Creating product development and research teams in a classroom setting

University professors are expected to hold down (at least) two main jobs-teaching and research-sometimes at the expense of performing less than optimally on one or the other. In this work-in-progress, we are exploring the concept of combining teaching and research activities in the classroom to improve quality and productivity in both areas. The combination is being addressed by incorporating research tasks and results into a product design course. The evolution of such courses is overviewed and references to Web resources are provided for those interested in exploring the subject in more depth.