Conference Session

New Trends in ECE Education II

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Askia Hill, Purdue University; Cordelia M Brown, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

domain-general intellectual development models. Descriptions of each model are givenbelow.A. Reflective Judgment Model For almost 30 years, Dr. Karen Kitchener and Dr. Patricia King have been researchingthe development of epistemic cognition and its relationship to the ability for students to solveopen-ended problems[22]. Their research produced seven sets of assumptions on knowledge andhow to obtain it. These sets became the stages in their Reflective Judgment (RJ) model[23]. Theseven stages are divided into three group described below. • Pre-reflective (Stages 1-3) – In these stages, knowledge is obtained only from authorities or firsthand experience and that knowledge is “known” to be correct. • Quasi-reflective (Stages 4

Conference Session

ABET Accreditation, Assessment and Program Improvement in ECE.

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Diane T. Rover, Iowa State University; Douglas W. Jacobson, Iowa State University; Ahmed E. Kamal, Iowa State University; Akhilesh Tyagi, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

begins in a sophomore course, Program Discovery, and is continued in a juniorcourse, Program Exploration. Portfolios are a means to document and communicate student workfor faculty review and student outcomes assessment. The process of creating a portfolio alsogives students the opportunity to reflect on their academic program. The portfolio is submittedelectronically, typically as a link to a web site designed by the student. The main elements of aportfolio used for assessment by the portfolio review committee are: 1. Career objective and resume 2. General education component and reflection 3. Examples of prior work 4. Technical work experience 5. Senior design project 6. Cumulative reflectionThe general education

Conference Session

Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Poster Session

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nizami Z Vagidov, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York; Vladimir Mitin, University at Buffalo, SUNY; Athos Chariton Petrou; Joseph L Zawicki Zawicki

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

a function ofφ. Then, they will analyze the data and verify Malus’s law: I = I0 cos2φ. Finally, the studentswill verify that a wire grid can act as a polarizer or an analyzer for microwaves.(b) Standing waves. The setup of Fig.2 will be used. The transmitter sends a wave along the rail on which the various components are mounted. At the other end of the rail a reflector is placed with its plane perpendicular to the emitted wave. The emitted and reflected waves form

Conference Session

Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Poster Session

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Branimir Pejcinovic, Portland State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

device characterization, design and simulation, signal integrity and THz sensors. He is a member of IEEE and ASEE. Page 23.198.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2013 Application of active learning in microwave circuit design coursesI. Introduction and motivationMicrowave Circuit Design is a fairly well established topic for senior undergraduate andgraduate courses and many good textbooks are available1. Topics that are covered vary buttypically include some fundamentals of electromagnetic wave propagation, transmission lines(TL), effects of matching and reflection on TLs, various

Conference Session

ECE Curriculum Improvement

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cordelia M Brown, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Dimitrios Peroulis, Purdue University; Greg Lammers, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Computer Engineering and Prof. Peroulis. Prof. Peroulis also developed thenecessary material (videos, notes, etc.) for teaching this course following a flipped classroomapproach. The goal of this course was to entirely revamp the sophomore curriculum forElectrical and Computer Engineering. Students indicated a lack of understanding of thediscipline of ECE. This failure to see the big picture of the discipline hinted at the need for abroader introductory course with a stronger emphasis on different fields inside of ECE ratherthan a deep exploration of circuit theory.The observation that students in the early stages of their careers do not have a strong grasp ofwhat Electrical and Computer engineers do is reflected in the literature.(Graaf, Wright

Conference Session

Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Poster Session

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Lee Heyman, United States Military Academy; Wenli Huang, U.S. Military Academy; Guangming Xie, Peking University; Pongpat Taephanitcharoen, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

and a utility sink. This allowed us to have both a “wet” and “dry” workspacefor the project. While funding and lab space/environment did not end up being significantchallenges for us, both should be taken into consideration by other institutions who wish toparticipate in the competition.While the lab space problem was easily solved for us, it did pose one significant challenge thatwe had to overcome. The ceiling height was not large enough to use the lights provided with theplatform. We initially attempted to use the overhead fluorescent lights in the room; however, wefound that the reflected light from these caused some difficulties in the image capturing that mustbe noted. The robotic fish platform includes an adaptive underlay algorithm

