. Page 22.478.4In the last and the eighth lab “Transitions between confined subbands in the conduction andvalence bands in GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure quantum wells (inter- and intra-bandtransitions)” students study properties of the objects with dimensionality higher than quantumdots – quantum wells (two-dimensional objects). In this experiment the students create a quasi-monochromatic light beam using the combination of a broadband source (tungsten-halogenlamp) and a grating spectrometer. The beam is reflected from the surface of a GaAs/AlGaAsquantum well and the intensity of the reflected light is measured as a function of the incidentphoton energy. The samples are placed in an exchange gas cryostat operating at liquid nitrogentemperature
recreational activities. The end-users of these devices are given opportunities to exercise and experience greater independencethrough the devices designed by students in the class. This paper presents the design of thecapstone class and the intent behind the in-class activities and out-of-class assignments thatguide students through the design process.BackgroundService-learning occurs when “Students engage in community service activities with intentionalacademic and learning goals and opportunities for reflection that connect to their academicdiscipline” (Cress et al, 2005)1. It has been shown to be one of ten high-impact (i.e., those thatprovide for deep learning) “educationally purposeful activity” 2,3. The reflection aspect ofservice-learning is
Thinking, which fairly reflects our ambitions – that engagementwith graphical programming will propel students towards exploration of computational thinking.While iMPaCT-STEM is a work-in-progress, there is sufficient teaching material and evidence of itseffectiveness to motivate further efforts to replicate, extend and more deeply examine its pedagogy.Figure 1 is a prerequisite graph of iMPaCT learning modules, most of which are being incrementallytranslated to use the programming environment provided by the TI 83/84 calculators that are alreadypresent in many high-school and college classrooms,This paper relates iMPaCT’s pedagogy to long-standing challenges in math education, recent educationalreform objectives, and describes efforts to
. 61 29 50 36Develop attitudes of self-direction 57 32 49 37and self-responsibility. * Numbers represents percentages of RPI participants who responded “Strongly Agree” or “Agree” on a 6-point Likert-type scale. Analysis of cognitive data19 evidence outcomes related to use; students who received integrated IO board instruction at higher levels of practice and knowledge generation presented greater long term learning. Student scores on final exams were greater for items that reflected use of the Mobile Studio as part of instruction than were their scores on items that reflected content covered in
superior in their ability to apply rudimentary laboratory skills and knowledge in theperformance of basic circuits analysis applications as reflected in their final lab practicum scores.The study was performed over five consecutive semesters with 160 students sub-divided intocontrol (traditional lab teams) and solo groups. Students in the control group performed theweekly laboratory exercises in lab teams of two or more while those in the solo group workedindependently. The solo group exhibited statistically significant higher scores on the final labpracticum as compared to the control group; whereas, the lab report, a traditional metric forevaluating student lab performance, lacked sufficient sensitivity to discriminate between thesegroup
definition of quantitative and precise metricsthat reflect changes in the program. A second is the data collection and the action definitions thatshould minimize or, at least, allow the resolution of interdependencies and correlations amongthem. While these form an intellectually interesting modeling and feedback problem, one mustalso be prepared to accommodate some faculty resistance, indifference, or simply lack of time toperform such tasks. Viewing automation and consistency as a key for the success of continuousimprovement, we have implemented this feedback process for the last four years and here wepresent some of our experiences.1. IntroductionObjective and meaningful evaluation of student performance and career success is a complicatedproblem
useand interpretation. A concrete presentation would usually begin with the importantfeatures of the physical phenomena before discussing a mathematical representation andits use. Both views are needed in engineering, but the order and manner in which theinformation is presented to the student appears to affect their rate of comprehension. TheGOAL project includes4 two different but coordinated presentations for each concept(one concrete and the other abstract), which were cross-linked to allow easy switchingbetween them. The default presentation style for each student matched their statedpreference, but they were able to (and often did) switch back and forth between styles.Reflective – Active: A reflective learner tends to like to observe a
