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An undergraduate design project is described in which a free-space optical communications link is constructed. The interest and motivation for the students is achieved by using a visible laser and constructing a complete system by using the digital output of a CD/DVD player and an audio receiver to transmit music over the free-space link. In addition to providing a high-level technical experience, the project also teaches multidisciplinary teamwork and emulates a real working environment; it is relatively low cost, divisible into modules, and adaptable. An overview of the project is included with representative designs and information. Index Terms--Capstone design, interdisciplinary design, laboratory, optical communications.

A communications systems course laboratory component using an infrared (IR) communication system has been developed as part of the wireless education initiative at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (RHIT), Terre Haute, IN. Students build the system up over several laboratory periods from distinct subsystems, each of which illustrates specific communications concepts. The multiweek laboratory project has the features of being easy to implement on breadboards owing to the low modulation frequency and of being highly motivational to students because of their interest in building a 'working system' with a familiar application. The course, the curricular context, and the laboratory experiments are described, along with student survey data on the perceived effectiveness of the laboratories. The students and instructors have found this laboratory project to be very effective in reinforcing classroom concepts, motivating students, and enhancing debugging skills. Index Terms--Amplitude shift keying, bandpass filters, communication systems, electrical engineering education, infrared (IR) communication systems, light-emitting diodes, optical communication, wireless communication.

A senior-level design laboratory course is described, in which an optical fiber communication network is expanded or improved by successive generations of students. In this evolutionary approach, student teams base their work on the final written reports of students in previous course offerings. In addition to its primary goal of providing a high-level technical experience, the course requires multidisciplinary teamwork and provides incentive for the development of effective oral and written communication skills. Results of four offerings of the course are presented. Index Terms - Capstone design, fiber optics, interdisciplinary design, optical communications.

The expansion in the fields of optical engineering and optoelectronics has made it essential to introduce optical engineering concepts into undergraduate courses and curricula. Because of limits on the number of course requirements for the B.S. degree, it is not clear how these topics should he introduced without replacing some of the traditional requirements. This paper demonstrates how optical engineering concepts can be easily presented as an integral part of electrical engineering subjects, with a minimal amount of replacement, while enhancing the depth and understanding of both fields. Courses such as linear signals and systems, electricity and magnetism, and electronics which traditionally represent the core requirements of the undergraduate electrical engineering curriculum contain subjects that have direct correlations with optical engineering concepts. The major changes that are needed are the creation of textbooks that contain concepts and examples in areas of both optical and electrical engineering and some relearning and familiarization on the part of instructors. This approach allows for a fresh look at courses being offered in electrical engineering, while providing the necessary background in optical engineering for students. Index Terms - Integrated optical courses, optoelectronics courses.