Conference Session

Computers in Education Division Technical Session 3: Digital Learning Part I

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Fitratullah Khan, University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley; Mahmoud K Quweider, University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley; Ala Qubbaj, University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley; Emmett Tomai, University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley; Liyu Zhang, University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley; Hansheng Lei

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

the PI on an NSF INCLUDES (Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Dis- coverers in Engineering and Science) project/Symposium for ADVANCING STEM Latinas in Academic Careers. Prior to his Dean position, Dr. Qubbaj served as Senior Associate Vice President/Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs & Diversity at UTRGV. He is also a full professor in the department of Mechanical Engineering. Dr. Qubbaj received his Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma with specialization in combustion and energy system. His research has been sponsored by NSF, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense.Dr. Emmett Tomai, University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley Emmett Tomai is an

Conference Session

Signal Processing Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Birmingham, Grove City College

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

AC 2009-2169: MULTIDISCIPLINARY SENIOR DESIGN USINGSOFTWARE-DEFINED RADIOWilliam Birmingham, Grove City College Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, Chair of Computer Science Department, Grove City College Page 14.895.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Multidisciplinary Senior Design Using Software-Defined RadioAbstractMultidisciplinary projects involving electrical engineering (EE) and computer science (CS)students are both exciting and difficult to create. We have created a year-long project based onsoftware-defined radio (SDR). The combination of software and hardware makes SDR

Conference Session

Programming for Engineering Students

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Pook, Boise State University; Sin Ming Loo, Boise State University; Arlen Planting, Boise State University; Josh Kiepert, Boise State University; Derek Klein, Boise State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

AC 2010-1148: CODING PRACTICES FOR EMBEDDED SYSTEMSMichael Pook, Boise State UniversitySin Ming Loo, Boise State UniversityArlen Planting, Boise State UniversityJosh Kiepert, Boise State UniversityDerek Klein, Boise State University Page 15.281.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Coding Practices for Embedded Systems Abstract Far too often, students focus on creating a working project without any regard for thequality, readability, and maintainability of their code. Students are not usually made to realizehow learning and applying good coding practices can improve the success of their projects andmake

Conference Session

Topics in Computer Science and Programming

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Walter W. Schilling Jr., Milwaukee School of Engineering; Mark J. Sebern, Milwaukee School of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

development of an understanding of the problem from the client’s perspective as wellas an analysis of solution alternatives.Unfortunately, in many cases, the software engineering course is offered late in thecurriculum, typically at the senior level. This makes it difficult for students to apply theknowledge that they have learned effectively on capstone and other academic projects.Students often comment that it would have been “nice to know this” before making thewrong decisions on their capstone projects. Thus, to be successful, components of softwareengineering need to be taught earlier in the undergraduate curriculum. This shifting to anearlier level, however, poses pedagogical issues.This paper describes the metamorphosis of an undergraduate

Conference Session

Software and Hardware for Educators II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jonathan Hill, University of Hartford

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

AC 2010-2286: USING A MICROCODED DATA PATH TO INTRODUCE THEDATA PATH AND CONTROLLER PARADIGMJonathan Hill, University of Hartford Jonathan Hill is an associate professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Hartford in Connecticut. PhD and MSEE from Worcester Polytechnic Inst. in Worcester MA, and previously a project engineer at Digital Corp. He instructs graduate and undergraduate computer engineering computer courses, directs graduate research, and performs research involving embedded microprocessor based systems. His specific projects involve digital communications, signal processing, and intelligent instrumentation

Conference Session

Robots and K-12 Computer Applications

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christina Gardner-McCune, Human Centered Computing Clemson University; Darrryl Bryant DUPE McCune II, YES Beyond Limits; Chanteal Maria Edwards; Cedric Stallworth, Georgia Institute of Technology, College of Computing

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

their ideas to life through the design of new applications and devices.Our goal in designing this program was to build on the success of existing K-12 summer camp outreachprograms offered at Georgia Tech by offering students an opportunity to pursue their interest in CSthrough a constructionist and project-based curriculum. As we moved the students from exposure topersonalization of the technology they developed, our aim was to increase the number of studentsdesirous of enrolling in college as computer science majors. Our overarching goal was to increase thelikelihood of students who apply to computer science undergraduate degree programs. This paper willdiscuss the program, strategies for program success, and enrollment and participation

Conference Session

General Technical Session

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mihaela Radu, SUNY Farmingdale State College; Clint S. Cole, Digilent, Inc.; Mircea Alexandru Dabacan, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca; Monica Ignat Bot, Digilent; Alex Wong, Digilent, Inc.; Joe Harris, Digilent, Inc.