Conference Session

Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Poster Session

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Roger A. Green, North Dakota State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

a formula sheet, calculator, and two hours to completethis comprehensive exam, which contains 35 questions that reflect both theoretical and practicalcourse topics, with an emphasis on the former. In addition to tightly controlling the final exambooklet and answer sheets, the ordering of final exam questions and answers are regularlychanged to help ensure exam integrity from semester to semester. Table 1 provides a sample ofsix questions taken from the exam: questions 1 and 2 reflect more practical- and hardware-oriented topics, while questions 3 through 6 reflect more theoretical-oriented topics. As one cansee from Table 1, question level and difficulty varies. For paper clarity, correct answers arehighlighted in gray

Conference Session

Capstone Design and Innovations in ECE

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

George York, U.S. Air Force Academy; Erlind George Royer, Academy Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Research, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, USAF Academy, CO; Daniel Harold Harold; Daniel D. Jensen, U.S. Air Force Academy

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

of unmanned systems. Consequently, the sponsor wasinvolved in defining the learning outcomes of the project, which were added to our normalpedagogical outcomes for this capstone engineering design course.1. IntroductionMultidisciplinary senior design capstone projects have been popular at many institutions forseveral years. Multidisciplinary projects are encouraged by the Accreditation Board forEngineering and Technology’s requirements for a “realistic” major design experience,1 with therecognition that projects in industry typically require multi-disciplinary teams. Another recentcapstone trend reflecting life in industry is projects with geographically separated teams. Theseteams can range from multi-university teams in the same country2

Conference Session

ABET Accreditation, Assessment and Program Improvement in ECE.

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kenneth A Connor, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Dianna L Newman, University at Albany/SUNY; Meghan Morris Deyoe, University at Albany, SUNY

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

%) watched the online videos prior to the corresponding lab as a way to prepare for theassignment.Overall, more students (53%) perceived that the use of online videos did not make the coursemore difficult than a traditional lecture-based course; however, the majority of students (72%)consistently reported from pre- to post- that they preferred to attend a formal lecture rather thanwatch online videos (see Table 2). Similarly, approximately two-thirds (68%) of the studentsreported that they were not comfortable using the video lectures for learning. These responsessupport students’ self-reported lack of use for transfer or conveyance of new information.Student responses may reflect prior experiential bias (i.e., expectations of STEM contentdelivery

Conference Session

New Trends in ECE Education II

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Margret Hjalmarson, George Mason University; Jill K Nelson, George Mason University; Lisa G. Huettel, Duke University; Wayne T. Padgett, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Kathleen E. Wage, George Mason University; John R. Buck, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

that are relevant toengineering education. Formative assessment, broadly, is any strategy which is intendedto both help students learn the material as they are assessed and provide feedback to theinstructor that can be used to inform future instruction (either immediately or at a laterclass session). A second purpose of formative assessment is to create a more engagingand participatory learning environment where students shift from passively listening tolectures and taking notes (or possibly asking questions) to working on problemsimmediately after the explanation of concepts or reflecting about what they have learned.Formative assessment tools should communicate to students what material or conceptsare most important. Often these concepts are

Conference Session

Recruitment, Retention and First-year Programs in ECE

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John W Pritchard, Iowa State University; Mani Mina, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

device alone. Manufacturers usually provide libraries, header files, etc. that make interfacing to the specific hardware easier. However, it is becoming more common that these well- known languages are being modified or refined to contain commands or structures that are better suited with the hardware. Often times these modifications include commands whose name reflect the desired hardware-based outcome. For example, the command “analogRead(2)” reads the analog voltage at pin 2 on a certain embedded system. This is a built-in function which is pre-installed with the IDE for this device. Systems with built-in commands that intuitively describe the intended result generally allow the user to focus less on software challenges

Conference Session

ECE Curriculum Improvement

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

JianJian Song, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Deborah Walter, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Edward Wheeler, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

? important EM fundamentals 4 4 1 Electrical and magnetic flux and field structure 6 2 1 Material properties – loss and dispersion 4 5 High-speed behavior of passive components 2 7 Wave propagation and reflection 5 4 Transmission lines – time domain analysis 6 3 Transmission lines – frequency domain analysis 5 4 Matching and termination 4 5 S-parameters

Conference Session

ABET Accreditation, Assessment and Program Improvement in ECE.

