Conference Session

Laboratory Development in ECE Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bruce Dunne, Grand Valley State University; Melvin Cooke, GE Aviation

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Page 13.367.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Design of a Hardware Platform for Analog Communications LaboratoryIntroductionIn the typical electrical engineering curriculum, analog communications is usually ajunior or senior year elective. Such a course typically focuses on analog radio, coveringthe topics of amplitude modulation (AM) and frequency modulation (FM). Also includedis the study of noise effects in communication systems and other related concepts insignals and systems. Increasingly, the laboratory portion of an analog communicationscourse has migrated to simulation-based experiments using MATLAB1 or to quasi-simulation methods based on the capabilities of LabVIEW2. The

Conference Session

Laboratory Development in ECE Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Arlen Planting, Boise State University; Sin Ming Loo, Boise State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Conference Session

Laboratory Development in ECE Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ed Doering, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Sam Shearman, National Instruments; Erik Luther, National Instruments

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Conference Session

Laboratory Development in ECE Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Osama Mohammed, Florida International University; Nagy Abed, Quanta Technology

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Trans, vol. 46, Feb. 2003, Page 13.1026.11 pp. 79-87.2. N. Mohan, W.P. Robbins, P. Imbertson, T.M. Undeland, R.C. Panaitescu, A.K. Jain, P. Jose, and T. Begalke, " Restructuring of first courses in power electronics and electric drives that integrates digital contro," IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, vol. 18, Issue 1, Part 2, Jan. 2003, pp. 429-437.3. O. Mohammed, and R. Sebastien “A Real-time Electromagnetic Analysis of Electric Machines for Educational Purposes and Laboratory Implementation,” IEEE Trans. on Magnetics, vol.34, No. 5, Sept. 1998, pp. 3628-3631.4. S. Abourida, C. Dufour, J. Belanger, V. Lapointe, “Real time, PC

Conference Session

Laboratory Development in ECE Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Peter Mark Jansson, Rowan University; Ulrich Schwabe, Rowan University; Andrew Hak, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Conference Session

Laboratory Development in ECE Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Hoffbeck, University of Portland

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

in a communication system course. Page 13.1351.2Using Real RF SignalsThe author's communication systems course uses real AM and FM radio signals to demonstratevarious concepts in communication systems. In addition to the homework assignments whichdeal with the theory of communication systems, the students perform a series of five projectsusing real signals as shown below. 1. Spectrum Analyzer Laboratory Experiment 2. AM Demodulation and Frequency Division Multiplexing 3. FM Demodulation 4. RDS Demodulation 5. RDS DecodingIn the first project, the students use a Tektronix RSA3408A Real Time Spectrum Analyzer toexamine and

Conference Session

New Trends in ECE Education II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Harris, California Polytechnic State University; Dominic Dalbello, Allan Hancock College; Jianbiao Pan, California Polytechnic State University; Albert Liddicoat, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

circuit board (PCB). All the services necessary to perform thislaboratory experiment will be provided with low-cost vendors available on the . The learningmodule is being developed so that it can be integrated into the existing electrical engineeringlower division courses that are required by all engineering students. The laboratory learningmodule will use operational amplifiers (op amp), resistors, capacitors and other commonelectronic components to study the theory of op am circuits, and to apply these circuits to theinterfacing of electronic signals with the physical world. The learning module will replace twoexisting laboratory experiments on op amps with a five week exercise. After lecture on thetheory, the five week exercise will consist of

Conference Session

Design in the ECE Curriculum

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Frank Kragh; Jeffrey Reed; Carl Dietrich; Donna Miller

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Education in Software Defined Radio Design Engineering Abstract— Software Defined Radio (SDR), an interdisciplinary emerging technology,presents new challenges for communications engineers and engineering educators. In SDR,signal modulation and information coding are defined in the system's software, nothardware. The authors have incorporated SDR design into their respective curricula bothto support the growing demand for SDR engineering and to teach widely applicablesystems engineering concepts. SDR-oriented curricular changes include new courses,laboratories, and software design tools. Software radio design is taught as aninterdisciplinary systems engineering undertaking, emphasizing the importance of

