Introduction
Elissa Ledoux
Engineering Senior Capstone courses are the hallmark of a B.S. in engineering degree, where students prove they are ready to become engineers. In these courses, students use prior knowledge and independent research to design, build, test, and analyze a system in their engineering discipline as a team. As such, it is a required course by virtually all engineering programs worldwide.
In all these courses, students apply the technical knowledge and soft skills they have gained throughout their program, as well as new principles and techniques they learn throughout the course, to solve a complex engineering problem requiring the invention of a new machine, system, or process. Due to the broad variety of projects, problems, and topics the capstone courses address, there is a deficit of textbooks and course materials wholly applicable. There is no one-size-fits-all solution.
Faculty at Middle Tennessee State University and East Tennessee State University have partnered to solve this problem, developing a textbook to streamline the capstone course instruction by developing, consolidating, and organizing open educational resources (OER) materials into one place. The final product is a module-based OER platform that includes handouts/slides, videos, and downloadable worksheets and grading rubrics for student assignments. There are seven (7) modules, based on the ABET Accreditation Criteria for 4-year Bachelor of Science programs in Engineering and Engineering Technology. Each module focuses on a specific Student Outcome (SO) listed in the Criteria and provide open educational resources for both knowledge and application aspects of student learning, centered around the SO. These categories consist of:
- Problem Solving – Applying Prior Knowledge and Skills
- Design – Ideation and Invention
- Communication – Written, Oral, and Graphical
- Ethics – Responsibilities, Safety, Global Impacts, and Standards
- Teamwork – Collaboration and Project Management
- Experimentation – Testing and Analysis
- Learning Strategies – Research and Troubleshooting
While technical skills help an engineer keep a job, the soft skills help them get the job. So in addition to the SO, there will be a bonus module focusing on career readiness, an area in which many students feel underconfident or unprepared in presenting themselves as they transition from college to the real world.
8. Career Readiness – Personal Presentation and Job Applications
This will develop students’ soft skills, such as interviewing, resume and cover letter writing, and developing a professional employment profile. Informative and applicable materials will help equip students with the tools they need to be well-rounded and successful individuals, with the personal presentation skills required to rise through the ranks professionally.
The creation of this open educational resource (OER) was made possible by a Cycle 4 Grant from the Tennessee Board of Regents, as well as guidance from MTSU and ETSU. We are grateful for the commitment of MTSU, ETSU, and Tennessee for funding OER projects and ultimately making education more accessible to all. The front cover image was generated by AI and edited by the authors.
