Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Course Outline (F2015)

ELE 700: Engineering Design
Course
Coordinator

Dr. V. Geurkov

Faculty Lab
Coordinators
(FLCs)

Drs. J. Alirezaie, A. Anpalagan, R. Cheung, K. Clowes, M. Jaseemuddin, S. Karim,

M. Kassam, L. Kirischian, N. Mekhiel, K. Raahemifar, B. Venkatesh, D. Xu, C. Yang,
A. Yazdani, A. Ye, F. Yuan, M. Zeytinoglu

Prerequisites

COE 538, ELE 504, ELE 531, ELE 635, ELE 639 and [(ELE 604 and ELE 614) or (ELE 604
and ELE 632) or (ELE 604 and ELE 637) or (ELE 614 and ELE 632) or (ELE 632 and ELE
637)].

Compulsory
Texts

Teamwork and Project Management, Karl A. Smith, 3rd edition, McGraw Hill, 2004.

Reference
Text

1)
2)
3)
4)

Course
Calendar
Description

This one term course has two objectives. (1) The lectures provide students with advice on
design, project management, reliability, practical advice on software, circuits and components
and the documentation of their work. The lectures are organized as a seminar series presented
by the faculty lab coordinators and practicing engineering professionals. The seminar series'
goal is to provide students with knowledge that will assist them with project design and
implementation. (2) The laboratory component of the course provides students with an
opportunity to select a project to be completed in the Winter semester course ELE 800 Design
Project. Students search information, design and source components in consultation with the
faculty lab coordinators who will supervise their projects in the Winter term. Project topics are
provided from which students select a topic.

CEAB
Learning
Objectives

At the end of this course, the successful student will be able to:

M. Horenstein, "Design Concepts for Engineers", 3rd, Prentice Hall, 2006.

R. Eggert, Engineering Design, Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005.
B. Hyman, "Fundamentals of Engineering Design", Prentice Hall, 2003.
J. Salt and R. Rothery, "Design for Electrical and Computer Engineers", John Wiley &
Sons, Inc., 2002.

1) Predict user needs, define design parameters, and identify constraints in the process of
defining Engineering Design Project (EDP). (4b)
2) Develop students ability and technical skills to make decisions in engineering designs
using judgment in solving problems with uncertainty and imprecise information, and
selecting optimal choice among alternatives applying known constraints identified in the
project definition. (4g, 2a)

3) Demonstrates written and oral communication skill through the ability of constructing
effective arguments and drawing conclusions using evidence in discussing design choices,
using technical vocabulary, and presenting information clearly and concisely. (7a, 7b)

4) Demonstrates team building and project management knowledge through inter-personal

skills, team dynamics, understanding of systematically decomposing project into key tasks,
determining tasks inter-relationship, and managing project to meet budget and time line.
(6b, 11b)

5) Demonstrate ability to assimilate existing knowledge of the field, understand how literature
is produced and maintain currency. (12b)
Note: Numbers in parentheses refer to the graduate attributes required by the Canadian
Engineering Accreditation Board. For more information, see:
http://www.feas.ryerson.ca/quality_assurance/accreditation.pdf
Course
Organization

The engineering design projects are selected from a published list of project topics on the
course web site, early in the term in accordance with the enclosed schedule. All topics are 3student projects.
In Weeks 2 to 3, students carry out studies on their interested topics. Students meet with the
professors teaching this course termed the Faculty Lab Coordinators (FLCs) to discuss their
project topics available for student selection and the design challenges for those projects.
In Weeks 4 lecture hours, a seminar on Design Process and Project Management is
scheduled.
Students must select their project topics by the end of week 5 according to the procedure
described at http://www.ee.ryerson.ca/capstone/topicreservation.html. If a student team did not
select any topic till the end of week 5, the topic assignment will be done by the Department
computer system from the remaining listed topics. The procedure of the computer selection
will be announced.
In Week 6 lecture hours, students must do an examination (25% of total course grade) on the
subject of Design Process and Project Management.
During Weeks 7 to 11, students either attend seminars or carry out design work in a specific
location or laboratory and report to their designated FLC. Seminars are team-taught by the
guest speakers or FLCs. These seminars will be scheduled and announced on the course D2L.
During Weeks 12 and 13, students must do their Oral Exam with their designated FLCs and
electronically submit their Final Report.
Hours: 2 hours per week

Course
Evaluation

Course evaluation will be based on students' performance and design reports.