Conference Session

ECE Pedagogy and Assessment II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dale Buechler, University of Wisconsin-Platteville

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

-graduate electricalengineering degree on a part-time basis without having to travel to the main campus located 90miles and 180 miles away respectively. Students in the program typically take two engineeringcourses per semester from the on-site faculty supplemented by distance course offerings asneeded. Each of these courses has the same content as the ones offered at the main campus,including laboratory work and semester design projects. Courses in Math, Science, English, andthe Humanities are offered by the local two-year school. The specific needs of our non-traditional students and the ways the course offerings at our site have been adapted to meet thoseneeds are discussed. The unique challenges of this type of program are also

Conference Session

New Trends in ECE Education II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Meyer, Purdue University; Mark Johnson, Purdue University School of ECE; Cordelia Brown, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Laboratories with the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering of Purdue University since July 1999. He received his PhD in 1998 from the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering of Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. He teaches Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) design, advises senior design project teams, supervises teaching assistants in several laboratories, develops computer engineering laboratory curricula, manages design automation software for instruction and research, and is chair of an ECE committee for instructional innovation. Dr. Johnson served as proceedings chair for Microelectronic Systems Education 2003, program chair for Microelectronic Systems

Conference Session

New Trends in ECE Education I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Fred Cady, (Retired) Montana State University; John McLellan, Freescale Semiconductor

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

hardware, software and courseware learning ecosystem that has beencreated to capture student attention and develop a broader skill set. Laboratory and in-classexercises use POGIL (Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning) – based laboratory modules toengage students in learning through exploration, critical thinking, and team and cooperativeparticipation exercises. Laboratory and in-class exercises are designed to teach the student howto explore a new technology to be able to learn more about it. In fact, learning how to learn is akey outcome. Laboratory hardware is designed to provide easy connection to real-world devicesand allow students to extend their explorations from classroom theory to the practical applicationof technology they are

Conference Session

Embedded System Design

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daren Wilcox, Southern Polytechnic State University; Steve Wilson, Southern Polytechnic State University; Gerd Wöstenkühler

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Embedded Design in a Sophomore CourseAbstractRecently in academia, a push has emerged to include engineering design early in a student’s coursesequence. The desired result is to captivate the student’s interest in engineering before the student hashad a chance to change majors. Otherwise, the student would not experience the design process until thecapstone courses in the senior year. In this paper, an embedded design project in a sophomore course ispresented. The design project is based on the USB Toolstick from Silicon Laboratories. The USBToolstick is an 8051 series microcontroller that is self contained, economical, and very student friendly.What follows is a discussion of the sophomore course, an overview of the USB Toolstick, and examplesof

Conference Session

New Trends in ECE Education I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sanjay Raman, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Da Silva Luiz, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Masoud Agah, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Allen MacKenzie, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Christopher Maxey, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Amy Bell, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

, including active learning opportunities, a hands-onlaboratory experience, and a summary/wrap-up lecture. The lectures are delivered to thestudents in a single classroom, large lecture format; the labs are conducted in smaller sectionsof the overall course. The lab/lecture materials are carefully developed to be tractable forfirst-year engineering students from a wide range of backgrounds. Examples include:arrhythmia detection algorithms for implantable cardiac defibrillators (Signal Processing);blackout prevention (Electrical Power Systems); and detecting tumors using tomographicimage reconstruction (Biomedical Imaging).This paper will discuss the implementation of a particular four-part lecture/laboratory modulein the area of Sensors and Wireless

Conference Session

New Trends in ECE Education I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sandra Yost, University of Detroit Mercy; Mohan Krishnan, University of Detroit Mercy; Mark Paulik, University of Detroit Mercy

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

demonstrations of successfulindependent enquiry and multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary teaming. These successes havebeen directly responsible for our continuing efforts to migrate these benefits downward in thecurriculum, and the resulting comprehensive curriculum reform for the Electrical Engineeringprogram described in this paper.The EE program has for many years distinguished itself by focusing on both engineering designand practice while placing an emphasis on critical thinking, ethics, and social responsibility via anextensive humanities-based core curriculum. Mandatory cooperative education assignments andextensive laboratory and class-based projects ensure that students not only grasp theoreticalconcepts, but also know how to apply those

