Conference Session

Embedded Computing

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Swanbom, Louisiana Tech University; Davis Harbour, Louisiana Tech University; Hisham Hegab, Louisiana Tech University; Danny Eddy, Louisiana Tech University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

AC 2009-1335: A MICROPROCESSOR-BASED CONTROL SYSTEM PROJECTFOR AN INTEGRATED FRESHMAN CURRICULUMMichael Swanbom, Louisiana Tech UniversityDavis Harbour, Louisiana Tech UniversityHisham Hegab, Louisiana Tech UniversityDanny Eddy, Louisiana Tech University Page 14.56.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Microprocessor-Based Control System Project for Integrated Freshman CurriculumAbstractA project has been developed and implemented in which the temperature and salinity arecontrolled in a small volume of water which is circulated using a small pump. A conductivitysensor measures salinity, and a Resistance Temperature Device (RTD

Conference Session

Embedded Computing

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yoon Kim, Virginia State University; Shahzad Akbar, Virginia State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

to remotelymonitor the structural integrity of a truss metal bridge model. Triple axes accelerometers areattached to the trusses of the bridge such that the vibrations due to the bridge movements can betransmitted wirelessly using 2.4 GHz signals. The system then collects and analyzes the signalswith a receiver attached to a computer. Data logging of the bridge vibrations is implementedusing a multi-sensor data link to routinely collect the normal waveform patterns when an impulseimpact is applied to the bridge. Using the Fast Fourier transform MATLAB program, analysis ofthe waveforms yields a definite shift in the characteristic signature, when one or more of thebridge truss joints are intentionally compromised. Consequently, this simple

Conference Session

Software and Hardware for Educators I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Miguel Latorre, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Manuel Blazquez, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Elio Sancristobal, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Sergio Martin, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Francisco Garcia-Sevilla, Castilla-La Mancha University; Catalina Martinez-Mediano, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Gabriel Diaz, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Manuel Castro, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

desired characteristics that learning objects need1. Theyare complete unto themselves to allow a student to easily apply them. Diagrams can be rathercomplex, or assessments of minimum size appropriate for their use. Objects may be as short as asingle tutorial or a complete lesson. Language is not a barrier because schematics use a symbolicrepresentation. Furthermore, cost is nearly zero with the help of free simulators or demos.Nevertheless, teachers and students need detailed descriptions of their contents to quickly locatethem in a network.The Learning Object Metadata (LOM) Standard represents an important step towards fosteringthe construction of a new generation of artificial intelligence-based Web Learning systems2.Learning object metadata

Conference Session

Computational Tools and Simulation I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nabil Lehlou, University of Arkansas; Nebil Buyurgan, University of Arkansas; Justin Chimka, University of Arkansas

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

AC 2009-1519: AN ON-LINE RFID LABORATORY LEARNING ENVIRONMENTAND THE ASSESSMENT OF ITS USERS’ EDUCATIONNabil Lehlou, University of ArkansasNebil Buyurgan, University of ArkansasJustin Chimka, University of Arkansas Page 14.209.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 An Online RFID Laboratory Learning Environment and the Assessment of its User’s EducationAbstractDue to the increasing demand for RFID expertise and the existence of a knowledge gap betweenindustry and academia in this domain, work has been stimulated to help spread understanding inthis field and bridge the gap between theoretical examinations and industrial practices

Conference Session

Embedded Computing

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Holden, California Maritime Academy

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

AC 2009-1016: THE UBIQUITOUS MICROCONTROLLER IN MECHANICALENGINEERINGMichael Holden, California Maritime Academy Michael Holden is an assistant professor at the California Maritime Academy, a specialized campus of the California State University. He teaches instrumentation and controls. Professor Holden also works as an engineer in the autonomous vehicle field. Page 14.1258.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 The Ubiquitous Microcontroller in Mechanical EngineeringIntroductionThis paper will describe a project aimed at integrating the teaching of microcontroller skills inseveral classes

Conference Session

Robots in Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alexander Mentis, United States Military Academy; Charles Reynolds, United States Military Academy; Donald Abbott-McCune, United States Military Academy; Benjamin Ring, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

successes other educators have had in integrating roboticsinto their curricula and overcome some of the difficulties that have been encountered.1. IntroductionThe motivation to create a wrapper for the iRobot® Create’s serial command Open Interfacespecification initially came from a desire to improve the way we teach abstraction, modularity,and encapsulation in our CS1 curriculum. In addition to the treatment we give to those topicsduring normal lecture hours, our students also participate in a two-hour lab, with a graded take-home portion, in which they are expected to use an instructor-provided package to solve aproblem. Our CS1 course assumes no prior programming knowledge other than a broadly-scoped information technology course taken by all

