Cole later returned to teach advanced courses in Electrical Engineering at WSU in 1997, and began designing adaptable circuit boards for his students to use.  After sharing them with colleagues in different universities nationwide they became so popular that he formed his own company, Digilent, to manufacture and market the circuit boards.  Cole received his B.S. in computer science in 1987 and a M.S. in Electrical Engineering in 2000, both from WSU.  He continues to teach junior and senior-level electrical engineering courses.