Conference Session

Project-Based Learning in ECE Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Albert Liddicoat, California Polytechnic State University; Jianbiao Pan, California Polytechnic State University; James Harris, California Polytechnic State University; Lynne Slivovsky, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

, partition the designinto subcomponents, design, build, test, and verify that the system requirements have been met.The authors have enhanced and implemented three courses to develop system engineeringknowledge and skills that better prepare students for their senior design experience. This papergives an overview and lists the learning outcomes for each of these courses and includes someexamples of laboratory projects that are used to meet these learning outcomes.IntroductionIn the current global environment it is imperative that engineering graduates are prepared to enterthe workforce with the skills necessary to make immediate contributions. Today, companiesoften outsource engineering tasks and projects that could otherwise be done by entry

Conference Session

Innovations in ECE Education III

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sheng-Jen Hsieh, Texas A&M University; Yuan-Teng Cheng, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

AC 2008-1545: INTELLIGENT TUTOR FOR LADDER LOGIC PROGRAMMINGSheng-Jen Hsieh, Texas A&M University Dr. Sheng-Jen (“Tony”) Hsieh is an Associate Professor in the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University. He holds a joint appointment with the Department of Engineering Technology and the Department of Mechanical Engineering. His research interests include engineering education, cognitive task analysis, automation, robotics and control, intelligent manufacturing system design, and micro/nano manufacturing. He is also the Director of the Rockwell Automation laboratory at Texas A&M University, a state-of-the-art facility for education and research in the areas of automation

Conference Session

Design in the ECE Curriculum

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jin-Hwan Lee, University of Cincinnati; Ali Asgar Bhagat, University of Cincinnati; Karen Davis, University of Cincinnati; Ian Papautsky, University of Cincinnati

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

engineering from the University of Cincinnati in 2006, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. His research interests include microfluidics and MEMS devices for chemical and biological assays. He was the teaching assistant for the microfluidics laboratory course discussed in this paper.Karen Davis, University of Cincinnati Dr. Karen C. Davis is an Associate Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Cincinnati. She has advised over 30 senior design students and more than 20 MS/PhD theses in the area of database systems. She has been the recipient of several departmental and college teaching awards, including

Conference Session

ECE Pedagogy and Assessment I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Steven Northrup, Western New England College; John Burke, Western New England College

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Engineering at Western New England College. Prior to joining WNEC, Dr. Burke was with EM Observables Division of Mission Research Corporation (95 to 2000), he was with the MacNeal-Schwendler Corporation (92-95), with Compact Software (90-92), with the Microwave Electronics Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts (87-90), and with the Hughes Aircraft Corporation (84-86). He received the B.S.E.E. degree from Northeastern University, Boston, MA, in 1984 and the M.S.E.E. degree from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1986, and the Ph.D. degree from University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1993. Dr Burke’s primary teaching interests are Electromagnetics, High Frequency Circuit

Conference Session

Innovations in ECE Education II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cordelia Brown, Purdue University; Yung-Hsiang Lu, Purdue University; David Meyer, Purdue University; Mark C Johnson, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

AC 2008-1237: HYBRID CONTENT DELIVERY: ON-LINE LECTURES ANDINTERACTIVE LAB ASSIGNMENTSCordelia Brown, Purdue University Cordelia M. Brown is a Visiting Assistant Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University. She received her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at Vanderbilt University, her M.S. in Electrical Engineering at Vanderbilt University, and her B.S. in Electrical Engineering at Tuskegee University. Her research interests include assessment of instructional methods, laboratory design, collaborative learning, mentoring, professional development skills, and retention and recruitment issues in engineering education.Yung-Hsiang Lu, Purdue University Yung-Hsiang