Conference Session

Tablet and Portable PCs for Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sabina Jeschke, University of Stuttgart; Lars Knipping, Technische Universitaet Berlin; Nicole Natho, Technische Universitaet Berlin; Erhard Zorn, Technische Universitaet Berlin; Olivier Pfeiffer, Technische Universitaet Berlin

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

Pfeiffer, Technische Universitaet Berlin Page 14.622.2© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Facing the information flood with Tablet PCsAbstractWe present the application OneNote by the use of Tablet PCs in a sophomore lecture atTechnische Universität Berlin, aimed at teaching students how to cooperate in their project-workusing a collaborative platform. The implementation is described and a first evaluation ispresented. Finally, a highly desirable extension for integrating mathematical notation is outlined.IntroductionInformation flood is an essential aspect of the digital age1, 2, 3. Consequently

Conference Session

Software and Hardware for Educators I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rosario Gil, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Elio Sancristobal, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Sergio Martin, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Antonio Colmenar, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Gabriel Diaz, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Martin Llamas, Universidad de Vigo; Edmundo Tovar, Polytechnic University, Montegancedo; Alfonso Duran, Carlos III University of Madrid; juan peire, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Manuel Castro, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

(LMS), which are the learning centre inUniversities (Figure 2). Figure 2. Lab services through a LMSThanks for this new scenario, students will have the opportunity to use the modules alreadyavailable in these platforms, such as content manager, communication methods (chat rooms,forums and e-mail), evaluation questionnaires (IMS QTI), etc. Otherwise, if each Universitydevelops its own labs and its own modules associated to them, it is likely to re-invent the wheelevery time. With this architecture, each service (lab) will offer a common interface that willallow easy integration in an LMSs.Internally, the architecture consists of different layers, which will allow the student tocommunicate with a hardware device

Conference Session

Software and Hardware for Educators II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Eric Wiebe, North Carolina State University; Chia-Lin Ho, North Carolina State University; Lisa Bullard, North Carolina State University; Dianne Raubenheimer, North Carolina State University; Jeff Joines, North Carolina State University; Carolyn Miller, North Carolina State University; George Rouskas, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

AC 2009-676: COMPUTING ACROSS CURRICULA: THE VIEW OF INDUSTRYLEADERSEric Wiebe, North Carolina State University Dr. Wiebe is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education at NC State University. He received his Doctorate in Psychology and has focused much of his research on issues related to the use of technology in the instructional environment. He has also worked on the integration of scientific visualization concepts and techniques into both secondary and post-secondary education. Dr. Wiebe has been a member of ASEE since 1989.Chia-Lin Ho, North Carolina State UniversityDianne Raubenheimer, North Carolina State UniversityLisa Bullard, North

Conference Session

Computational Tools and Simulation I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dianne Raubenheimer, North Carolina State University; Jeff Joines, North Carolina State University; Amy Craig, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

AC 2009-209: USING COMPUTATIONAL TOOLS TO ENHANCE PROBLEMSOLVINGDianne Raubenheimer, North Carolina State UniversityJeff Joines, North Carolina State UniversityAmy Craig, North Carolina State University Page 14.1315.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Using Computational Tools to Enhance Problem SolvingAbstractMany engineering curriculum around the country are re-evaluating their introductory computerprogramming requirement. At our university, several departments have introduced newcomputer-based modeling courses that integrate critical thinking and problem solving withcomputational thinking and programming as a replacement of the traditional first

Conference Session

Robots in Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ryan Meuth, Missouri University of Science and Technology; Paul Robinette, Missouri University of Science and Technology; Donald Wunsch, Missouri University of Science and Technology

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

(AUVSI) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) andUnmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) competitions.IntroductionRobotics is an inherently interdisciplinary engineering field, encompassing electrical, computerand mechanical engineering, as well as computer science, mathematics, physics, systemsengineering, and, in some instances, psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and even philosophy.The breadth of the problems presented by robotics development encourages the integration ofknowledge and problem-solving methods from a wide range of fields. With the advent ofautonomous vehicles in the military and consumer robotics products, such as the iRobotRoomba, the robotics industry is growing rapidly and is expected to continue to do so asconsumer spending on robotics

Conference Session

Software and Hardware for Educators III

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mark Bannatyne, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis; Dan Baldwin, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis; Kevin Marshall, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

students.Additionally, there was an effort to reduce the cost of required software, purchased by thestudents for their coursework. It was discovered that depending on the sequence of offeredcourses, some software needs could be kept to a minimum, thereby creating an added financialbenefit. Therefore the first two years of curriculum were aligned, where possible, to coincidewith a cost effective software bundle. For incoming freshmen, this management of coursestructure, software concerns and library benefits assisted in considerable financial savings.ProgressPositiveIn the current and initial year of implementation, the laptop program has fostered quite favorableresults. Student morale, reflected in course evaluations where laptop instruction occurred

