First year engineering experience at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

This paper describes our initial effort to develop a first year seminar for electrical engineering students at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. This course was recently added to the curriculum and taught, for the first time, during the spring 2014 semester. The main goal is to motivate electrical engineering freshmen students by exposing them to an academic experience that combines fundamental concepts of engineering design, practical experience, problem solving skills, management and communication skills, and teamwork. This course was developed through collaborations with a colleague at Pennsylvania State University. A more detailed description of the course including discussion and students' reaction will be provided at the conference.