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

University of Cluj-Napoca, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Indiana and R@D engi- neer for The Institute of Scientific Research for Automation and Telecommunications, Bucharest Roma- nia. Over the past ten years she taught several undergraduate and graduate courses on Electronic Compo- nents and Circuits, Digital Design, Design of Fault Tolerant Systems and Testing of Digital Systems. Her current research interest includes Reliability and Fault Tolerance of Electronic Systems, Programmable Logic Devices and new educational methods teaching digital system design and analog electronics, em- phasizing ”hands-on” experiences and project-based-learning. She has

Conference Session

Computers in Education Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nannan He, Minnesota State University, Mankato; Han-Way Huang, Minnesota State University, Mankato; Navya Mereddy

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

development ofcourse projects. The Launchpad includes a 32-bit ARM Cortex M4 microcontroller (MCU)integrated with 10/100 Ethernet MAC and PHY. TI’s Code Composer Studio (CCS) – anEclipse-based Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and some open source software likethe lightweight TCP/IP stack called IwIP are used for software development. In this course, weintroduce students the TCP/IP protocols, and wireless communication technologies like WiFi andBluetooth. Through course projects, students study the implementation of TCP/IP protocols inpractice, and learn how to use drivers of Ethernet port and WiFi connection to developmicrocontroller-based networking applications. Our primary experiences indicate that TI’sconnected Launchpad with various

Conference Session

Educational Software

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Harry Franz, University of Houston-Downtown; Alberto Gomez-Rivas, University of Houston-Downtown

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

simulationsoftware student and educational versions, and Visual Basic and the National InstrumentsLabVIEW student and educational versions. The industrial software includes the IntergraphSmart Plant Electrical industrial version. Advantages and disadvantages of the use of the types ofsoftware are considered. How each type of software is used to improve the curriculum andteaching practices is discussed. Innovative learning strategies and student project work are given.Many of the students in the four-year university programs have a wide range of technicalexperience and academics. These students often also work in quite different professions whileattending courses at the university even though most program graduates will later work in theengineering field

Conference Session

Computer Education Innovations II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jessica Kuczenski, University of Notre Dame; Joshua Enszer, University of Notre Dame; Mark McCready, University of Notre Dame; Jay Brockman, University of Notre Dame

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

educational process outside the classroomand ways to encourage students to have a more direct role in their own personal development.For this purpose, we present here the Notre Dame Electronic Portfolio (NDeP) project, which isdesigned to help us meet this goal. To date, we have successfully launched the NDeP project to aclass of ~80 chemical engineering sophomores who were able to create electronic portfolios, andwe were able to assess these portfolios using a rubric developed for this purpose.IntroductionThe primary goal of our undergraduate program is to produce engineers who are one step aheadof their peers, who have begun to prepare themselves for more than just their entry-level jobs. Inorder to reach this goal for our students, our department

Conference Session

Instrumentation and Laboratory Systems

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Bell, University of Illinois-Chicago

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

AC 2007-2085: DEVELOPING EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE IN ANUNDERGRADUATE LAB ? SERVING EDUCATION ON TWO FRONTS ATVRUPLJohn Bell, University of Illinois-Chicago Page 12.494.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2007 Developing Educational Software in an Undergraduate Lab – Serving Education on Two Fronts at VRUPLABSTRACTEducational software can have a profound and widespread positive impact on the world,particularly if it is made freely available and widely distributed. At the same time, providing alaboratory where undergraduate students can work on large complex software projects beyondthe scope of ordinary homework assignments can provide immeasurable

Conference Session

Computers in the Laboratory

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jennifer Marie Catchpole; Steven F. Barrett, University of Wyoming; Cameron H.G. Wright P.E., University of Wyoming

