Managing the senior capstone design project for undergraduate students at King Abdulaziz University

Abstract

Graduates from engineering colleges lacks the practical experience and leadership skills that are needed in the labor market. Throughout engineering academic curriculum, it is rarely to find courses that fulfill these needs. Senior capstone design project (SCDP) and Internship training can give students lot of practical experience and skills if they are well managed and assessed. Therefore, mechanical engineering department at King Abdulaziz University (KAU) led the effort in organizing the SCDP course to inherit the students with the practical engineering experience and leadership skills to prepare them well for the labor market. This paper presents an overview of a SCDP experience that has been practiced well for two KAU engineering colleges in Rabigh and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for many years. This paper delineates the process, leadership skills, ABET involvement and evaluation. The SCDP presented here has provided overall satisfaction for faculty members, students and labor market. The working opportunities for students have been increased. Moreover, course management improvements led to a more cost-efficient program.