Conference Session

Innovations in ECE Education II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yakov Cherner, ATeL, LLC; Amin Karim, DeVry University; Ahmed Khan, DeVry University; Victor Rubanchik, Southern Federal University (Russia); Gary Mullett, Springfield Technical Community College

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

science, engineering and technology investigations. He also proposed and implemented the pioneering concept of integrated adjustable virtual laboratories. To facilitate these methodologies for academic education, corporate and military training, his company developed new ground-breaking e-learning solutions, as well as relevant assessment and authoring tools. Dr. Cherner holds an MS in Experimental Physics, and Ph.D. in Physics and Materials Science. He published over 70 papers in national and international journals and made dozens presentations at various national and international conferences and workshops. Dr. Cherner has served as a Principal Investigator for several government-funded

Conference Session

Innovations in ECE Education I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christopher Anderson, U.S. Naval Academy; Richard Buehrer, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

received the B.S.E.E. and M.S.E.E. degrees from the University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, in 1991 and 1993, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, in 1996, where he studied under the Bradley Fellowship. From 1996 to 2001, he was with Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ, and Whippany, NJ. While at Bell Laboratories his research focused on CDMA systems, intelligent antenna systems, and multiuser detection. He was named a Distinguished Member of Technical Staff in 2000. In 2001, he joined Virginia Tech as an Assistant Professor with the Bradley Department of Electrical Engineering, where he works

Conference Session

Innovations in ECE Education III

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Beams, University of Texas at Tyler

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

The University of Texas at Tyler PSpice ArchiveAbstractPSpice (Cadence, San Jose, CA), has become a de facto standard for courses in electric andelectronic circuits. Its popularity stems from the ready availability of the evaluation (student)version and the inclusion of the evaluation version with a number of widely-used textbooks inthese courses. Many textbooks also provide access to example circuit files either in CD form orthrough a companion web site. However, faculty at the University of Texas at Tyler havefrequently found it valuable to develop their own analyses to better illustrate particular topics orto simulate circuits found in laboratory courses. These analyses include standard types ofcircuits (e.g., simple operational amplifier

Conference Session

ECE Pedagogy and Assessment I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tokunbo Ogunfunmi, Santa Clara University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

-IP.Most of the fundamentals are on Digital Signal Processing but we focus on the applications tospeech and voice coding.In this paper, we first describe the DSP curriculum for both undergraduate and graduate students.We describe our experiences and the challenges encountered in developing these courses. Wedetail some of the laboratory and teaching materials and the exercises developed, etc.We discuss as an example the internet low-bit rate speech coder (iLBC) which is used to codespeech under packet loss conditions that exists on the internet.Finally, we present possible future directions in the course development. Page 13.967.2IntroductionThe area

Conference Session

Innovations in ECE Education I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gisele Ragusa, University of Southern California; Michael Khoo, University of Southern California; Ellis Meng, University of Southern California

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Career outcomes. This paper reports both on baseline access, retention, andcareer data and a logic model associated with a comprehensive curricular reform resulting fromthe access, retention and career baseline data. As a result of this baseline data, the ERCeducational team has found innovative ways to infuse inductively based, situated curriculum andinstruction in addition to a student-centric outcome metrics into all aspects of the BMEcurriculum and associated laboratory experiences. These assessment measures build on theprinciples established in educational psychology and include pre and posttest BME conceptinventories, rubric-based laboratory assessments, BME efficacy measures and employersatisfaction measures. A comprehensive assessment

Conference Session

Innovations in ECE Education III

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ramakrishnan Sundaram, Gannon University; Fong Mak, Gannon University; Sunil Tandle, Gannon University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

displayed in Figure 6. This is a real-timeinterface with a single panel comprising (a) controls for motor input variables such as thereference speed and direction of the motor, (b) numerical and graphical indicators todisplay the speed, position, and frequency of the DC motor, and (c) graphs for the currentwaveform. Clearly, the advantages of the LabVIEW-based HMI are as follows: (a) organized record of control inputs, (b) systematic tracking of motor responses, (c) clear presentation of the evidence of the experiment, and (d) offers tools for advanced measurement analysis (e.g. Fourier spectra, THD) Figure 6: LabVIEW-based RT interfaceTypical LabVIEW experiment setup:The laboratory experiment titled