. Page 22.1491.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2011 The Progressive Learning Platform for Computer EngineeringAbstractThis paper describes the Progressive Learning Platform (PLP), a system designed to facilitatecomputer engineering education while decreasing the overhead costs and learning curveassociated with existing solutions. The PLP system is a System on a Chip design withaccompanying tools reflecting a contemporary CPU architecture. It is unique in that it can beused in a number of courses (Digital Logic Design, Microcomputer Principles, ComputerArchitecture, Compilers, Embedded Systems) as students progress through a ComputerEngineering curriculum. The system consists of a fully
), advisory board reports, and revision history documented in the university bulletin.” • “It was stated that our Objectives were too focused on current students and not on our alumni. However, our stated objectives were word for word the same as they were in 2003 (they were clearly stated and reflected our objectives at that time so why change them?). I also note that Criterion 2 has not changed since 2003. It was therefore strange that our Objectives have now garnered a weakness when they were just fine in 2003. I believe this underscores a weakness in the Accreditation process in which the published Criteria are too open to interpretation by the specific visiting committee. Programs should be
discussion with a colleague or two, then answer the clicker question a second time. Page 22.1606.3 Incorporate the use of multimedia software, CAEME (Computer Applications in Electromagnetics Education) 13, to help students visualize the abstract concepts in the course such as wave propagation, reflection, transmission line matching, and others. Display a virtual laboratory experiment to demonstrate an idea or a physical phenomenon. This is frequently done using the CAEME simulation software package. Show in-class videos to introduce basic concepts in addition to historical facts about their discoveries.Results of using Active
the area of hardwareverification techniques and environment. Through lectures, readings, and working with practicaldesigns, students learn the pros and cons of different verification methodologies. Each time thecourse is offered, its contents change to reflect the new trends in industry including any newsimulation tools or features. After successful completion of the course, students are expected to get a well understanding ofseveral verification methodologies and the techniques used in developing portable and reusablemodules common to different verification environments. The practical exercises and projectsteach the best-practices used for verifications using state-of-the-art commercial tools.An additional and major benefit of this course is
power LED and connect the LED directly to the function generator, then place the LED with your hand perpendicular to the notch of the motor shaft, at the distance of approximately 0.5”.- Slowly vary the frequency of the function generator in the 70Hz - 100Hz range by rotating the frequency knob of the function generator. You should be able to see the light from the LED reflecting back from the flat side of the motor shaft periodically, forming a “delayed” rotation figure. As you change the frequency, you will see the notch rotating slower or faster. This is called the strobe effect.- At one specific frequency, you will see the notch of the motor appear to stall. Record this value. This is exactly the frequency of the
is an impossible topic tomaster. The current method of teaching analog circuits focuses on procedural, quantitative andanalytical methods to describe individual circuits 2.According to3, there are four types of learners: Type 1(concrete, reflective)-the diverger; Type2(abstract, reflective)-the assimilator; Type 3(abstract, active)-the converger; Type 4 (concrete,active)-the accommodator. Traditional science and engineering instruction focuses almostexclusively on lecturing, a style comfortable for only Type 2 learners. Effective instructioninvolves teaching all learning styles–motivating each new topic (Type 1), presenting the basicinformation and methods associated with the topic (Type 2), providing opportunities forpracticing the methods
Government of Canada andorganized by the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Heads Association was heldin Arlington, VA, October 31- November 2, 2010. A pre-workshop meeting of academicspecialists on the future of energy and power education took place before the workshop onOctober 30 as a brainstorming session in advance of the workshop discussions. The impetus forthis workshop originated during discussion sessions held at recent ECEDHA annual meetings.These discussions recognized the importance of electric power education and research inuniversity curricula and reflected the concern in industry regarding the future workforce in thiscritical field.Many universities are introducing innovative programs to attract more students to pursue
quantitative assessmentswill be described here.For the first course in microwave networks, students were presented a reflective questionnaire atthe completion of the course to gauge their level of skills enhancement in a number of technicalareas associated with the first course in primarily passive network. The technical areas areshown in Appendix A under the ‘Microwave Networks’ heading with the results of theassessment shown in Figure 6 (red bars). As shown in the figure, the students noted significantenhancement of technical skills in the material covered in this course; these results correlatedwell with student performance in the course as well. The evidence of skills enhancement relatedto Questions 1, 3, 5, 6, and 7 was further supported by the
