An optical communication design laboratory

A senior-level design laboratory course is described, in which an optical f iber communication network is expanded or improved by successive generation s 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. Result s of four offerings of the course are presented.