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

currently serves as Associate Department Head, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Page 25.643.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2012 For Students By Students: Labware and Courseware DevelopmentAbstractWe have successfully implemented a program whereby students develop labware andcourseware for other students. We have called this approach “For Students By Students orFSBS.” In this program students as either for a senior design or graduate level project design,prototype and implement laboratory equipment and courseware for use

Conference Session

Technical Session 4: Modulus Topics 1

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Raquel Landa, Tecnologico de Monterrey (ITESM); Lorena B. Martinez Elizalde, Tecnologico de Monterrey; Cristina Verónica Gonzalez Cordova, ITESM

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

Paper ID #25849Blue Market: A Reproduction of the Industrial Environment in the Class-room (RAIS) experienceDr. Raquel Landa, Tecnologico de Monterrey (ITESM) Part-time teacher at Tec de Monterrey since 1999, with a Ph.D. in Education, a Master in Information Technology Management and a Major in Electronic Systems. Currently involved in Innovation projects related to engineering and programming courses.Dr. Lorena B. Martinez Elizalde, Tecnologico de MonterreyIng. Cristina Ver´onica Gonzalez Cordova, ITESM BS in Computer Science (2001), Master Degree in Computer Science (2003). 15 years of experience in software development

Conference Session

Computers and Simulation

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hyun J. Kwon, Andrews University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

practical exposure to it, unless they take additionalelective courses which are seldom offered in undergrad predominant institutes. Simulation hasbecome an essential step in designing and optimizing process in many engineering problems.Therefore, the COMSOL simulation project was assigned to undergraduate CFD as a part oftheir term project to enhance their exposure to simulation software and help understanding theuse of simulation on the model testing. This paper presents a case study of an undergraduatefluid dynamics project where students were challenged to design a shape, estimate the drag andlift coefficient through the COMSOL simulation. The study was assessed by quizzes to evaluatethe simulation enhanced understanding of the fluid concepts

Conference Session

Computers in Education General Technical Session 2

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shuju Wu, Central Connecticut State University; Shane Michael Carroll; Keith Boyd-Carter; James Krostoski

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

with bus schedules, real-time bus location and delayinformation so they can plan trips accordingly, and to provide useful information to thetransportation center for management purpose. The developed system has been tested anddemonstrated successfully.IntroductionThe presented work is the outcome of an undergraduate capstone project. Students in theComputer Engineering Technology (CET) major at Central Connecticut State University arerequired to finish a capstone project in their senior year study. The capstone project isaccomplished by successful taking two consecutive courses, Capstone Project I and CapstoneProject II. The Capstone Project I course is 1-credit in which students research, propose andfinalize project ideas. The Capstone

Conference Session

Pedagogical Issues in Computing

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chitra Bharathi Ganapathy, University Of Southern California; Erin Shaw, University of Southern California; Jihie Kim, University of Southern California

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

include pedagogical discourse analysis, human-computer interaction, social network assistance, and assessment of student collaborative online activities. She leads synergistic work among machine learning experts, educational psychologists, NLP researchers, and STEM instructors. She is the PI of five NSF projects including the CCLI/PedDiscourse, CCLI/PedWiki and NSDL/SocRecomm projects under the EHR Directorate and CreativeIT/PedGames and IIS/PedWorkflow projects under the CISE Directorate. Under the PedWiki effort, her team is developing instructional assessment tools based on discourse analysis and identifying scaffolding opportunities to promote engagement and collaboration.Jeon Hyung Kang, ISI/University of Southern

Conference Session

COED: IOT and Cybersecurity

Collection

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Border, Bowling Green State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

audio player on a single board computer.The hardware platform chosen was an Odroid-C1. The board features a multicore RISC architectureARM processor. Like other single board computers of its class, it features much RAM, as well aseMMC memory which acts as “disk” memory. The base unit features an abundant array of connectionsto the outside world, including 40 GPIO pins, four USB ports for keyboard, mouse, WiFi USB device,plus separate RJ45 Ethernet jack, plus micro-USB and micro-HDMI ports. Odroid markets a platformcompatible 3.2” TFT touchscreen display for use with the C1. In this project, the programmedtouchscreen provides a user-friendly kiosk-like interface. The HMDI port acts as the streaming audiooutput port.Project software development

Conference Session

COED: EE Topics

Collection

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cheng Chih Liu, University of Wisconsin-Stout

