Power engineering design projects: capstone team projects versus topical design courses

Over the years, Michigan Tech has had two different philosophies for teaching design in the power area. Initially, we integrated design into topical courses, teaching the material the students would need to complete the design. Presently, our students complete year-long, industry-sponsored projects. We will give details on the implementation of the two approaches and compare and contrast the outcomes. Both techniques for teaching design have their advantages and disadvantages.