The focus of this project is to develop course material for a Junior/Senior level Electrical Engineering course (Digital Integrated Circuits) which will expose students to all aspects of integrated circuit design and fabrication, and to implement the course in a "simulated industrial environment." The course will be developed based on input from an industrial advisory board consisting of engineers and managers from IC-related companies. The goals of the proposed course are to change the standard instructional environment, consisting of lectures and individual homework, to one which will 1) provide practice gathering technical information from various sources; 2) develop problem solving skills; 3) emphasize teamwork; and 4) provide numerous opportunities to refine oral and written communication skills. In the proposed course students will participate as "employees" of an integrated circuit design company working in small teams in the different divisions of the company (Design, Test and Fabrication) to solve a common problem. "Project-chips" will be created by this proposal allowing students to compare the design, simulation and actual measurements of integrated circuits. Students will evaluate the problems, define potential solutions, form their own plan of action, and communicate their ideas with both peers and superiors in written, oral and electronic form (e- mail). The company framework will be created using an existing local area network (LAN) loaded with the software an IC company would use (word processing, presentation, circuit simulation, circuit layout, and e-mail). Existing measurement equipment will be used to test the companies "products." An introductory integrated circuit course that covers basic IC fabrication and design is present in most every electrical engineering curriculum in the country. The material generated from this project ("project-chips" and all supporting computer files) will be in standard formats such that it is pla tform independent, and thereby applicable to the widest possible audience. The effectiveness of this simulated industrial environment and project-centered approach will be critically evaluated by the industrial advisors, faculty, and student participants.
