The projects are a highlight of the course for me and from anecdotal conversations, also for many of the students. The stated goal is for students to increase their analysis skills by taking some device they encounter regularly and model its behavior. To do this you have to analyze the science that underpins how the device works, figure out what level of detail is vital to calculate the performance, and what can be safely ignored.
The projects this year ranged from calculating how far you needed to place apart tornado sirens, to how heating depended on location in a microwave, to the time it takes to cook a pizza in an oven that cooks on both sides. For the latter project, the students made contact with engineers in the company which, last I heard, might lead to an internship.
I think part of the success of the projects is that it gives students choice, it provides room for creativity, and it is a welcome break from much of the standard work students do in the first few years at university.
Big picture: these projects help develop analysis skills that are key goals for higher education.
I plan to put together a student satisfaction survey of these projects, with perhaps some emphasis on what parts of the experience did they find most beneficial. This might lead to a publication to help disseminate the idea, but where? Self-reports may not be as good as some pre-post comparison of student analysis skills. But that study is not feasible at this point
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