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mark William Redekopp, University of Southern California; Gisele Ragusa, University of Southern California

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

. Special attention was paid todisconfirming evidence and outliers in data coding, as well as elements of frequency,extensiveness, and intensity within the data. Ideas or phenomena was initially identified andflagged to generate a listing of internally consistent, discrete categories, followed by fracturedand reassembled (axial coding) of categories by making connections between categories andsubcategories to reflect emerging themes and patterns (represented in Table 2). Categories werethen integrated to form grounded theory using selective categorization to clarify concepts andto allow for response interpretations, and conclusions associated with the students’ perceptionsof success of the “flipped” classroom. Frequency distribution of the coded

Conference Session

New Trends in ECE Education I

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jia-Ling Lin, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; Paul Imbertson, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; Tamara J Moore, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

alsoillustrates that students embrace changes in instructional approaches. Students’ comments,shown in the following, reflect their learning gains in areas of cognitive understanding, contents,and meta-cognition.  … The problem solving was getting boring and not very helpful until we were Page 23.814.13 grouped into 'states' and put in competition against each other. Class was enjoyable again and it helps with understanding.  I enjoyed this class and starting the understanding the concept behind motor design and uses. This class did offer good tools to learn and did help me with

Conference Session

Recruitment, Retention and First-year Programs in ECE

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chad Eric Davis P.E., University of Oklahoma; James J. Sluss Jr., University of Oklahoma

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

responsibility. V. Lessons LearnedThis paper concludes with reflections on lessons that were learned over the last four years whileattempting to perfect our outreach, recruiting, and retention programs. a) Don’t Lecture - Engage!This simple piece of advice was found early in the implementation of our program in an onlinearticle by Seelman.8 We interpreted this statement as talk less and show more. The pupils willlikely not remember your words, but they will remember the interesting things you show them. b) Don’t Spam the PupilsThere is nothing more time consuming than written and verbal correspondence. After initiallyputting considerable efforts on these activities, we started to realize that there was little responseor evidence that it made much

Conference Session

Laboratory Development in ECE II

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mario Simoni, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Maurice F. Aburdene, Bucknell University; Farrah Fayyaz, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

sinusoidal signal as they go through the same changes innoise amplitude and observe what the combined signals look like at different signal-to-noiseratios. Furthermore, they can listen to the sounds on a speaker, which is a more familiarexperience with regard to this concept because everyone has experienced static on a cell phone.The SNR measurements are repeated for a filter with a lower cutoff frequency and then again fora fixed amplitude ramp signal. They can observe how the noise floor in the spectrum rises withan increase in noise power and can overcome certain harmonics in the signal, which are nolonger heard. The students are then asked to reflect on what happens when the signal-to-noiseratio has a very large positive or negative dB value.Lab

Conference Session

New Trends in ECE Education II

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mark T Carnes PE, Purdue University, Electrical Engineering Technology; Heidi A. Diefes-Dux, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

., “knowing why”), 4. Problem solving strategies, also known as heuristics or rules of thumb for solving problems – Specifically, knowing which methods or rules should be applied to specific problems (i.e., “knowing when”).In discussing the various components that form the overall structure of the interview questions,the participant will of necessity need to use ideas that reflect their understanding of the conceptsof voltage and current from several perspectives: definitional, functional, underlying principles,and application to solving circuit design problems. By not posing specific design problems to besolved in a “think aloud” format, the discussion can be more free-ranging and focus onprinciples, rather than the specifics of

