Experimental Centric Pedagogy in First-Year Engineering Courses
- Conference
- Location
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New Orleans, Louisiana
- Publication Date
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June 26, 2016
- Start Date
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June 26, 2016
- End Date
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June 29, 2016
- ISBN
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978-0-692-68565-5
- ISSN
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2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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Electrical and Computer
- Tagged Topic
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Diversity
- Page Count
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17
- DOI
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10.18260/p.26833
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/26833
- Download Count
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548
Paper Authors
Kenneth A. Connor Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Kenneth Connor is a professor in the Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering (ECSE) where he teaches courses on electromagnetics, electronics and instrumentation, plasma physics, electric power, and general engineering. His research involves plasma physics, electromagnetics, photonics, biomedical sensors, engineering education, diversity in the engineering workforce, and technology enhanced learning. He learned problem solving from his father (ran a gray iron foundry), his mother (a nurse) and grandparents (dairy farmers). He has had the great good fortune to always work with amazing people, most recently professors teaching circuits and electronics from 13 HBCU ECE programs and the faculty, staff and students of the SMART LIGHTING ERC, where he is Education Director. He was ECSE Department Head from 2001 to 2008 and served on the board of the ECE Department Heads Association from 2003 to 2008.
Dianna Newman University at Albany - SUNY
Dr. Dianna Newman is a research professor.at the Evaluation Consortium at the University at Albany/SUNY. Her major areas of study are program evaluation with an emphasis in STEM related programs. She has numerous chapters, articles, and papers on technology-supported teaching and learning as well as systems-change stages pertaining to technology adoption.
Kathy Ann Gullie PhD Evaluation Consortium University at Albany - SUNY
Dr. Kathy Gullie has extensive experience as a Senior Evaluator and Research Associate through the Evaluation Consortium at the University at Albany/SUNY. She is currently the principal investigator in several educational grants including an NSF engineering grant supporting Historically Black University and Colleges; "Building Learning Communities to Improve Student Achievement: Albany City School District” , and “Educational Leadership Program Enhancement Project at Syracuse University” Teacher Leadership Quality Program. She is also the PI on both “Syracuse City School District Title II B Mathematics and Science Partnership: Science Project and Mathematics MSP Grant initiatives.
Yacob Astatke Morgan State University
Dr. Yacob Astatke completed both his Doctor of Engineering and B.S.E.E. degrees from Morgan State University (MSU) and his M.S.E.E. from Johns Hopkins University. He has been a full time faculty member in the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) department at MSU since August 1994 and currently serves as the Interim Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies in the School of Engineering. Dr. Astatke is the winner of the 2013 American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) “National Outstanding Teaching Award," and the 2012 ASEE Mid-Atlantic Region "Distinguished Teacher" Award. He teaches courses in both analog and digital electronic circuit design and instrumentation, with a focus on wireless communication. He has more than 15 years experience in the development and delivery of synchronous and asynchronous web-based course supplements for electrical engineering courses. Dr. Astatke played a leading role in the development and implementation of the first completely online undergraduate ECE program in the State of Maryland. He has published over 50 papers and presented his research work at regional, national and international conferences. He also runs several exciting summer camps geared towards middle school, high school, and community college students to expose and increase their interest in pursuing Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Dr. Astatke travels to Ethiopia every summer to provide training and guest lectures related to the use of the mobile laboratory technology and pedagogy to enhance the ECE curriculum at five different universities.
Mohamed F. Chouikha Howard University
Dr. Mohamed Chouikha is a professor and chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Howard University. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Colorado–Boulder. Dr. Chouikha’s research interests include machine learning, intelligent control, and multimedia signal processing communications for secure networks, among other areas. He also focuses on enhancing recruitment and retention of underrepresented minorities in the STEM areas in general, engineering in particular.
Charles J. Kim Howard University
Charles Kim is a professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Howard University. He received a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1989, and worked as a researcher at Texas A&M University before he took an assistant professor at the University of Suwon in 1994. Since 1999, he is with Howard University. Dr. Kim's research interests include energy systems, fault detection and anticipation, embedded computing, safety-critical computer systems, and intelligent systems application. Dr. Kim is active in practicing experiential learning in engineering education with personal instrumentation such as mobile studio.