Conference Session

Computational Tools and Simulation II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Radian Belu, Drexel University; Alexandru Belu, Case Western Reserve University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

electromagnetics. The module is taken as a part of longercourse on electrodynamics. Topics covered in this module include charge distributions,symmetries, Coulomb’s law, Gauss’ law, dipoles, multi-poles, conductors, computation ofpotentials with given boundaries conditions, dielectrics and polarization.The fundamental concern of electromagnetism is to solve Maxwell’s equations, and muchof the course on this subject is devoted to vector calculus. To calculate an electric fieldand/or a magnetic field, we can perform integration directly from Coulomb’s law andBiot-Savart Law, using the functions of the CAS mathematical library. For example withMaple, we can concentrate on physics, such as distinguishing the coordinates of thesource point and the field point

Conference Session

Software and Hardware for Educators I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Fuller, Auburn University; Chetan Sankar, Auburn University; P.K. Raju, Auburn University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

transmitted over orstored in an unreliable medium is a prime necessity in the world of open computing andcommunications. Mechanisms that provide such integrity check based on a secret key are usuallycalled “message authentication codes" (MAC). Typically, message authentication codes are usedbetween two parties that share a secret key in order to validate information transmitted betweenthese parties. A variation of the MAC mechanism based on cryptographic hash functions calledHMAC, is based on work by Krawczyk, et al 5.The algorithm devised by the student hashes information with the secret salt value and thenincludes the hash with the transfer. On the receiving end, software will again hash theinformation with the known salt value and then compare it

Conference Session

Computational Tools and Simulation III

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Priya Goeser, Armstrong Atlantic State University; Wayne Johnson, Armstrong Atlantic State University; Felix Hamza-Lup, Armstrong Atlantic State University; Ivan Sopin, Armstrong Atlantic State University; Carlos Sanchez, Armstrong Atlantic State University; Patrick Hager, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

engineering with emphasis on robotics.Patrick Hager, Georgia Institute of Technology Patrick S. Hager is currently an undergraduate student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and is working on obtaining his B.S. in civil engineering. His current area of interest is in bridge design, and restoration. As a structural engineer he hopes to be an integral part of the nation’s transportation infrastructure rehabilitation. Page 14.26.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 A Different VIEW: Virtual Interactive Engineering on the WebAbstractVirtual laboratories and modules are used in most universities to reinforce concepts from lecturematerial

Conference Session

Computer Education Innovations

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Claudia E. Vergara, Michigan State University; Mark Urban-Lurain, Michigan State University; Cindee Dresen, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce; Tammy Coxen, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce; Taryn MacFarlane, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce; Kysha Frazier, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce; Daina Briedis, Michigan State University; Neeraj Buch, Michigan State University; Louise Paquette, Lansing Community College; Jon Sticklen, Michigan State University; Jeannine LaPrad, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce; Thomas Wolff, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

Materials Science at Michigan State University. Dr. Briedis has been involved in several areas of education research including student retention, curriculum redesign, and the use of technology in the classroom. She is a co- PI on two NSF grants in the areas of integration of computation in engineering curricula and in developing comprehensive strategies to retain early engineering students. She is active nationally and internationally in engineering accreditation and is a Fellow of ABET.Neeraj Buch, Michigan State University Dr. Neeraj Buch is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Michigan State University. He is also the Director of Cornerstone Engineering

Conference Session

Robots in Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Ahlgren, Trinity College; Igor Verner, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

take place within the teamframework and are integrated closely with the team’s robot projects. Self-efficacy is indicatedwhen individuals on the team have gained mastery of subjects of high interest to them. If theteam’s performance is good, we have also achieved team efficacy.Our study has two stages—a pilot study during the 2006-2007 academic year and a central studyduring the 2007-2008 academic year.Pilot Study, 2006-2007This section summarizes the first-year pilot study that was implemented at Trinity College in2006-2007 as an activity of the Trinity College Robot Study Team (RST)9. The RST comprises10 – 15 undergraduate engineering students each semester, drawn from all four undergraduateclasses, who design robots to compete in the

Conference Session

Computational Tools and Simulation III

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Krishna Madhavan, Purdue University; Jacob Schroeder, Clemson University; Hanjun Xian, Clemson University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

likely resources (4 terms) students from 3 to read materials classes at 2 locations (11, 20; 29, 17)Students were more likely to read course materials to prepare for an online readiness assessmentquiz40. A separate study37 showed that students were more comfortable working on technicalproblems with no clear answers. Also, students were more at ease designing and building adevice from an assortment of given parts. In all of the above studies, students gave positivecomments and ratings to their respective courses indicating that the integration

