Implementation of a Multi-Disciplinary Systems Engineering Capstone Design Course at Three Puerto Rican Universities

This project adapted and implemented a multi-disciplinary systems engineering course at three Puerto Rican universities that serves students in multiple programs (including mechanical, electrical, and industrial engineering students) at each university. The course, which was previously developed, accommodates multi-disciplinary projects and complex systems projects. Approximately 35 faculty members attended a series of three training workshops. In the first, faculty learned about the tools and methods of a structured design process for systems engineering projects. In the second, they developed syllabi for their new courses by selecting from a menu of modular content to construct courses appropriate for their respective universities. In the third workshop, faculty received training on assessment best practices and agreed on a common assessment process. The new courses were implemented in three programs in the 2010-11 academic year and implemented in additional programs in the 2011-12 academic year. The paper describes the lessons learned in adapting and implementing the systems engineering-based multi-disciplinary capstone design courses as well as assessment results for the first year of implementation.