strict linearity requirementsthroughout the dynamic range of the modulated signal8. In addition to transmitting more bits per symbol, wireless providers want to transmitthese symbols faster. This allows less filtering between the symbols, which can cause spectralbroadening. Additionally, in an uncontrolled wireless environment the wireless signal can takemultiple different paths to the receiving antenna. The varying paths to the receive antenna canbe either direct line-of-sight or can involve multiple reflections off buildings, mountains, or evenwalls within a building. These paths can each have different propagation delays, and this cancause problems when the symbol rate is very fast in time. One way around this is to transmitmany
project. The specifics of the VU-LRT toolbox arepresented in section 3, and a brief example is given in section 4. Finally brief conclusions andplans for future work are discussed in section 5.2. The LEGO MindStorms NXT: Hardware and Software AlternativesThe evolution of embedded computing devices is reflected in the wide variety of robot hardwareplatforms in use within the STEM community. Most of these devices, such as the Parralax BOEBot [9], HandyBoard [10], ActivMedia [11], Arduino [12] and first generation LEGO RCX brick[13] for example, are still based on 8-bit processors. Typically these machines run at clockspeeds of 20 MHz or less, have 32 KB or less of RAM and are hard to program effectivelybecause of finite word length and memory
semester. We value this tension as it reflects real-world projects and makes the students take ownership of the requirements and gain consensus of all parties before pressing on to the next phase.7. ConclusionIn this paper we discussed the capstone design course at the US Air Force Academy andpresented an example UAV project. We find the UAV platform offers many challenges as agood capstone project and is motivational for our students. In addition students are moremotivated when they have customers with real-world needs. The various subsystems of the UAVcan span several disciplines from electrical and computer, to mechanical, to aeronautical, tohuman factors, making it a true multi-disciplinary project. UAV systems also
current plans to reflect input from theracking supplier (SolarDock), showing the required structural elements and connections. Onceall corrections are made and a complete set of structural design drawings is available, theproposal package will be resubmitted to DCA. A construction permit is expected to be issued toallow construction to commence. Clinic students have made significant progress toward thecompletion of most of the project’s key goals, including: full system designs, componentspecification, plan development, permit application, and equipment procurement.Future workThe only outstanding issue before construction can commence is the final construction approvalfrom the DCA. The complete installation is expected to occur midway through the
Page 22.2.8Test results with the grip of the Falcon device (solid) moving along the outer wall (dashed) isshown in Figure 7. During the test, the user felt the force pushing the grip away from the outerwall. Figure 7 Testing Results for Tracing a Circle with Virtual WallsIn the end of the semester, each team demonstrated and explained their work to the other teamand the instructor, and submitted a technical report with the distribution of tasks among the teammembers. Besides the technical details on the project, students also reflected on the possibleimpact haptics-enabled rehabilitation could have on post-stroke patients, therapists, and thesociety.7. Student feedback and future improvementsIn the end of the Fall 2010
evaluation has helped in adjustingthe program to better serve the students and showed that the program has progressed towardsachieving its objectives. However, further assessment and students’ follow-up survey will beperformed in order to ensure an accomplishment of the program goals.Acknowledgement This work is supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant number 0851400.Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are thoseof the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.References 1. Tomovic, M.M., “Undergraduate research—prerequisite for successful lifelong learning,” ASEE Annu. Conf. Proc. 1, pp. 1469 -1470, 1994. 2. Lopatto, D
-course survey was conducted in the secondweek of class and the follow-up post-course survey was conducted after the completion of thefinal Lab-in-a-Box course project.MethodsSurveys were made available on the student course management sites. Completion of thesurveys was a required component of the course as a self-reflective component of their learning,but students could opt to have their data excluded from the study.In ECE 2074, of the 121 enrolled students, 106 completed the pre-course survey and 95permitted their data to be released. A total of 91 students responded to the post-course survey,with 80 students allowing use of their data. Just over half were second-years, a quarter werethird-years, and the rest were in their fourth year or
