Enhancing Design Education Using Mid‐Program Strategies in Electronic Systems Engineering

Abstract

The Electronic Systems Engineering program at the University of Regina has incorporated design content into its fifth semester to improve the design experience of the students. A problem was identified where the quality of final year design projects was lacking. It was proposed that adding design content into the fifth semester could bridge the gap in design content between the first and upper years. A concerted effort between the course and lab instructors of several courses within the ESE curriculum has been made to address this problem. In particular, the fifth semester analog circuits course was restructured as an analog design course where students are required to design circuits on assignments, in the lab, and on exams. The addition of this design content in the fifth semester of the program has improved the quality of the capstone and senior design courses and projects.