Systems Engineering Capstone Marketplace Pilot

Abstract : The goal of this pilot project was to determine the feasibility of and requirements for a systems engineering capstone experience marketplace environment. We hope to increase the number of systems engineering capstone projects conducted at universities each year by facilitating the cooperation and coordination of teams of students from multiple campuses on individual projects. This has the potential for increasing student engagement, as it enables student participation at schools that might not otherwise have the faculty interest or resources to undertake such projects. It also makes it easier to conduct projects of greater size and complexity where the benefits of a systems engineering approach are more visible. The program was implemented in three sequential phases over a 12-month period: Phase 1/Startup: The software for the marketplace registry was prepared, candidate projects and students qualifications were entered into the registry, students volunteered for projects, project teams were created, and projects were started. Phase 2/Project Completion: Students completed their work and submitted final deliverables to stakeholders, who along with faculty performed assessments of student work. Phase 3/Guideline Preparation: All participating faculty distilled the lessons of the distributed team and prepared guidelines for future instances of the marketplace and suggested modifications were made.