Conference Session

ECE Pedagogy and Assessment I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Charles Kim, Howard University; Mohamed Chouikha, Howard University; Veronica Thomas, Howard University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Learning in Electrical Engineering Class1. IntroductionAll core courses in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Howard University and, at certain extent,in most engineering and science disciplines everywhere, are each taught by a combination of lectureand laboratory. The idea behind the lecture-lab combination is to help bridge the gap between theclassroom knowledge of theory and the practical aspect in real world. The good idea, however, hasfailed to produce the necessary practice and intended result. Lecture and lab are seldom taught in thesame class and, therefore, different topics are covered in two separate classes. Often, lecture and labare taught by different instructors. Consequently, the intended learning

Conference Session

Design in the ECE Curriculum

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mihaela Radu, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Clint Cole, Washington State University, Pullman; Mircea Alexandru Dabacan, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania; Shannon Sexton, Rose Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

undergraduate programs that use programmable logic technologiesprovide only limited access to these technologies in 2 or 3 hour weekly lab sessions. Duringthese lab sessions, students have to master new concepts previously taught in theoretical lectures,use laboratory equipment to build experiments, develop software and hardware debuggingskills and learn how use complex CAD tools. The limitation of this traditional approach is thefact that 2 or 3 hours of lab sessions prove insufficient to meet all the lab objectives.Consequently, students do not develop the right skills required by industry.A new approach, where every student owns his or her own programmable hardware system andCAD tool suite, is now feasible due to decreased costs. Programmable logic

Conference Session

Embedded System Design

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alex Doboli, State University of New York-Stony Brook; Eddie Currie, Resonance Publications, Inc.; Patrick Kane, Cypress Semiconductor Corporation; Dave Van Ess, Cypress Semiconductor Corporation

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

development of newteaching material and activities (courses, student design projects, and research) related to mixed-signal embedded system design11,12. The developed material includes the following: • Complete course material for a one-semester course on embedded mixed-signal systems. The course is designed for senior undergraduate students and first-year graduate students in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). This material is due to be published as a textbook and is available at www.cypress.com . For an evaluation copy please contact cuap@cypress.com. Page 13.927.3 • Related laboratory material was

Conference Session

Project-Based Learning in ECE Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Arif Uluagac; Douglas Williams, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

International Conference Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing (ICASSP), 2001.7. P.S. Hong, D.V. Anderson, D.B. Williams, J.R. Jackson, T.P. Barnwell, M.H. Hayes, R.W. Schafer, and J.D. Echard, “DSP for Practicing Engineers: A case study in internet course delivery,” IEEE Trans. on Education, vol. 47, no. 3, pp. 301-310, August 2004.8. LabVIEW User Manual, http://www.ni.com/pdf/manuals/320999b.pdf9. LabVIEW Run-time Engine, http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/epd/p/id/485010. NI Speedy-33 User Manual, http://digital.ni.com/manuals.nsf/websearch/104061C41B6A2362862570460052AEE911. Sharon Gannot and Vadim Avrin, "A Simulink© and Texas Instruments C6713® based Digital Signal Processing Laboratory", The European

Conference Session

Design in the ECE Curriculum

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mark Cambron, Western Kentucky University; Walter Collett, Western Kentucky University; Stacy Wilson, Western Kentucky University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

assignmentwas that a miniature electrostatic precipitator (ESP) was proposed to attract particles containingmercury to two charged plates9,10. Upon the completion of the EE 300 phase of the project, theassignment was carried over into the EE 400/401 design sequence, in which the requirement wasactually to build and test a device for extracting flue gas samples. Arrangements were made toanalyze collected samples using LIBS at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Figure 5. Sample LIBS Spectrum.A prototype system involving an activated carbon filter system was developed, as shown inFigure 4. Activated carbon is a known sorbent for mercury, and finds use in other types offiltration systems. The filter and associated electrical and