Conference Session

Curriculum in Electrical Engineering Technology

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jay Porter, Texas A&M University; Joseph Morgan, Texas A&M University; Wei Zhan, Texas A&M University; George Wright, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

entrepreneurship.1,2,3 In thissame spirit of “doing” versus “lecturing”, the Electronics and Telecommunications (EET/TET)Programs at Texas A&M University have been developing an emphasis in electronics productdesign. To this end, the curriculum has been augmented to include topics such as electronicsmanufacturing, system integration, innovation, project management, and entrepreneurship. Aninitiative to team engineering technology students with business students who understandmarketing and small business plan development has also gained substantial momentum over thepast three years.4 Finally, all students are required to participate in a capstone design sequencewhere they work in teams to develop the concept for a product and implement a fully

Conference Session

Curriculum in Civil Engineering Technology

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Cottrell, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Chung-Suk Cho, University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

are now significant issues in both the construction industry and constructioneducation. With this explosion comes an increasing need for construction managers withknowledge in the various aspects of sustainable green building. To produce constructiongraduates who meet this need, it is necessary to retool programs so that they incorporategreen philosophies and techniques.3 Sustainable construction management is a complex subject cutting across manydifferent disciplines. The teaching of sustainability issues in construction is currentlybeing achieved fragmentally, and lacks broadness and depth in terms of the issuescovered.4 In fact, many universities are integrating green education into theirconstruction curriculum either by incorporating

Conference Session

Recruitment and Retention in Engineering Technology Programs

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Asad Yousuf, Savannah State University; Mohamad Mustafa, Savannah State University; Lin Shinemin, Savannah State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

AC 2009-565: AN INTEGRATED PROJECT-BASED COURSE IN MATHEMATICSAND ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGYAsad Yousuf, Savannah State UniversityMohamad Mustafa, Savannah State UniversityLin Shinemin, Savannah State University Page 14.199.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 An Integrated Project-based Course in Mathematics and Engineering TechnologyAbstractEngineering Technology faculty regularly encounter undergraduates takingcourses in their professional field of study who lack adequate preparation inmathematics. Research indicates that students face difficulties in the applicationof mathematical concepts in engineering and technology. There appears to

Conference Session

Curriculum in Electrical Engineering Technology

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shiyoung Lee, Pennsylvania State University, Berks

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

AC 2009-957: INTEGRATION OF MOTION-CONTROL TEACHINGCOMPONENTS INTO THE PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC CONTROLLER COURSEShiyoung Lee, Pennsylvania State University, Berks Page 14.776.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Integration of Motion Control Teaching Components into the Programmable Logic Controller CourseAbstractMotion control is an essential portion of industry automation. The integration of motion controlteaching components into a programmable logic controller (PLC) course is described in thispaper. The programming practice with a PLC trainer provides a limited range of real worldexperiences which usually involve various motion control

Conference Session

Project-Based Student Learning: Part II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jay Porter, Texas A&M University; Joseph Morgan, Texas A&M University; Wei Zhan, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

bring together for the firsttime, the knowledge they have been developing in analog, digital and software design. Inaddition, it is also the best place in the curriculum to introduce the students to product designprinciples for the first time and have them develop a fully-functional prototype of an electronicsproduct.To this end, while the lecture portion of the course still covers traditional instrumentation topics,the faculty has developed a new course project that integrates all of these elements into acomprehensive learning experience where the students design, implement and test a networked“smart” sensor. The project not only requires the students to design and simulate a sensor withsignal conditioning, they also have to interface their

Conference Session

Engaging Students in Learning

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Marshall, University of Southern Maine

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

forth “linguistic intelligence,musical intelligence, logical-mathematical intelligence, spatial intelligence, and bodily-kinesthetic intelligence”3 to name a few. Gardener views intelligence as an individual’s abilityto solve problems or create products that are valued by society. The implication for teaching andlearning is that instructors need to vary the inputs and have a repertoire of strategies forfacilitating learning. The more ways we find to process material, the stronger learning becomes.We need to recognize there’s no “one best way.”Learning is enhanced in an enriched environment. The physical environment of the classroom iscertainly important (aesthetics, climate, etc.), but so too is the learning environment that wecreate to get

Conference Session

Innovative Curriculum and Practices in Engineering Technology

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nirmal Das, Georgia Southern University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