Conference Session

Projects in ECE

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Peter Mark Jansson PE, Bucknell University; Daniel Schmalzel; Robert R. Krchnavek, Rowan University; John L. Schmalzel, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

and the relatedenergy monitoring systems. We had made a broad announcement of the summer internshipsavailable and were able to interview over two dozen qualified students for the research positions.Most of the students who had made the successful contributions to the first semester (Spring2011) clinic project development of the EAP outline were hired to work as interns. The mostsignificant portion of a complete draft of the EAP was completed during that intensive summereffort. There were a few key reasons for the high degree of success. These included continuity,level of effort, leadership, and focus. As we reflected upon the primary elements of the summerproject work experience we noted that the team achieved such highly successful results

Conference Session

Capstone Design and Innovations in ECE

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Barbara E. Marino, Loyola Marymount University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

toys.In 2010, 62% of the students (8/13) reported that one of the new experiments was their favorite.In 2011 and 2012, 50% (7/14) and 60% (9/15) of the students, respectively, reported that one ofthe new experiments was the favorite. It was expected that this percentage would be much largerand would increase from year to year as the experiments were improved. This was not the case.After much consideration and reflection it was determined that surveying students about theirfavorite experiment is not an adequate measure of the effectiveness of these new experiments. Inaddition to being interesting and useful, these experiments challenge the students more thantraditional experiments. Also of note, students with weak abilities in one or more

Conference Session

Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Poster Session

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alexander Ganago, University of Michigan; Hongwei Liao

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

entireclass, we award every participant of each survey with 0.1% extra credit on the 100%scale for the course. The maximal number of points that a student can earn viaparticipation in surveys was 1.6% in the Fall 2012; for comparison, the reward for earlysubmission of homework was ~3-fold higher. We believe that extra credit forparticipation is justified, because thoughtful feedback requires reflection on learning andteaching, which in turn stimulates meta-communication and comprehension of the coursematerial. The average amount of extra credit for participation in surveys earned bystudents in the Fall 2012 was 0.86%, while the width of each letter grade bin was 4%(straight scale, no “curve”); thus extra credit points only slightly influenced the

Conference Session

Projects in ECE

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Wookwon Lee, Gannon University; Nicholas B. Conklin, Gannon University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Teflon tape to reflect stray photons back in, increasing the numberof photons detected by the SiPM, and then in electrical tape to block outside light. A wrappedscintillator is shown in Figure 4(b). Each SiPM isconnected to a pre-amplifier, also visible in thephotos. The pre-amplifier generates a negativepulse with a magnitude ranging from 0 to about -1.0V depending on the number of photonsimpinging on the SiPM. The advantage of usingSiPMs over traditional photomultiplier tubes       (PMTs) is that they only require a very low (~30V)             (a)                         (b) bias voltage, as opposed to the ~1 kV require by

Conference Session

New Trends in ECE Education I

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bosco Mansel Oliver, Clemson University; John R. Wagner, Clemson University; Elham B. Makram, Clemson University; Rajendra DUPE Singh, Clemson University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

conclusion will be presentedin Section 5.2. Fundamentals of Solar EnergySolar energy has the theoretical potential to power the entire world. Over the course of a year,the earth receives 17 GW of energy from the sun. Approximately 30% of the solarradiation is reflected back into space while the rest is absorbed by clouds, oceans, and landmasses. So the earth’s surface receives roughly 89 GW of energy. The yearly globalconsumption of energy is 16 GW5. Therefore, capturing all the global solar energy for asmall time period can nearly fulfill this amount. Solar energy can be converted to both heat andelectricity. Solar heating can be used to provide domestic hot water, space heating, cooking, anddrying. Direct solar

Conference Session

Capstone Design and Innovations in ECE

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hanqi Zhuang, Florida Atlantic University; Oren Masory, Florida Atlantic University; Zvi S Roth

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

students’ learning experience [14-16]: 1. Is the design the result of consultation with the healthcare practitioners and persons with disabilities? 2. Is the design suited to the users' diverse social and physical environments? 3. Does the design reflect the technology innovations in the field? 4. Is the analytical component of the design sound? 5. Is the design inexpensive to produce, purchase and maintain? 6. Is the design easy to use? 7. Is the design effective? 8. Will the eventual product be affordable? Sample projects are given in the next section.IV. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SAMPLE PROJECTSA. Mobility Assist Device for Traversing StepsThe device allows for the transport of a person in a wheelchair up and down steps

