The Academe and the Field
A Case Study: The Engineering Program at the Ariel University Center of Samaria, Israel
Dr. Nitza Davidovitch*, Prof. Shmuel Shacham

Abstract
The final project is the final chord in an undergraduate program in engineering. In their final projects, students are required to demonstrate their ability to address an engineering assignment, making maximal use of the practical education acquired during the student’s studies, the student’s ability to develop and implement a valid engineering solution. Final projects are designed to prepare graduating students for the challenges they will encounter as engineers. Projects require extensive efforts on part of the students and on part of the academic institution, in terms of time and resources. To examine whether the project fulfill’s the system’s expectations, we developed a detailed feedback questionnaire and asked graduates of the AUC’s give engineering departments to address topics such as the effectiveness of project guidance, the need for theoretical background knowledge, and the project’s impact on graduates’ employability. We analyzed 261 completed questionnaires of graduates by specialty. The vast majority of participants reported that the project made a most positive contribution to their engineering training, and also reported extensive use of theoretical knowledge in the project. Most participants noted that they acquired new skills and that the project helped them find a job.

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