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

register and can be calculated using integer division and the modulusoperator. The Verilog code for doing this is shown here:Student Final ProjectThe final project is the capstone for this class. Table III is a list of all video game projects in2017. Table IV shows whether the lab assignments and student projects have a focus on gamingfrom 2015 to 2017. Each project group was formed by students and had between one to threestudents per group. Students can choose their project with a gaming focus or a project of otherfocus using the Basys-3 board. Table V shows the number of student projects with a gamingfocus and other design focus, as well as the project evaluation outcome.Table III List of video game projects in digital system design course in

Conference Session

Computers in the Laboratory

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Erik A. Mayer, Pittsburg State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

Testbench and Simulation VHDL Testbench and Simulation Altium DesignerTesting FPGAs with Virtual Testing FPGAs with Virtual Altium DesignerInstruments Instruments NanoBoard 3000Using Soft Microprocessor Cores Embedded Programming with C Altium Designeron FPGAs Language NanoBoard 3000Final Project Altium Designer NanoBoard 3000

Conference Session

Programming for Engineering Students II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amy Craig, North Carolina State University; Lisa Bullard, North Carolina State University; Jeff Joines, North Carolina State University; Tom Miller, North Carolina State University; Carolyn Miller, North Carolina State University; Dianne Raubenheimer; George Rouskas, North Carolina State University; Larry Silverberg, North Carolina State University; Eric Wiebe, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

computing in their education. This premise served as the basis for a projectfunded by the National Science Foundation CISE Pathways to Revitalized UndergraduateComputing Education (CPATH) initiative in 2007. The project is being carried out by theauthors comprised of a multidisciplinary team of faculty from six departments in the College ofEngineering and one from the College of Education at NC State University.The project has two overarching goals: (1) create a computational thinking thread in theengineering curriculum that spans from the freshman to senior years and bridges the dividebetween freshman year computing and computing in upper-level classes, and (2) enable studentsto take computing competency to the next level, where they are able to

Conference Session

Computers in Education 7 - Modulus 2

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Rahman Adekunle; John Kofi Eshirow Jr., University of Virginia; Jacob Lam Herring, University of Virginia; Sin Lin, University of Virginia; Rider W. Foley, University of Virginia

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

to solve a social good.Mr. Jacob Lam Herring, University of Virginia Research assistant with the team since Summer 2020Sin Lin, University of Virginia Undergraduate Civil Engineering Student at the University of Virginia.Dr. Rider W. Foley, University of Virginia Dr. Rider W. Foley is an assistant professor in the science, technology & society program in the De- partment of Engineering and Society at the University of Virginia. He is the principal investigator at University of Virginia on the ’4C Project’ on Cultivating Cultures of Ethical STEM education with col- leagues from Notre Dame, Xavier University and St. Mary’s College. He is the co-PI on the SCC Harlem project funded by the NSF that explores

Conference Session

The Best of Computers in Education

Collection

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Reeping, Virginia Tech; John K. Estell, Ohio Northern University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

the Executive Committee for the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, and also serves as a program evaluator for the Engineering Accreditation Commission. He is also a founding member and serves as Vice President of The Pledge of the Computing Professional, an organization dedicated to the promotion of ethics in the computing professions through a standardized rite-of-passage ceremony. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2018 Partnering to Develop Educational Software Applications: A Four-Year Retrospective StudyIntroductionSeveral years ago, a project was added to the first-year programming sequence at Ohio NorthernUniversity that focused on

Conference Session

Technical Session 2: Embedded Systems

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yul Chu, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley; Jin H. Park, Computer Science Department, California State University, Fresno, CA

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

platforms Abstract: In this paper, we propose an efficient three-module pedagogical system for embedded systems learning, which will provide students effective ways of learning embedded systems through basic concepts, current technology for hardware and software design, and team projects. The proposed pedagogical approach is based on systematic learning through evidence-based teaching, knowledge mobilization, and research strategies. In our approach, it is recommended to use two platforms, µVision (simulator) and one microcontroller (hardware), such as Arduino or Raspberry Pi. Raspberry Pi is a small (900 MHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 CPU) single-board computer developed by Raspberry Pi Foundation and Arduino is the most popular

