Capstone Design I Syllabus

Instructor: Dr.  Lalitha Dabbiru
    Email: ld212@msstate.edu
    Office: Simrall 403
    Office Hours:  By appointment 

Face to face instruction location: Rula 2080

Labs: Rula 2080

Format: Hyflex

Table of contents

Prerequisites

ECE 4512 (EE Design I): C or better in Micro, Signals, and Advanced Electronics/Circuits, plus C or better in either E-Mag II or Energy Systems, plus co-registration with Tech Writing, plus permission from instructor.

ECE 4532 (CPE Design I): C or better in DSD and Client/Server Programming, plus C or better in either Signals or Advanced Electronics/Circuits, plus co-registration with Tech Writing, plus permission from instructor

Co-requisite

Registration in the ECE-only section of GE 3513 - Technical Writing. This section of course will focus on the development of the design document in parallel with this course.

Proposal Submission

Students must submit a project proposal two weeks prior to the first day of classes in order to enroll in this course.  The one-page proposal document must clearly state the problem, the proposed solution, and possible customers. Your project idea should be unique. If the product you describe already exists, your proposal should differentiate your idea from what’s already available. Look through the past and present projects list on the senior design website, and search the web for your proposed project. 

University Policies 

MSU Syllabus via Canvas

The Mississippi State University Syllabus contains all policies and procedures that are applicable to every course on campus and online. The policies in the University Syllabus describe the official policies of the University and will take precedence over those found elsewhere. It is the student's responsibility to read and be familiar with every policy. The University Syllabus may be accessed at any time on the Provost website under Faculty and Student Resources and at https://www.provost.msstate.edu/faculty-student-resources/university-syllabus

Student Honor Code

Mississippi State has an approved Honor Code that applies to all students.  The code is as follows: “As a Mississippi State University student, I will conduct myself with honor and integrity at all times.  I will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor will I accept the actions of those who do.” Upon accepting admission to Mississippi State University, a student immediately assumes a commitment to uphold the Honor Code, to accept responsibility for learning, and to follow the philosophy and rules of the Honor Code.  Student will be required to state their commitment on examinations, research papers, and other academic work.  Ignorance of the rules does not exclude any member of the MSU community from the requirements or the processes of the Honor Code.  For additional information, please visit:  http://honorcode.msstate.edu/policy.

Disability Resource Center

Mississippi State University is committed to providing equitable access to learning opportunities for all students. The Disability Resource Center (01 Montgomery Hall) collaborates with students who have disabilities to arrange reasonable accommodations. If you have, or think you may have, a disability, please contact drc@saffairs.msstate.edu or 662-325-3335 to arrange a confidential discussion regarding equitable access and reasonable accommodations. Disabilities may include, but are not limited to, conditions related to mental health, chronic health, attention, learning, autism, brain injury, vision, hearing, mobility, speech, or intellectual disabilities. In the case of short-term disabilities (e.g., broken arm), students and instructors can often work to minimize barriers. If additional assistance is needed, please contact the Disability Resource Center.

Title IX

MSU is committed to complying with Title IX, a federal law that prohibits discrimination, including violence and harassment, based on sex. This means that MSU’s educational programs and activities must be free from sex discrimination, sexual harassment, and other forms of sexual misconduct. If you or someone you know has experienced sex discrimination, sexual violence and/or harassment by any member of the University community, you are encouraged to report the conduct to MSU's Director of Title IX/EEO Programs at 325-8124 or by e-mail to titleix@msstate.edu. Additional resources are available at http://www.msstate.edu/web/security/title9-12.pdf, or at http://students.msstate.edu/sexualmisconduct.

University Safety Statement

Mississippi State University values the safety of all campus community members. Students are encouraged to register for Maroon Alert texts and to download the Everbridge App. Visit the Personal Information section in Banner on your mystate portal to register. To report suspicious activity or to request a courtesy escort via Safe Walk, call University Police at 662-325-2121, or in case of emergency, call 911. For more information regarding safety and to view available training resources, including helpful videos, visit ready.msstate.edu. 

Attendance policy for face-to-face instruction

Per Academic Operating Policy 12.09, students are expected to attend all class meetings in person. Should a student expect a university-excused absence from a class, the student should contact the course instructor of record to inform them of the absence and the reason for it. For face-to-face class meetings, please bring your student ID for the card readers (swiping opens 10 minutes before class begins and closes 10 minutes after class begins). Remember to swipe in at every class meeting for Banner attendance tracking. Please let me know in person immediately after class if you forget to swipe in or do not have your ID.

Continuity of Instruction

In the event that face-to-face classes are suspended due to extenuating circumstances, such as weather, the instructor will continue instruction in a manner that best supports the course content and student engagement. In this event, all instructors will notify students of the change via their university email address (the official vehicle for communication with students). At that time, they will provide details about how instruction and communication will continue, how academic integrity will be ensured, and what students may expect during the time that face-to-face classes are suspended. If a student becomes unable to continue class participation due to extenuating circumstances, (e.g., health and safety, loss of power, etc.)  the student should contact their instructor and advisor for guidance. For additional guidance, please refer to Academic Operating Policy 12.09.

