Conference Session

Computer Education Management Tools I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carole Goodson, University of Houston; Barbara Stewart, University of Houston; Susan Miertschin, University of Houston; Luces Faulkenberry, University of Houston

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

bottle, and there’s no stuffing it backinside.” He also reflected that educators are advised to weigh the ethical issues attached toInternet technologies. Academic honesty issues, while not unique to technology-based tools, areexacerbated by technology enhanced speed, access, ease of manipulation, and scope ofdissemination. Holt felt that risks were magnified by the power of electronic systems. Kleinerand Lord 14 similarly stated that while crib sheets and copying answers have been around for along time, what technology has brought is an expansion of the problem with new avenues tocheat, boldness in using technology tools, and erosion of conscience.Specific applications of technology further accelerate the rate of dishonest behavior. Forexample

Conference Session

Computer Education Management Tools II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dianne Raubenheimer, North Carolina State University; Rebecca Brent, Education Designs Inc.; Jeff Joines, North Carolina State University; Amy Craig, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

. What are student approaches to modeling and problem solving and how do they change over time as students move into upper division courses and use programming and computational tools to model and solve discipline specific problems? Instrumentation: (a) Student surveys assessing attitudes and confidence in specific course outcomes, (b) survey questions about modeling and problem solving, (c) specially developed, common problem solving tasks, (d) student reflections about how they go about solving tasks, and (e) course-related samples of student work. The survey data is being compared to students completing these same or similar surveys in subsequent semesters, to establish trends in self-confidence

Conference Session

Web-Based Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Felipe Arango, Stevens Institute of Technology; Gonca Altuger, Stevens Institute of Technology; El-Sayed Aziz, Stevens Institute of Technology; Constantin Chassapis, Stevens Institute of Technology; Sven Esche, Stevens Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

virtualexperiments, was deployed in a pilot implementation. This paper reports on the learningassessment conducted in that pilot. In particular, the evaluation metrics for the virtual learningenvironment as well as the data on learning effectiveness and student feedback are discussed.IntroductionEngineering education is transforming rapidly due to ongoing significant advances in computerand Web technologies. The experimental learning theory by Kolb1 was suggested as anintegrative perspective on learning that combines experience, perception, cognition, behavior,etc. Five categories of learning style models2,3,4 have been recommended in the educationalliterature: sensing/intuitive, visual/verbal, inductive/deductive, active/reflective andsequential/global

Conference Session

Computer Simulation and Animation II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christiaan Gribble, Grove City College

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

technique competitive with raster-based algorithms, and some suggest that ray tracing willbegin to dominate interactive rendering in coming years. Figure 1: Image synthesis using ray tracing. The ray tracing algorithm supports complex visual effects that are not easily implemented with raster-based techniques, including depth-of-field, glossy and specular reflections, refraction, soft shadows, and diffuse interreflection.At Grove City College, we have mapped the contents of common graduate-level courses in raytracing to an undergraduate audience. Students design and implement a full-featured ray tracingsystem in a semester-long course that focuses on: ‚ the essential physics and mathematics

Conference Session

Embedded Computing

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Holden, California Maritime Academy

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

datain the microcontroller to reflect the units of the sensor being measured. The microcontrollercould also store the data as it is measured, and dump it into labview later, for self contained datalogging. The freedom to modify the software to suit the project is one of the biggest advantagesto using a microcontroller over a traditional DAQ unit.The DAQ system compares quite favorably to the commercial units, especially considering theparts cost (without the breadboard) is less than $20. A printed circuit board for this design wouldbe small and likely to cost less than $10, so the system cost would be reasonable if assembledinto a dedicated device.The data is logged with less precision (10 bits vs. 12 or 16 on the National Instruments DAQdevices

Conference Session

Computer Simulation and Animation I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Othoniel Rodriguez-Jimenez, Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico; Carlos Pacheco, Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico; Nelson Reyes-Aviles, Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico; Marisol Mercado, Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

of thesyllabus sections in a database allows for the generation of reports or documents across thewhole set of syllabi. Some of the reports or documents generated can include actualized list ofthe short course descriptions suitable for incorporation into the catalog and/or school website, listof textbooks for the campus bookstore, list of bibliographic references for the campus library, amapping of where are the program outcomes being reflected throughout the curriculum, and alist of faculty responsible for the various courses.The Universal Syllabus ApplicationThe above list of problems and the advantages notedfor automating the syllabus authoring process,prompted the decision to develop a dedicated webapplication.The Universal Syllabus

Conference Session

Programming for Engineering Students II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amy Craig, North Carolina State University; Lisa Bullard, North Carolina State University; Jeff Joines, North Carolina State University; Tom Miller, North Carolina State University; Carolyn Miller, North Carolina State University; Dianne Raubenheimer; George Rouskas, North Carolina State University; Larry Silverberg, North Carolina State University; Eric Wiebe, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

integral part of the ongoing activities. One research and assessment method beingemployed is the Delphi method. This formal communication process will be used to gatherconsensus among faculty, industry leaders and students in an effort to identify sets ofcomputational skills vital for engineering professionals. Descriptions and reflections of the firstyear of project activities will be presented as well as plans for future activities. Preliminaryassessment data will also be available.1. IntroductionTwo decades ago to say that an engineering graduate was highly competent in computing meantthat he or she had mastered the FORTRAN programming language. A decade later it meant, inaddition, mastering basic skills in a few key discipline-specific

Conference Session

Computer Education Management Tools II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Roger Hadgraft, The University of Melbourne

