Toward the Development of Capstone Design Guidelines in Newly Established Engineering Programs

Our university has recently launched a new engineering department in the College of Engineering and Technology to serve the community needs and satisfy the increasing demand for engineers in the region. The engineering department, consisting of four different programs: Mechanical, Electrical, Computer, and Civil, was established at the beginning of Fall 2018. The challenge faced by these programs was developing an up to date and comprehensive curriculum that encompasses a wide range of subjects to provide students with a substantial engaged learning experience through multidisciplinary and hands-on projects. To achieve this, the department has conducted an ambitious hiring process to attract new faculty possessing various working experiences that will enrich the development of capstone design guidelines. This paper, therefore, discusses the shared values and experiences between the faculty in developing capstone design courses in their respective schools and presents an opportunity for the newly established Engineering department to build on this diversity in order to establish sound capstone design guidelines suitable for the new programs.