Conference Session

Software and Web-based Learning in ECE

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dileepan Joseph P.Eng., University of Alberta

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

engineering. For this part,the other instructors edited slides previously made by the senior FSO for the procedural C++course. Because this material did not touch IID or refactoring, the author’s slides (Table 2) linkto corresponding Wikipedia pages, which were deemed sufficient for in-class discussion.4. Evaluation and Reflection Page 23.624.11Over its history, the evolution of ENCMP 100 has involved many stakeholders: administrators,instructors, and students. The impact of the transition from procedural C++ (2008–10), featuringKarel the Robot, to MATLAB (2010–12), featuring IID with Gorillas, is best assessed with amixed approach. This includes

Conference Session

Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Poster Session

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David H Hoe, University of Texas, Tyler

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

articles. Part of this could be that theyhave more experience now with reading a journal article, but additional factors include the use ofa more introductory-type article and the students were given instructions on what areas to focuson in their readings this time. This is reflected in one student’s written comments in the survey,“I like the more focused nature when looking at this journal article this week. 4-6 pages isoptimum for general reading.” The students generally agree with the third statement on thesurvey, indicating the value they are seeing in learning nanotechnology concepts.During week nine, an extensive in-class exercise involved studying the tradeoffs found in variouslow-power architectures. The students were asked to read a

Conference Session

Recruitment, Retention and First-year Programs in ECE

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hector A. Ochoa, The University of Texas at Tyler; Mukul Shirvaikar, University of Texas at Tyler

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

mean rating for each question is measured on thehorizontal axis, while the amplitude of the normal distribution is represented on the vertical axis.The 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

Conference Session

Software and Web-based Learning in ECE

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brice Aaron Hirst, Missouri University of Science & Technology; Yahong Rosa Zheng, Missouri University of Science & Technology

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

of software versions, missing software or hardware components, access rights to drivers, etc. would cause many problems and shall be tested prior to the lab sessions. 2) It is important to clearly state deadlines and consequences of late submission. A lack of hard deadlines and late-submission consequences was also assumed by many students. Despite repeated reminders, a lot of students forgot to submit the model files they used in the lab. The solution was to grade late submissions much more harshly; it is fine if a student needs more time to complete a report, but the quality of the submission must reflect this extra time spent. 3) It is important to clearly specify expectations in a grading rubric

Conference Session

ECE Curriculum Improvement

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tatiana V. Goris, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Michael J. Dyrenfurth, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

electrical phenomena persisted fromfreshman to senior levels. Novices reported that this mental model already was created beforeentering college. The ‘product’ of such an incorrect understanding reflects the popular analogy ofelectricity and water. When learning new material about the ‘invisible’ world, students sought‘visible’ analogies in the observable world. Often the water analogy was presented by instructorsor in books or students made this assumption by themselves because it is “visible”. Althoughstudents understood that the water analogy cannot elucidate all electric properties, theyrepeatedly applied features of plumbing-systems to electrical circuits and diagrams. At thenovice level, the water analogy is widely used but does not have yet a

Conference Session

ABET Accreditation, Assessment and Program Improvement in ECE.

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ahmed S. Khan, DeVry University, Addison, IL; Aminul Karim, DeVry University, Downers Grove, IL; Jennifer A McClain, IEEE

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Conference Session

Software and Web-based Learning in ECE

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Radian G Belu, Drexel University (Tech.); Irina Nicoleta Ciobanescu Husanu, Drexel University (Tech.)

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

activelyinvolved in the learning process (based on the results of each survey feedback), which is inagreement with its decision to register in the course. The students feel very comfortable learningat its own pace but not so much deciding in what order to learn. It is very plausible that, whilethe course materials and virtual lab are available at any time, the sequential presentation of someof the scientific content of the modules limit in what order the modules could be completed. Thetasks to complete each module are clearly stated and the perceived interactivity of the course andexperiments reflects that the choices that students make are meaningful and not just not for thesake of making choices. However, in general, the responses amongst the surveyed