Students mentioned that this was a fun, hands-on course where they got to work col aboratively in teams. The negative part of the course was that not all group members contributed equally. Also the course can be frustrating, as design projects do not always succeed. Suggestions for improvement included bringing in students from other engineering departments and distributing work more evenly among group members. Students should know that this is a time-intensive course, so they should plan on spending a lot of time outside of class to work on projects.

Students liked the hands-on aspect of this course, and enjoyed applying what they knew to design, create and experiment on their own. They liked being able to set their own schedules and work outside of the class with others on their team. The only real complaint that students had was that it was often difficult to find a time that worked with everyone’s schedule, which often led to miscommunication and students scrambling to figure out ways to deal with the problems that arose. Suggestions for improvement included setting a lab time that students would be required to attend and meet with group members. Prospective students should be prepared to spend a significant amount of time on this project, and they should have a flexible enough schedule to meet with their group members on a regular basis. It is helpful if students have some background knowledge in chemistry, electrical engineering, CAD, and research skills.

Students were enthusiastic about the hands-on experience they gained while working in group projects for this course. Students also appreciated the independence they were given in pursuing their projects. Students thought there wasn’t much that was lacking about this course, except some thought there was a lack of structure. In turn, they thought better structure might improve the course by helping students more effectively organize their work. Students thought it was useful for potential participants to know that this course could be a valuable experience for students from all engineering disciplines, not just chemical and biomolecular engineering.