AC 2009-1052: JUST-IN-TIME TEACHING (JITT) IN CIVIL ENGINEERINGTECHNOLOGYNirmal Das, Georgia Southern University Nirmal K. Das is an associate professor of Civil Engineering Technology at Georgia Southern University. He received a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from Jadavpur University, India, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Civil Engineering (structures) from Texas Tech University. His areas of interest include structural analysis, structural reliability and wind engineering. Dr. Das is a registered professional engineer in Ohio and Georgia, and is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers

Conference Session

Critical issues in IT and IET: Focus Group

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shoji Nakayama, Purdue University, Calumet

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

AC 2009-406: A SYSTEMATIC PROCESS TO VALIDATE SAFETY, HEALTH ANDENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT CURRICULUM THROUGH ACADEMICADVISORY COMMITTEEShoji Nakayama, Purdue University, Calumet Dr. Shoji Nakayama is an Assistant Professor of Organizational Leadership and Supervision in the Department of Construction Science and Organizational Leadership at Purdue University Calumet. In this position, he teaches safety and health related courses, as well as improving Safety, Health, and Environmental Management curriculum through Academic Advisory Committees. Dr. Nakayama has safety related experience in automotive, airline, regulatory agency and printing industries. He worked as an Environmental, Health, and

Conference Session

Curriculum in Civil Engineering Technology

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sylvester Kalevela, Colorado State University, Pueblo

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

requirements are providedbelow.Education and training for engineering technicians: The description of education and training forengineering technicians is quite specific. It states that most engineering technicians enter theoccupations with an associate degree in engineering technology obtainable from technicalinstitutes, community colleges, vocational-technical schools, and extension divisions of collegesand universities. Page 14.681.3Education and training for engineers: The BLS states that the basic education and training forengineers is a bachelors degree in engineering. In addition, the BLS reported that many collegesoffer 2-year and 4-year degree

Conference Session

Curriculum in Electrical Engineering Technology

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kati Wilson, Texas A&M University; Ana Elisa Goulart, Texas A&M University; Wei Zhan, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

equipmentneeded for the experiments and their network setup. Some feedback from our students is alsopresented. Section 4 presents additional laboratory experiments that are being adopted in a moreadvanced telecommunications class (ENTC 345). Finally, we conclude this paper by evaluatingthis VoIP initiative and discussing future plans to keep integrating VoIP into our curriculum.2 – Moving towards IP-based communicationsThe environment where this VoIP initiative is taking place is the Electronics andTelecommunications Engineering Technology program at Texas A&M. This four-yearengineering program offers several courses on telecommunication networks. One of them is aclass on Local and Metropolitan Area Networks (ENTC 315), which is a required class to

Conference Session

Innovative and Nontraditional Curriculum in IT/IET

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Hata, Portland Community College; James Dockendorf, Normandale Community College

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

andapplying their RF knowledge the manufacture of integrated circuits and othersilicon-based products.Normandale Community College has created a new course entitled NANO 2295Advanced Plasma Processing. This course was first offered during Springsemester of 2008 and had an enrollment of 8 students. The course was modeledafter PCC’s MT 240 RF Plasma Systems course.Faculty EnhancementFinally, this project will provide faculty training in plasma technology andplasma-aided manufacturing. Three faculty enhancement workshops forcommunity college faculty will be held during 2008 and 2009. A two-day basicplasma technology workshops, which focuses on basic plasma physics and RF

Conference Session

Industry Collaborations in Engineering Technology

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Phillip Sanger, Western Carolina University; Chip Ferguson, Western Carolina University; Wesley Stone, Western Carolina University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

capstone projectwhich is pursued in teams and addresses specific products to improve healthcare and aging-in-place and products that improve the lives of persons with disabilities. These needs wereidentified by healthcare professionals in focus group discussions. The teams are mentoredthroughout the development process by the professionals that initiated the need. The role of theseprofessionals is that of an active and vital voice of the customer fully integrated in thedevelopment process. Over the past three years sixty students have followed the senior capstonecourse sequence and six patentable products have been created.BackgroundIn 2004, the Council on Competitiveness issued its final report on the National InnovationInitiative called

Conference Session

Issues and Direction in ET Education and Administration: Part II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Spang, Burlington County College; Vladimir Genis, Drexel University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