students were given a survey composed of sixteen questions to evaluate the success of thecourse. The survey is given to the students the last week of the semester during class. Theprofessor is required to leave the classroom while the students fill out the survey. Since some ofthe questions are reflective in nature, in the following years the authors will seriously considermodifying the survey methodology to include two surveys: one at the beginning of the class andone later. One of the major difficulties with this approach is to quantify and measure items like“knowledge of the area of electrical engineering” at the beginning of the course. The first sixquestions of the survey are committed to obtaining information about the amount of knowledge
compare the results from themeasurements with those obtained from the steps performed in the Analysis and Modeling.The students are required to submit a lab report, which is graded and returned to providefeedback to the students.Concepts to Experiments Page 22.1669.5The concepts integrated into the first four experiments are: far-field angle, numerical aperture,collection efficiency, Malus’ Law, Beer-Lambert Law, and total internal reflection. Theexperiments that cover these concepts are: Propagation in Free Space and DetectorResponsivity; Coupling Efficiency; Polarization and Vector Dot Product; and Total InternalReflection and Absorption
. Follow-on exams andinterviews will determine whether these updates were successful.AcknowledgementsThis material is based upon work supported by the National Science FoundationResearch and Evaluation on Education in Science and Engineering (REESE)Program under grant DRL–0816207. Opinions, findings, conclusions, orrecommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do notnecessarily reflect the views of the NSF. Studies involving human subjects wereconducted with KSU Human Studies Board oversight under protocol #4691.References[1] Warren, Steve, "Optimizing Student Learning and Retention of Time- and Frequency-Domain Concepts Through Numerical Computation Projects," 2005 Annual Conference and Exposition
Fig. 8: A fabricated three-phase dc-ac inverter.Student Evaluation and AssessmentTo insure that the objectives of the project were reached, the students’ learning experience andthe instructional approach in the proposed laboratory were closely monitored based on pre-laboratory assignments, in-laboratory performances, and the end-of-semester student evaluationscores. The collected data was analyzed to reflect (i) the quality and effectiveness of thelaboratory assignments in familiarizing the students with experimentation, (ii) the effectivenessof the industrial grade tools in the laboratory in upgrading the students perspectives, as comparedwith other undergraduate courses they have taken, and (iii) the students level of confidence,internal
make recommendations for further work.Structure of the SubjectConceptually, the subject can be broken into three sections, each 3 or 4 weeks long. The firstfocuses on giving students success with some simple design projects and introducing a few keycomponents. The only items of test equipment used are a triple-output power supply and a digitalmulti-meter (DMM). The second section goes into more depth in both theory (e.g., AC instead ofDC, capacitors) and tools (the function generator and oscilloscope are introduced). The finalsection of the subject is the final project.The pace is kept fast, and we try to maximize the time spent building circuits while allowingenough time for reflection and discussion. We now present the material covered each
concept drawing of the game system on each vehicle to support thecompetition. As can be seen, it includes a fixed forward-pointing laser, a 360-degree lightdetector, a ZigBee wireless modem, status lights that reflect team affiliation and vehicle state,and a microprocessor to control the game system. Shots are made by orienting the truck to pointat another game system (on a truck or a team’s base) and then sending a message using lightpulses. Messages are sent in the IRDA standard physical layer serial format9, but a low-powerred (650 nm) laser was employed rather than infrared. The message is one byte in length,including fields with message type (two bits), the team of the shooter (two bits), and the vehiclenumber of the shooter (four bits). A
, nodal analysis, KCL, KVL. This module incorporates all modules leading up to this and could possibly represent a final exam. 6. Summer 2011 Proposed Course Design6.1 Overall Course design goalsA metastudy by the Department of Education yielded the result that promoting students’reflections of their level of understanding is more effective than online learning that does notprovide trigger for reflection. 13 The design of the summer 2011 tries to incorporate thisphilosophy wherever possible. Feedback and prior research from faculty, staff and students fromBinghamton University’s ECE department and other institutions will be used. It is our goal tointegrate all these different ideas and concepts in a very clear and concise manner
material are thoseof the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.References 1. J. Mitola; G. Maguire; ―Cognitive radio: Making software radios more personal,‖ IEEE Personal Communications, Aug. 1999. 2. S. Haykin; Cognitive radio: Brain-empowered wireless communications,‖ IEEE Journal in Selected Areas in Communications, vol. 23, pp. 1-20. 2005. 3. E. Seymour; A. Hunter; S Laursen; T. Deantoni; ―Establishing the benefits of research experiences for Page 22.1548.17 undergraduates in the sciences: First findings from a three year study.‖ Science Education, vol. 88