Experimental Projects I (16.621)
MIT's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics offers this first half of a two-semester lab sequence in which two-person student teams conceive, design, and begin an original experimental project under a faculty advisor, continuing the work in the follow-on course 16.622. The OpenCourseWare site provides the preparation and guidance materials used to launch a project: instructions for writing project proposals, guidelines for working with shop staff and lab facilities, and study materials focused on technical communication, since presenting and defending an hypothesis is treated as a core skill. Examples of past student work are included to show what a completed proposal and project plan look like. The site notes upfront that it can only offer a partial picture of the course, since much of the learning happens through direct interaction between student teams, their faculty advisor, and machine shop staff, interaction that cannot be captured online. No certificate is offered; this is a self-paced study resource rather than an instructor-led enrollment.