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

: Figure 2 – Example of student work planning and scheduling toolStudents and staff will keep reflective logbooks to track their performance and theperformance of the system. That is, they will take a research approach to teaching andlearning – Action Research 29. What can we be doing better? Since this is now a resource-based approach rather than a person-based approach, it is a system easier to improve bybuying or developing better resources, most of which will be online.ConclusionWe now have 20 years experience in project-based learning and computer-assisted learning.However, we have made little progress in properly integrating these two strategies. Nor havewe made much progress in successfully pooling our resources so that our teaching is

Conference Session

Embedded Computing

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jeff Wiegley, California State University-Northridge

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

spenda good amount of time trying to create more sophisticated software to compensatefor the drift in the platforms position or to provide rudimentary dead-reckoning.The optical sensors are particularly troublesome because they operating on a short-distance reflective infrared design that is prone to picking up lines between tiles,dirt or scuff marks on the sources.Students have shown remarkable self-motivation and differentiation from their col-league’s teams to provide creative solutions to their problems. using optical sensorsin conjunction with printed code wheels to provide direct feedback on the motorpositions is one example.Stepper Motor ControlSome advantages to the Handyboard control include high current (2 Amp) H-bridgecircuit and

Conference Session

Embedded Computing

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alejandra J. Magana; Sean Brophy, Purdue University; George Bodner, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

. Page 13.1005.8An indicator of students’ perception of the above mentioned features was identified byasking them whether they consider nanoHUB as easy to use. Students respondedpositively by indicating with a 3.2 average score that nanoHUB is easy to use.Instructor A and instructor B seem to incorporate the simulation tools in an efficient way.Efficient in the sense that students are able to apply their knowledge to solve practicalsituations close related to students’ areas of interest, as well as efficient in the sense thatthey provide to their students opportunities to reinforce concepts learned in class withhomework assignments that allow students multiple opportunities to practice,comparison, and reflection. Regarding to the tool, nanoHUB

Conference Session

Educational Software

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mark Hopkins, Rochester Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

well beyond the half-sample frequency, and on the lower half of the unit-circle.The periodicity of the D-T magnitude plot is somewhat disguised by the fact that the frequency-axis is log-scaled, but the point clearly lies on the magnitude curve above the 50Hz "reflection". Figure 16. Selection of a frequency beyond the half-sample-rate frequency.4. ConclusionIn order to create plots "on-the-fly" at the lectern, ultimately, program instructions must beentered into a computer. Although applications such as Matlab® have made plot creation fairlyeasy, it is nonetheless challenging to quickly create and format plots in such a way that they areeasily readable in a classroom, and also easily and clearly demonstrate important points of

Conference Session

Web-Based Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mahmoud Quweider, The University of Texas at Brownsville; Fitra Khan, U of Texas at Brownsville; Juan Iglesias, The University of Texas at Brownsville

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

practices, and more. The vast amount ofapplications developed for the Internet, like the Web, make computer networking an integral partof our daily life. These new trends and applications, including concepts and disciplinesencompassed, have introduced new research and educational requirements demanded by industryand/or society that are reflected in work force demands, employment figures, research grantopportunities, and enrollment in educational programs related to computer networking.Tying in concepts and techniques from networking and distributed processing (NDP) into thecurricula will better prepare students for future work force, and is therefore a major componentof this application. The goal of the lab was to incorporate elements of NDP into

Conference Session

Mobile Robots in Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Anthony Reed, Louisiana Tech University; Taylor Creekbaum, Louisiana Tech University; Matthew Elliott, Louisiana Tech University; David Hall, Louisiana Tech University; Davis Harbour, Louisiana Tech University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

) program under Award No. 0618288. Anyopinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those ofthe authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.Bibliography1. Cropley D. H. and Cropley A. J., “Fostering Creativity in Engineering Undergraduates,” High Ability Studies, The Journal of the European Council for High Ability, Carfax Publishing, Taylor & Francis Ltd. UK, 11 (2), 2000, 207-219.2. National Academy of Engineering, “The Engineer of 2020.” The National Academies Press, Washington DC, 2004. www.nap.edu3. Parallax, Parallax Home Web Site, http://www.parallax.com/, 2007.4. Kelley, T., Littmann, J., and Peters, T., The Art of Innovation : Lessons in

Conference Session

Instrumentation and Laboratory Systems

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jonathan Hill, University of Hartford; Akram Abu-aisheh, University of Hartford

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

for any one term to dominate its value must be significantly largerthan the others. To = Ttx 2 + Tf 2 + Trx 2 (4) • To = Overall response time • Ttx = Transmitter response time • Tf = L ⋅ ∆ t = Fiber spreading • Trx = Receiver response timeWe next consider the actual fiber. According to Weinert10, optical dispersion is the spreadingthat occurs to a light pulse as it travels along an optical fiber, as in Figure 5. Here we considerdispersion due to the various optical modes that appear in a plastic fiber. The idea is that a lightray traveling straight down a fiber follows a shorter path and will arrive at the receiver soonerthan a ray that reflects along

Conference Session

Computer Simulation and Animation II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mark Rossow, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

and formulation of generalizations and principles. It would appear thatlearning is best facilitated when impasses are carefully chosen in both design andnumber. Researchers have proposed inserting, in the worked example, prompts such asmultiple-choice questions30. The questions typically are conceptual rather thanquantitative in nature and are designed to force students to reflect upon and generalizetheir ideas about the example being studied. It is interesting to note that such “concept-eliciting questions” play a key role in the work of Steif and colleagues39-40, even thoughtheir focus is on learning through problem solving rather than through studying workedexamples. Indeed, learning through solving problems begins to resemble