The sequence spans an entire academic years (two semesters) and is based on students working in small teams to complete a real project from a real client under the mentorship of EE facult and staff. It is, in essence, a semi-independent electrical engineering consulting experience, where you have to bring your entire undergraduate skillset together to tackle a challenging larger problem ... much like many of you will be doing in industry or graduate school after you graduate. Thus, it is truly a "capstone" to your undergraduate training.
In ages past, apprentices were required to create a "master work" to mark the completion of their apprenticeship and to prove their expertise. You should view these projects as your master works, proof that you deserve your EE degree and are ready for professional practice in the working world. Take advantage of this: really make this a signature effort that you can keep in your portfolio and show off to future clients and employers. Treat this as if these two semesters are a job interview, as employeers are watching.
Of course, this is still a class and your team mentor and other EE faculty are still there to guide you in this first realistic project effort. Your relationship with your mentors should evolve in this year, however, with the team moving towards more and more independence and self-initiative, reflecting your evolution towards full membership in our community of practice as professional computer scientists and software developers.
The EE Capstone sequence is composed of two courses: EE476 - Requirements engineering (2 credits + lab), where projects are selected assigned and moved through the requirements and an early design and prototyping phase; and EE486 - Capstone Design (4 credits), which focused around implementation, testing, refinement and delivery of the software to the client.