required. This paper describes a project which has considerable flexibility for individual definition of goals and, hence, the amount of challenge can, in some sense, be customized. The support required for a microcomputer-based design/project is distinct from that of a conventional design/project course. These planning and support requirements for microcomputer-based projects are described along with the course structure, content and approach to grading