Design Process and Project Management Exam
Weekly Project Progress
Seminars Attendances and Quizzes
Project Oral Exam
Final written report summarizing design activities

25%
10%
10%
20%
35%

Note: Each project group consists of 3 students. Each student will be evaluated individually.
Examination on Design Process and Project Management is carried out in Week 6.
Students must attend specified seminars and submit project milestones (Week 8) and weekly
(Weeks 9 to 11) project progress reports to their FLC for evaluation prior to meeting with their
FLCs.
The final written reports will be assessed not only on their technical merit, but also on the
communication skills of their author as exhibited through the reports. The written report will
be evaluated as follows:
i) Introduction and Objective
-Statement of the problem, clarification of need and requirements
ii) Approach and Methods
-Relevant literature review, use of suitable engineering concepts and methods
-Alternative design approaches examined and analyzed
iii) Design Analysis & Synthesis
-Design specifications, challenges and methodology
-Use of modern concepts and methods for data gathering, analysis, and synthesis
-Charts on the design process
iv) Technical Writing, and General Organization
-English, spelling, conciseness, clarity, cover page, index, sequence of chapters,
references, appendices, overall adequacy, and integration of the report
Approved
Projects List

In order to assist students in selecting a suitable project, a list of EDP Topics is posted on the
Departmental EDP Web site (http://www.ee.ryerson.ca/capstone/).
All topics are 3-student projects. Each project on the list has been approved as a possible
design project. The Web site description contains a preamble that gives an overview of the
project and explains why it is of interest. Partial specifications, objectives, and suggested
approach are included.

Student
Generated
Topics

Students are encouraged to propose a project that does not appear in the approved project list
or to suggest modifications to published projects to accommodate their interests. A proposal
must be in a similar format as the topics posted on EDP Course Web site and include a general
outline incorporating a block diagram that is used to clarify the functionality and project
scope. A detailed system specification target, cost estimate, and suggested applications for the
concepts incorporated are required. The project proposal must be submitted to the course
coordinator for further approval and assignment to a potential FLC before Week 6.

Activity
Schedule

Week
1
Sep 7-13
2
Sep 14-20
3
Sep 21-27
4
Sep 28-Oct 4
5
Oct 5-11
6
Oct 12-18
7
Oct 19-25
8
Oct 26-Nov 1
9
Nov 2-8
10
Nov 9-15
11
Nov 16-22
12
Nov 23-29
13
Nov 30-Dec 6

Presenters/ Evaluators

Activities

EDP Coordinator

Course Management

FLCs

Studying and Selection of Topics

FLCs

Studying and Selection of Topics

Dr. M. Jaseemuddin

Design Process and Project Management

Seminar

FLCs

Computer Selection of Topics

FLCs

Design Process and Project Management

Exam

FLCs

Students meet with their assigned FLCs

FLCs

Project Milestones submitted to the FLCs

Guest Speaker/ FLCs

Guest Speaker/ FLCs
Guest Speaker/ FLCs

Seminar/ Lab Weekly Progress Report #1

submitted to the FLCs
Seminar/ Lab Weekly Progress Report #2
submitted to the FLCs
Seminar/ Lab Weekly Progress Report #3
submitted to the FLCs

FLCs

Project Design Oral Exam

FLCs

Project Design Oral Exam,

Final Report Submission

Project Cost,
Equipment,
and
Laboratories

Project costs for components and other supplies will be borne by the students. Some
specialized components may be provided by the Department. This will be noted in the project
description. Students should carefully assess the cost implications of a particular project
before making a commitment. Requests for equipment or laboratory usage outside of your
scheduled lab hours should be directed to your FLC.

Roles of
FLC & FA

This course presents administrators with a major challenge in coordination. There is a broad
project spectrum as each person, in the entire fourth-year student body, selects a unique
project. Laboratory resources must be managed to ensure their adequacy, longevity, student
safety, and security. Students are to be placed with a FLC who can advise them.
Role of Faculty Laboratory Coordinator (FLC)

1)
2)

Assist the course coordinator in assessing the acceptability of students' generated

projects when requested, particularly in terms of the mandatory minimum 50% design
component.
Ensure that the minimum 50% design component is in each project under their
supervision.