Otsebele E. Nare Hampton University
Otsebele Nare is an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at Hampton University, VA. He received his electrical engineering doctorate from Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD, in 2005. His research interests include System-Level Synthesis Techniques, Microgrids, and K-16 Integrative STEM education.
John Okyere Attia P.E. Prairie View A&M University
Dr. John Okyere Attia is Professor of the Electrical and Computer Engineering at Prairie View A&M University. Dr. Attia earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from University of Houston, an M.S. from University of Toronto and B.S. from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana. He was the Head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Prairie View A&M University from 1997 to 2013. Dr. Attia has over 75 publications including four engineering books, including “PSPICE and MATLAB for Electronics, 2nd Edition”, and “Electronics and Circuit Analysis using MATLAB, 2nd Edition.” His research interests include innovative electronic circuit designs for radiation environment, and power electronics for microgrid systems. He has twice received outstanding Teaching Awards. In addition, he is a member of the following honor societies: Sigma Xi, Tau Beta Pi, Kappa Alpha Kappa and Eta Kappa Nu. Dr. Attia is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Texas
Petru Andrei Florida A&M University/Florida State University
Dr. Petru Andrei is Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Florida A&M University and Florida State University (FAMU-FSU) College of Engineering. He is the FSU campus education director for the NSF-ERC Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Management Systems Center (FREEDM) and has much experience in recruiting and advising graduate, undergraduate, REU, and K-12 students, as well as in working with RET teachers. Dr. Andrei has published over 100 articles in computational electronics, electromagnetics, energy storage devices, and large scale systems.
Lisa D. Hobson Prairie View A&M University
Dr. Lisa Hobson is Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at Prairie View A&M University and has served in the professorate since 1999. She holds a Ph. D. in Educational Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a minor in Curriculum and Instruction. Dr. Hobson has written and received grants on the k-12 and university levels related to the areas of teacher recruitment and retention, language arts, mathematics, science, and technology. Her research areas include: leadership and organizational development, teacher leadership, mentoring, student retention, and student engagement.
Abstract
13 HBCU electrical and computer engineering programs are cooperating on a project to implement and expand experimental centric based instructional pedagogy (ECP) in engineering curricula. The key goal of the project is the production of a larger number of better prepared African American engineers, as well as other students who have a better public understanding of technology and its role in STEM education and policy. What is ECP and why should it lead to more and better educated African American engineers? The guiding hypothesis is that engineering education works best in a learning environment in which experimentation plays a central role rather than existing on the periphery as is too often the case at too many engineering schools. The cost of building, maintaining, supporting and using expensive, limited-access experimental facilities has historically made it difficult to fully integrate hands-on, hardware-based learning experiences into our classrooms. The recent availability of personal instrumentation (e.g. Mobile Studio, Analog Discovery, myDAQ and others) has so lowered the traditional barriers to implementation that ECP is now feasible just about anywhere and anytime. In this paper, we explore the barriers to making ECP a reality in first year ECE courses and circuits and electronics courses for non-majors. All of the partner schools have successfully changed their required circuits and electronics courses to incorporate experiments and other activities built around Analog Discovery. These courses were generally the first to be impacted by personal instrumentation at other institutions, so there was a lot of existing content available to be adapted/adopted by project partners in either lab courses or lecture course that previously had no hands-on component. First year and non-major courses share a common issue in that content cannot be very deep because the students involved have very little preparation except possibly in Physics classes (non-majors) and have limited or less relevant math preparation. Fortunately, researchers involved in other projects such as Mobile Hands-On STEM have developed non-major courses around myDAQ (Georgia Tech) and Mobile Studio/Analog Discovery (RPI, Rose-Hulman) and the EE Practicum (RIT) does something similar for first year students. The present status of ECP in such courses will be discussed along with results from student and instructor assessment, an effort that has benefitted greatly from the use of shared resources and tools. Key open issues will also be addressed including student background and motivation, both of which make first year and non-major students different from the usual second, third and fourth year ECE.
Connor, K. A., & Newman, D., & Gullie, K. A., & Astatke, Y., & Chouikha, M. F., & Kim, C. J., & Nare, O. E., & Attia, J. O., & Andrei, P., & Hobson, L. D. (2016, June), Experimental Centric Pedagogy in First-Year Engineering Courses Paper presented at 2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, New Orleans, Louisiana. 10.18260/p.26833
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