Grading Policies

Each student must make a substantial technical contribution to their team's design by developing one subsystem of the team's overall design and demonstrating competence in that subsystem. Students who fail to do so will receive a course grade of an F. Otherwise, grades are calculated using the following weights:

• Hardware Prototype: 40%

• Design Document: 10%

• Weekly Deliverables: 10%

• Final Design Review: 10%

• Mid-semester Design Review: 5%

• Adviser Evaluation: 10%

• Entrepreneurship Series: 5%

• Web Site: 5%

• Resume: 5%

• Peer review: ±10%

Letter grades will be assigned according to the following distribution:

    A: ≥90
    B: <90 - 80
    C: <80 - 70
    D: <70 - 60
    F: <60

Description

The goal of our two semester sequence is to provide you with a realistic design experience, and teach you the tools and methodologies that can help you be successful. Demonstration of a functional prototype is required. The functioning Hardware Prototype is 40% of your grade. To proceed to Senior Design II, you must first demonstrate a fully functional prototype to your adviser and the course instructor. 

In order that each team member be motivated to participate fully in the team, teams are allowed to vote members out of the group at the end of semester. For the member voted out, this might mean you have to retake this course, so you need to work to avoid this at all costs. Communication between team members and the project adviser about expectations and performance is essential. Far too often, students voted out complain that no one in the group appreciated how much work they really did.

To be considered for a passing grade in this portion of the class, your design review must convince the committee this project is ready for the fabrication stage (the following course in the two-course sequence). You also must convince the committee that you have done a sufficient amount of simulation and prototyping of your system, and that all critical design questions have been answered.

Demonstration of a fully working prototype by the end of the semester is the most critical piece of this course. Hence, a major portion of your grade is based on a binary decision about your prototype. The course instruction team and the project adviser will be involved in this decision. You cannot pass the course without completing this component of the course.

The design document is a comprehensive description of the entire project including: requirements, test specification, design, and test certification. It presents both simulation data and hardware measurements (for the packaged version of the hardware!), demonstrating that your design has met its goals. This document should address most of the points listed on the cover page of the course web site. Templates for this document are available on-line. The writing component of the design document will be coordinated with GE 3513, Technical Writing.

The mid-semester design review is a checkpoint that reports on project progress to this point in the semester. At this presentation, any deficiencies that are documented must be rectified in your final design review. At this stage of the course, you will be expected to show solid design constraints, a preliminary design, and a comprehensive implementation plan.

The final design review must address all design deficiencies noted in your mid-semester review, and review all aspects of the project (with technical details supporting your claims). This will be a 15-minute presentation. At the time of the design review, a project web site must be available containing all information about the project, including the documents described above and the design review presentation.

Concurrent with the design review, we will host a conference-style prototype hardware demonstration. This will be set up in a room adjacent to the presentations, and consist of a conference booth type format where each team is allocated a table at which they will demonstrate their hardware. Each team will be responsible for constructing a poster providing an overview of the project. Faculty, student, and industrial representatives will visit each project and provide a detailed evaluation of the hardware. This portion of the final design review will last about two hours and run concurrently with the design presentations.

Another significant component of your grade is derived from your adviser's evaluation of the team, peer review, and team self-assessment. Remember a prime directive: "Keep your adviser happy." The rationale your adviser uses to arrive at your grade is at his or her discretion. Be sure to communicate with your adviser to fully understand his or her expectations. Also, your exchanges with fellow team members should involve good listening skills, the distribution of the responsibility and, most important, follow through. Good teamwork requires care, skill, and effort.

The project web site will be graded according to its comprehensiveness and professional appearance. A good site will contain a complete archive of the project, including all documents, presentations, data sheets, schematics, source code, data, measurements, etc. It will use colors, fonts, and web features in tasteful and meaningful ways to advance your ideas and product in a manner that is reasonably compatible with existing sites within the market. Human factors such as legibility and ease of navigation are important. 

Your course grade will be computed using the categories and weights described above. Final grades can be adjusted by plus or minus 10% based on feedback collected from a peer review or self-assessment process. Ideally, all team members contribute equally and, as a result, the team achieves their grade goals. Occasionally, peer review reveals that contributions are markedly uneven, despite all efforts to address the project as a team. As a part of self-assessment process, team members will submit a written evaluation of their fellow team members. All claims of mutiny, insurgency, poor performance, etc., must be documented in sufficient detail to be given consideration.

We will attend some entrepreneurship lectures this semester in coordination with GE 3011; attendance at these is worth 5% of your grade. Developing an appreciation of those issues discussed in the entrepreneurship series offers the opportunity to distinguish yourself from other job applicants. The entrepreneurship lectures are one means by which we encourage you to start thinking about important non-technical aspects of your career.

Schedule