Elements of a senior design projects course

Abstract

The Senior Design Projects course at Auburn University (two consecutive terms) gives undergraduate students a significant research experience by developing a project from proposal to prototype phase. Project ideas arc obtained from faculty, graduate students, and persons outside the university. Student groups of three or four members are formed through use of a written survey; and a group is assigned to a project. The groups then proceed through the phases of the software life cycle including project proposal, system requirements, architectural design, system design, and prototype development. The knowledge acquired in working on a nontrivial project has proven beneficial to the students in future employment and graduate studies.