, ability toset priorities, understanding of the business fundamentals, and creativity and innovation.The importance of non-technical skills in a technical curriculum is something that has beenconsidered by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), in both itsEngineering Technology and Engineering accreditation standards. ABET currently requires non-technical skill sets that include: an ability to function effectively on teams; an ability tocommunicate effectively; a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in lifelonglearning; an ability to understand professional, ethical and social responsibilities; a respect fordiversity and a knowledge of contemporary professional, societal and global issues; and acommitment

Conference Session

Curriculum in Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology: Part I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Muhammad Hasan, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

incorporated seamlessly into a design that can be implemented onFPGAs. As such, a course needs to be developed encompassing microcontroller architecture,digital system design and implementation on FPGAs using VHDL. This paper describes thedevelopment of such a course with a case study of microprocessor design and implementation.The discussions also extend to incorporating an IP core processor in a system design that targetsFPGAs.IntroductionOne of the major objectives of curriculum development is to enhance students’ learning1. Thefactors that support this objective has been identified in1 and in several other studies as: a)allowing students to be empowered, informed, and responsive learners who can assume ameaningful role in the society; b) providing

Conference Session

Innovative Curriculum and Practices in Engineering Technology

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gary Mullett, Springfield Technical Community College

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

of students and a nation-wide declining demand forelectronics technicians. As Moore’s Law continues to impact and transform the electronics fieldone wonders what skills will be needed by electronics technicians by the middle of the nextdecade (2015) and beyond or if there will be any demand for students that have the typical skillsets of electronics technician graduates of this decade. Recently, within the faculty ranksteaching in this area, there has been more discussion about the future and an increasing sense ofurgency that curriculum change is needed or there will be an ever increasing disconnect betweenwhat skills business and industry desire and what is being taught in typical ET associate degreeprograms. Many forward looking faculty

Conference Session

Innovative Curriculum and Practices in Engineering Technology

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Wei Zhan, Texas A&M University; Rainer Fink, Texas A&M University; Alex Fang, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

can be applied directly to electronics engineering technology,the uniqueness of the students and the program requires special effort to make it work. This paper discusses the challenge of incorporating statistics in the curriculum of electronicsengineering technology program at Texas A&M University.Incorporating statistics into electronics engineering technology curriculum Statistics is an important tool for robustness analysis, measurement system error analysis, testdata analysis, probabilistic risk assessing, and many other fields in the engineering world. Thekey to the success of teaching and learning statistics for engineering students is to make itrelevant to the engineering problems they face26. Using real-world data5, 15 and

Conference Session

Innovative and Nontraditional Curriculum in IT/IET

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Higley, Purdue University, Calumet; Gregory Neff, Purdue University, Calumet; Akram Hossain, Purdue University, Calumet; Masoud Fathizadeh, Purdue University, Calumet; Mohammad Zahraee, Purdue University, Calumet; Shoji Nakayama, Purdue University, Calumet

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

programs are in an ideal position to support the packaging industry. This paperdescribes the first Mechatronics Engineering Technology bachelor program specifically designedto serve the packaging industry. The paper describes the program’s development process, thefinalized curriculum, industry partners, and laboratory development efforts.I. IntroductionWith global economy, consumer, industrial and commercial goods need to be packaged andshipped to different locations. The package must protect the content, deliver proper informationabout the content and in certain applications be appealing to customers. Packaging industries areunder continuous challenges as the cost of energy and material increases. More efficientpackages with less material are

Conference Session

Curriculum in Mechanical and Power Engineering Technology

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Wei Zhan, Texas A&M University; Ryan Beasley, Texas A&M University; Jay Porter, Texas A&M University; Joseph Morgan, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

expected need for design, operation andmaintenance personnel in the power industry, in particular for those in the State of Texas. ThePower ET program has been partially funded by the Texas Workforce Commission and iscurrently developing a new curriculum that can effectively provide the students with knowledgein power generation, power transmission, instrumentation and control, and thermodynamics asrequired by engineering positions in the power industry. The new curriculum has an emphasis inthree technical areas17: • Electronics Engineering Technology, with a focus in the areas of power, instrumentation, and control. • Mechanical Engineering Technology, with a focus in the areas of materials

