The positive influence of cooperative work experience on the capstone design experience of engineering students

Undergraduate engineering students who participate in cooperative education (co-op) programs can benefit greatly from their industrial work experience. This paper identifies some of the benefits that two electrical and computer engineering students gained from their participation in the co-op program. Special skills that the students had gained from their co-op experience were evident from the quality of their capstone design project (the design and implementation of a voice-activated remote control unit for a television). Some of these skills include the ability to use contemporary computer aided design tools for design of printed circuit-boards, the ability to populate circuit boards using surface-mount components, and the ability to learn independently, which provides a sound footing for lifelong learning on the part of students.