2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

A community-engaged design program at a large public university partners teams of undergraduate students with local or global community organizations to design, build, and deliver real solutions to the community. The program creates three-way partnerships between the university, community, and industry by engaging corporate partners as advisors (instructors), mentors, and design reviewers. Local industry representatives volunteer their time to help teach the course. Corporate representatives are mentored in teaching the design-based community engagement courses and serve as instructors of record for several sections. Others provide mentoring on specific topics or with particular teams. The most significant number of corporate volunteers are engaged in the twice-per-semester design reviews. In order to ensure quality deliverables, the program has long hosted design reviews, in which volunteers from industry serve as expert panelists, listening to the student teams’ presentations and giving feedback and suggestions to improve the projects and support the students’ professional development. Engaging industry in design reviews has led to a number of positive outcomes, including translation of the more engaged design reviewers into volunteer team advisors, closer connection with industry partners yielding financial sponsorships, and more opportunities for students to engage with potential employers. As the program has grown over its 27-year history to more than 1300 students per year, the need for design reviewers has grown with it. This paper describes the system employed to facilitate industry engagement as advisors, mentors, and design reviewers. Results are shared from industry volunteers and student reactions.