The Integration of Student Design Competitions and Academic Curricula

Abstract

This paper discusses various aspects and models of how student design competitions can be integrated into a typical undergraduate curriculum. University models range from no involvement—where the professional society chapter or even a separate group of students operate autonomously—to models where the competition activities are intimately integrated with the capstone senior design requirements. Each model exhibits different strengths and weakness, these being examined in terms of student experiences and feedback, ABET criteria, benefits to the university, and cost to the university. A case study demonstrates the potential for integration and the perspectives of students, advisors, and organizers are considered.