Organizing effective laboratory work in teams

Although the engineering design group notion sounds simple, it can be a complex process for undergraduate engineering students as well as for professors. Some of the concerns are: the basis for placing students in a particular group, evaluation of both group and individual efforts, interpretation and implementation of ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) criteria, and the effectiveness of the learning experience within the design team process. At the US Military Academy, electrical engineering students start the program with a group design experience in the introductory digital logic course taught to sophomores. They complete the program with a similar group design effort in the senior design project course. This paper is an opportunity to discuss these two experiences and measure the growth of the students´ ability to interact with peers in an engineering design environment