Together, EECS 285 and EECS 385 create a sequence of courses where students work in teams on long-term engineering projects which are of value to the community. Each student team consists of a mix of sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Within each project team students will have assigned responsibilities according to their course background and experience. Students are encouraged to participate in this course for two or more semesters.
Together, EECS 285 and EECS 385 create a sequence of courses where students work in teams on long-term engineering projects which are of value to the community. Each student team consists of a mix of sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Within each project team students will have assigned responsibilities according to their course background and experience. Students are encouraged to participate in this course for two or more semesters.
Community service organizations increasingly rely on technology to improve the services they provide, and they often need help from people with strong technical backgrounds. At the same time, undergraduate engineering students are faced with the need to practice and enrich their technical skills during their education. The EECS series of courses in Engineering Projects in Community Service emphasizes engineering design in the context of community service. Such service learning represents one form of experiential learning which, in general, encompasses cooperative education, internship programs, field study, and independent research.
These classes bring together community based projects with engineering students through a series of four engineering design classes. Projects are solicited from community agencies based upon their real needs. Project teams of three to six students work closely with project sponsors and faculty each semester on individual projects and take them from concept to physical models (prototypes). Each team typically consists of sophomores, juniors and seniors with the seniors having overall project and team management responsibilities. In general, the teams work with the sponsor to develop engineering specifications appropriate for the project, work with the customer on an on-going basis, and present their project progress to the service agency on a regular basis. As a result, community service organizations are provided with solutions and alternatives for important technical problems.