Conference Session

Curriculum in Mechanical and Power Engineering Technology

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alex Fang, Texas A&M University; Wei Zhan, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

densities (darkness). Figure 14 shows a CR image of a high pressure steam pipe used in nuclear power plants. It can be seen that the pipe was wrapped with a thick layer of thermal insulation material which is typical for steam pipes. The main goal for this pipe CR inspection is to monitor and detect the flow-accelerated corrosion on the pipe walls. Flow-accelerated corrosion has been a major engineering and maintenance issue for the nuclear power plant which can be effectively detected with CR without the need to remove the insulation.≠ With today’s amazingly powerful image processing software as an integral part of the CR system, CR users can easily change the image density, enhance the contrast, zoom a selected region

Conference Session

Curriculum in Mechanical and Power Engineering Technology

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brian Vuksanovich, Youngstown State University; James Higley, Purdue University, Calumet

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

, adapting to the change hascaused many programs to become increasingly aware of what similar programs are doing inother parts of the country or even other parts of the world. A part of all strategic planningincludes comparing oneself to one’s competitors. In the educational world, we are notnecessarily so concerned with competition but with improving and serving students. Hence,institutions frequently collaborate, so the term benchmarking is used for the initial comparisonbetween programs. This paper benchmarks two urban Mechanical Engineering Technologyprograms and compares their background, objectives and outcomes, curriculum, and laboratories.It is hoped that this benchmark will encourage other programs to perform similar comparisons inan effort

Conference Session

Curriculum in Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology: Part II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chao Li, Florida A&M University; G. Thomas Bellarmine, Florida A&M University/Florida State University; Leon Prosper, Florida A&M University/Florida State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

AC 2009-1946: ENHANCING STUDENTS? LEARNING IN ELECTRONICENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY COURSES BY USING MOBILE TABLET PCTECHNOLOGYChao Li, Florida A&M University Dr. Chao Li is currently working at Florida A&M University as an assistant professor in Electronic Engineering Technology. He is currently teaching Electronic and Computer Engineering Technology Courses. He obtained his BSEE degree from Xi’an Jiaotong University and MSEE degree from University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. He received his PHD in EE from Florida International University. He is currently an IEEE Member and a Member in ASEE. His research interests include signal processing, embedded microcontroller

Conference Session

Freshman Experience in Engineering Technology

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

JungHun Choi, Ohio University; Wieslaw Grebski, Pennsylvania State University, Hazleton; Kenneth Dudeck, Pennsylvania State University, Hazleton

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

series and parallel. Basic relay logic can be applied to the control of an electrical system.2.1.5 Miscellaneous Part: Electrical Engineering Technology Profession and Electrical Systems Early in the course outline the various fields in Electrical Engineering Technology Profession such as power, electronics, computers, robotics, and automation. It can be shown how the curriculum introduces students to the fundamentals of each. After graduation, students will be able to pursue their interests in greater detail by continuing the education toward a BS degree, or choosing employment in a company that specializes

Conference Session

Faculty Development and Research in ET

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ahmed Khan, DeVry University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

and the technical currency of academic programs. Faculty professionaldevelopment activities and technical currency play an important role in promotingstudent learning and success. Especially for non-research (purely teaching) institutionsthat offer technology driven programs, one of the most important factors determiningstudent success is the professional and technical currency of faculty members. The nature, demands, and vocabulary of scholarship are also evolving. ErnestBoyer, in his 1990 Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate, suggestedfour interrelated dimensions of scholarship; discovery, integration, application andteaching (see Table 1).2Table 1. Dimensions of Scholarship according to Ernest Boyer (1990)2

Conference Session

Distance and Web-Based Learning in ET: Remote and Virtual Laboratories

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ranjeet Agarwala, East Carolina University; Andrew Jackson, East Carolina University; Jackson Sherion, East Carolina University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

AC 2009-1174: EFFECTIVELY DEPLOYING DISTANCE-EDUCATION (DE)LABORATORY COMPONENTS IN AN ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY SET UPRanjeet Agarwala, East Carolina UniversityAndrew Jackson, East Carolina UniversityJackson Sherion, East Carolina University Page 14.519.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009Effectively Deploying Distance Education (DE) Laboratory Components in an Engineering Technology EnvironmentAbstractThe goal of the Department of Technology Systems at East Carolina University is to supportthe economic development requirements of Eastern North Carolina by creating professionalsto meet the general engineering and technology needs of its private and