Conference Session

Computer Education Innovations

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thomas Cochrane, University of Canterbury

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

skills of engineering students: Technology to the rescue with the Virtual-i Presenter (ViP)AbstractEngineering graduates are faced with solving increasingly interdisciplinary and complextechnical problems in a competitive world that requires clear communication and presentationskills. To this effect, oral communication skills should be considered an integral part of anengineer’s formal education. Many engineering departments, however, are currentlyexperiencing a growth in enrolments which is translating to larger classroom sizes.Unfortunately, this is impacting on the ability for students to acquire oral presentation skillsbecause in-class oral presentations can take over limited lecture or lab time which is needed forother critical

Conference Session

Software and Hardware for Educators II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Tront, Virginia Tech; Kimberly Filer, Virginia Tech; Glenda Scales, Virginia Tech; Jane Prey, Microsoft Research

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

Page 14.695.2with support from the college administration, alumni, corporate entities, and from variousresearch agencies such as the NSF. Innovations include the incorporation of freshman hands-onmechanical dissection labs, multi-disciplinary projects, and integrated subject material courses toname a few. Most notable among the teaching/learning innovations are the College’s efforts inthe effective use of computing and communication technology in the curriculum. This effortspans the breadth of digital network communications technology from gigaPOP networkingthrough advanced wireless nets, utilizing a broad spectrum of computing devices from personaldigital assistants through multiprocessor super computers. In this paper we describe howpersonal

Conference Session

Software and Hardware for Educators II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Patrick Cunningham, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Shannon Sexton, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Julia Williams, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

instructor] did an AMAZING job using the tablet PC. He integrated it very well into the course, and it made things run much smoother and efficiently. I have had other professor attempt to use the tablet, but he is by-far an outstanding instructor with PC integration.” “In the past I have found it to be a distraction if everyone in the class has a tablet, but just the professor having one worked well.” Page 14.1374.8Additionally, several students commented that they felt instructor use of the tablet PC was notdistracting, but, based on prior experiences, students and

Conference Session

Software and Hardware for Educators III

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Silas Bernardoni, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Mauricio Rodríguez Alcalá, Skidmore College; Maria Rodriguez Alcala, Paraguay Educa

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

thecage. The server cages were fabricated in Paraguay by an outside contractor and installed in theschools. A graphic of the server cage is shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 Server cage designed for Paraguay Educa by UW engineering students. This student project is a wonderful example of how college students can successfullyapply their professional skills while supporting non-profit efforts around the world. The studentsworked with a diverse team comprised of people from numerous countries and cultures whichrequired them to alter their normal practices in engineering design courses to accommodate theneeds of the group. In the long term, the UW College of Engineering curriculum has decided toincorporate these design projects as student

Conference Session

Programming for Engineering Students II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Birmingham, Grove City College; Vincent DiStasi, Grove City College; Gary Welton, Grove City College

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

coursemanagement systems (CMS). Since Tablet PCs are integrated into the college curriculum as well Page 14.841.3as students’ lives (i.e., they are comfortable with the affordances offered by the Tablet PC) andthe use of CMS is spread thorough the college, GCC is an excellent laboratory to assess thistechnology.All the classrooms are equipped with network ports, wireless networking, and electrical outlets ateach seat. The backbone is all fiber connected running at gigabit speeds with multiple trunks toeach of the academic buildings. The campus network has ample bandwidth with capacity to growin the future. In addition, all students and faculty have

Conference Session

Programming for Engineering Students I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ed Crowley, University of Houston

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

AC 2009-2275: RUNNING LINUX IN A WINDOWS COMPUTER LABEd Crowley, University of Houston Page 14.1039.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Running Linux in a Windows Computer LabAbstractIn many courses, the effective use of Linux, or other open source software, can expandand enhance active learning opportunities for students. Since many institutions havestandardized on Windows Computer Laboratories, implementing Linux based learningexperiences may initially seem problematic. However, with a Live Linux CD, you canquickly and easily run Linux, and related open source tools, in an existing WindowsComputer Lab.In this paper, we will explain how Linux Live CDs

Conference Session

Computational Tools and Simulation II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brianno Coller, Northern Illinois University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

well-equipped to address. It is one of the fundamentalprinciples that guided both the computational methods and DS&C versions of EduTorcs. Ratherthan overtly provide information to students through textbook and lecture, we aspired to create amediated environment in which students could experiment and make discoveries.Nonetheless, Gee acknowledges that one must strike proper balance between overt informationand immersion in actual contexts of practice. One cannot, he explains, give novices a set oframps and balls, and then expect them to arrive at Galileo’s principles of motion on their own.This experience of integrating a video game into a DS&C class has illuminated some of thedifficulty in getting the balance right. In particular, an