Learning Factory - Instructors - Semester Overview

Instructors typically supervise 5-7 projects in their capstone design section. Teaching assignments are made by the instructor's department, and project assignments are coordinated by the Learning Factory Director and Departmental Project Coordinators.

Project teams are typically 4-5 students, but they can be smaller or larger depending on the scale and scope of the project, the disciplinary needs of the project, etc. Team assignments are done through collaboration with the other instructors each semester and based on student preference as much as possible.

Capstone design sections differ slightly by department, but a typical semester entails:

Week 1: Meet with students and review the projects in your section; attend Project Kick-Off; meet with other instructors to assign students to teams based on students' preferences
Week 2: Teams assigned to projects; team communicates with sponsor to arrange initial site visit (as appropriate)
Weeks 2-4: Teams make initial site visit; refine project requirements and deliverables; start brainstorming solutions
Weeks 5-6: Teams prepare Statement of Work (SOW); review, revise, and submit to sponsor
Weeks 7-9: Teams continue working on project: gathering data, CAD modeling, prototyping, analysis, etc.
Weeks 10-11: Teams prepare Detailed Specification Report (DSR); review, revise, and submit to sponsor
Weeks 11-12: Teams present alpha prototypes for review
Weeks 12-14: Teams continue working on project: design for manufacturing, fabrication, testing, validation, etc.
Weeks 14-15: Teams wrap up project, prepare final report, poster, and summary and attend Design Showcase

Templates for project reports, posters, summaries, etc. available online for instructors to use along with sample course syllabi, evaluation forms, and final reports.

Learning Factory - Instructors - Weekly Meetings

Instructors are encouraged to hold weekly meetings with each of their teams to help keep them on schedule. These meetings typically last 20-30 minutes, during which time instructors can review the team's accomplishments using weekly progress reports - it is also helpful to get an updated Gantt chart as part of this weekly progress report. Instructors should also encourage their teams to share these weekly progress reports with their sponsors and make sure that their teams are in regular verbal communication with their sponsors as well through conference calls or video-conferences.

Learning Factory - Instructors - Project Budget

Each team has a budget of $1000 for their project, which they can use for travel, materials, and supplies. Make sure to review the Reimbursement Guidelines with them at the start of the semester so that they know what can and cannot be charged to the project.

Note that some projects many requirement equipment or have expenses that exceed $1000. If that is the case, the team (and instructor) should work with the sponsor to determine the best way to finance such expenses, as many sponsors are willing to pay the extra cost provided that they get to keep the equipment after the project ends. Same goes for travel - sponsors are often willing to help pay the cost to fly the team in for a site visit if the company is not within driving distance.

Learning Factory - Instructors - Team Responsibilities

Each team will consist of 4-5 students, and it is helpful to give them specific responsibilities for managing the project such as:

Point of Contact: This person coordinates all communication with the sponsor
Meeting Recorder: This person records meeting minutes
Notebook Organizer: This person maintains the team's notebook (electronic or hardcopy)
Budgeting: This person keeps track of the team's project expenses
Scheduling: This person updates the Gantt Chart and maintains the team's schedule