Conference Session

Curriculum in Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology: Part I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Veeramuthu Rajaravivarma, State University of New York, Farmingdale; Cajetan Akujuobi, Prairie View A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

Education, 2009Experiments with Computer Password Cracking and Shielding TechniquesAbstractInternet is dominating almost every aspect of our life. Internet applications are too manyin today’s business world. It is hard to imagine any office or home without a computernetwork. All kinds of money transactions are possible today because of the fast changesin computer technology. As a result, everyone with an online account can buy or sellanything over the Internet in a secured environment. Therefore, it is important to securethe computer with the easy username and an unbreakable password. This topic can beintegrated into anyone of the Computer Networks or Network Security courses forundergraduate students majoring in Computer

Conference Session

Curriculum in Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology: Part I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yongpeng Zhang, Prairie View A&M University; Suxia Cui, Prairie View A&M University; Yonghui Wang, Prairie View A&M University; Cajetan Akujuobi, Prairie View A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

AC 2009-1374: TAKING ACTION: ENHANCING ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGYLABORATORIES WITH LABVIEW-BASED GRAPHICAL DEVELOPMENTTOOLSYongpeng Zhang, Prairie View A&M University Dr. Yongpeng Zhang received his PhD degree in Electrical Engineering from University of Houston (2003), and then joined Texas Instruments DSP Solutions Lab of CECSTR, Prairie View A&M University as a post-doctor research fellow. Currently he is an Assistant Professor in Engineering Technology Department, Prairie View A&M University, Texas. His research interests are control system, power electronics, mechatronics, and real-time DSP solutions. As the 3M non-tenured faculty award recipient, his research has been funded by Army

Conference Session

Issues and Direction in ET Education and Administration: Part I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amin Karim, DeVry University; Jennifer McClain, IEEE

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

Japan.However, although knowledge of standards should be integral to engineering and technologyeducation, standards education is still generally acquired after students graduate from college –in their professional lives and as needed. Private corporations, government agencies and otherprofessional organizations have provided this training for the last century, because mostengineering and technology programs in the United States do not have standards education intheir curriculums. In the college curriculums, consideration of standards has been generallylimited to applications in the design of senior projects. Page 14.1070.2The Engineering Accreditation

Conference Session

Capstone and Senior Design in Electrical and Computer ET

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Grant Richards, Purdue University; John Denton, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

, ranging from an individualcircuit board for each project block to all blocks on a single board. Teams who selected to createmultiple boards were able to test and troubleshoot circuit problems in a more efficient manner;however each team noted the impracticality of this approach for a final design. Teams with ahigh level of block integration on their circuit boards faced difficulty in testing individual blocksand troubleshooting circuit failures. Group presentations helped to demonstrated the contrast inresults and allowed course instructors to revisit the differences between prototype and finaldesigns which are spanned by the closed-loop, iterative design process. Figures 2a,b – Multiple Block and Single Block PCBs (Team A, C)This

Conference Session

Issues and Direction in ET Education and Administration: Part II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shekar Viswanathan, National University, San Diego; Howard Evans, National University, San Diego; Lal Tummala, San Diego State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

comparable engineering schools and their workload showed that facultymembers tend to work 50.5 hours during an average work week. Faculty members spend amajority of their time on teaching undergraduate students (56 percent), and on institutionalservice (15 percent), and research/scholarship (12 percent). Forty-seven percent of facultymembers describe their primary professional research as program/curriculum design, and more Page 14.1185.8than 50 percent admitted that they are not engaged in funded research. The most commonscholarship activity that most of faculty members are engaged in is making presentations at

Conference Session

Research and Project Initiatives in IT and IET

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Abed El Hameed El Madwar, University of Northern Iowa; Recayi 'Reg' Pecen; Hong 'Jeffrey' Nie; Julie Zhang, University of Northern Iowa

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

a standard form of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) based upon the Institute ofElectrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.4 standard. ZigBee protocol was engineeredby the ZigBee Alliance to provide OEMs and integrators with low-power consumption wirelessdata solution with multiple network structures and secure connections for monitoringapplications 1.This paper describes an experimental study for the design and implementation of a ZigBee IEEE802.15.4 wireless network to offer low power and low cost wireless networking applications inan industrial setting. The experiment has been driven by the problems associated with the use ofthe cables in industries such as the high cost of maintenance, limited mobility of workers, andpotential