3)
4)
5)
6)

Provide, where feasible, technical and project management advice without unduly
removing the challenge from the student.
Advise the student, where necessary and possible, in the acquisition of parts, test
equipment, and specialized laboratory facilities, as required.
Monitor the student's weekly progress during the two hours of lab sessions.
Evaluate the overall project results based on performance on their project, milestone
demonstration, and design content in the engineering project report.

Role of Faculty Advisor (FA)

The FA is a faculty member who has voluntarily suggested a project or is formally or
informally advising the student. When a FA generates a project, the FA is acknowledged in the
Engineering Design description. A FA may or may not be interested in assisting the student
beyond the project generation phase. As a courtesy, the student should always discuss the
project with the FA when one exists and establish the nature and extent of any advice the FA
wishes to provide. Upon project completion, in the Winter Term, it is suggested that the
student provide an Engineering Design report copy to the FA if the advisor so wishes. This
copy does not have to be bound.
Scope of
EDP

The project component ELE 700 will make significant demands on the student's time. The key
to completing all aspects of this course is to carefully define reasonable limits to what is being
undertaken and to budget time on a regular basis to minimize last minute rushes. Two-hour
lab sessions per week are assigned in Week 7 to 13. In these lab sessions, the student has the
chance to discuss challenges that arise and log their progress in their project with their FLC.
As stated earlier, the intended value of the engineering design project is to provide a major
experience in engineering design. Therefore, it is important that the project is thoroughly
researched and well under way in ELE 700 during the Fall Term and a plan of actions for the
Winter Term course ELE 800 is carefully drawn up. Your FLC may refuse to assist the
student who has not made a reasonable effort to solve their problem.
Ultimately, the successful completion of the project is the sole responsibility of the student.

Important Notes
1.

All of the required course-specific written reports will be assessed not only on their technical/academic
merit, but also on the communication skills exhibited through these reports.
2. Should a student miss an exam or equivalent, with appropriate documentation, a make-up will be scheduled
as soon as possible in the same semester. Make-ups should cover the same material as the original
assessment but need not be of an identical format. Only if it is not possible to schedule such a make-up may
the weight of the missed work be placed on another single assessment. This may not cause that exam or
assessment to be worth more than 70% of the students final grade. If a student misses a scheduled make-up
test or exam, the grade may be distributed over other course assessments even if that makes the grade on the
final exam worth more than 70% of the final grade in the course.
3. Students who miss a exam for a verifiable reason and who cannot be given a make-up exam prior to the
submission of final course grades, must be given a grade of INC (as outlined in the Grading Promotion and
Academic Standing Policy) and a make-up exam (normally within 2 weeks of the beginning of the next
semester) that carries the same weight and measures the same knowledge, must be scheduled.
4. Medical or Compassionate documents for the missing of an exam must be submitted within 3 working days
of the exam. Students are responsible for notifying the FLC/course coordinator that they will be missing an
exam as soon as possible.

5. Requests for accommodation of specific religious or spiritual observance must be presented to the FLC/
course coordinator no later than two weeks prior to the conflict in question. In extenuating circumstances
this deadline may be extended. If the dates are not known well in advance because they are linked to other
conditions, requests should be submitted as soon as possible in advance of the required observance. Given
that timely requests will prevent difficulties with arranging constructive accommodations, students are
strongly encouraged to notify the FLC/course coordinator of an observance accommodation issue within the
first two weeks of classes.
6. Students are required to adhere to all relevant University policies including the Student Code of Academic
Conduct (www.ryerson.ca/senate/policies/pol60.pdf) and Non-Academic Conduct
(http://www.ryerson.ca/senate/policies/pol61.pdf).
7. Students are required to obtain and maintain a Ryerson Matrix e-mail account for timely communications
between the instructor and the students.
8. Any changes in the course outline, test dates, marking or evaluation will be discussed in class prior to being
implemented.

EDP Coordinator _________________________________ Date _____________________________

Approved by _______________________________

Date ________________________________

Program Director