Conference Session

Embedded Computing

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Holden, San Francisco State University; Juan Carlos Miranda, San Francisco State University; Jose Coto, San Francisco State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

engineers need to be able to implement simple control designs using real-time programming techniques or their design skills will be of no use.To address these issues at San Francisco State University, a hands-on project was added to agraduate-level control system design class. The project requires that the students learn controlimplementation skills as well as giving them practical experience with modern microcontrollerhardware. Students in the class have good design skills before the project, able to designcontrollers and simulate them in Matlab1, but they are inexperienced in implementation. Forexample, the students are often confused when asked to distinguish between the simulation of theplant and the control law (particularly when observers are

Conference Session

Programming for Engineering Students

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ramzi Bualuan, University of Notre Dame

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

Engineering Students Using Fun Animation in MATLABAbstract - This paper describes an approach to teach computer programming concepts tofirst-year engineering students. The environment of choice is Matlab, and the teachingmethod consists of requiring the students to create a project in which they will code acomputer game with the use of functions that are provided to them. The gaming aspect ofthe project generates a high level of fun which enhances the learning process. The projectis one of the four modules that Engineering Freshmen work on while taking their twoIntroduction to Engineering Systems courses. It spans half a semester, and, unlike theother three group-based projects, is individually-based.Matlab provides a wide range of animation tools

Conference Session

Computing in the First Year

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lizzie Santiago, West Virginia University; Oyemayowa Luqman Abioye, West Virginia University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

inthe program. For students, mastering computer programming can be challenging, and thelearning experience can be even more difficult if done in an online environment.This paper introduces the audience to the format of an online computer programming coursedeveloped to teach first year engineering students how to solve engineering problems usingMatlab. The course involves the use of online videos, the implementation of group projects, andthe continuous assessment of learning through homework and reading comprehension activities.The course promoted student-instructor interactions through the implementation of a blog andthe participation of students in the online chat room.This paper discusses the format of the course, student participation

Conference Session

Computers in Education General Technical Session 2

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sushil Acharya, Robert Morris University; Priya Manohar, Robert Morris University; Walter W Schilling Jr., Milwaukee School of Engineering; Ali A. Ansari, Virginia State University; Peter Y Wu

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

are to improve software education at the undergraduate level and enhance on-the-job professional training, thereby increasing the pool of professionals with V&V knowledgeand skills. The existing V&V course at Author’s institution is critically examined with a view toenhance and modularize selected topics, and improve delivery strategies by incorporatingacademic research findings and industry best practices. The cogent modules and strategies beingdeveloped in this work will be shared among project participants and disseminated to otherinstitutions through multiple channels. Students and practitioners will be equipped withfundamental theoretical knowledge and invaluable hands-on-experiences that will measurablyincrease their ability to

Conference Session

Computers in Education 4 - Online and Distributed Learning 1

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Afrin Naz, West Virginia University Institute of Technology; Mingyu Lu, West Virginia University Institute of Technology; Ryan E. Utzman

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

c Society for Engineering Education, 2021Online COVERAGE (Competition Of VEX Educational Robotics to Advance Girls Education) (Research-to-Practice, Strand: Other)IntroductionThe major objective of the COVERAGE (Competition Of VEX Educational Robotics toAdvance Girls Education) project is to increase female West Virginia middle school students’interest in Computer Science and STEM. As the original plan of the COVERAGE project, GirlsRobotics Clubs would be organized in three counties of West Virginia, including Kanawha,Fayette, and Lincoln Counties, to prepare female middle school students for a regional roboticscompetition at the end of 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic started soon

Conference Session

Programming for Engineering Students

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Birmingham, Grove City College; David Adams, Grove City College

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

beingincorporated into academic programs creating new classes and opportunities for students to workon very sophisticated and technically relevant applications during their undergraduate education.Programs, like that of North Texas, incorporate game design with a focus on getting studentsinto the gaming industry and have had reasonable success3.In contrast, many programs are aimed at simply increasing student motivation to explore currenthot technologies and programming techniques on a large project and to work in multi-disciplinary teams. For example, the College of New Jersey offers a design course where Page 12.767.2students from a variety of disciplines

Conference Session

Computer Science Applications

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dan Li, Northern Arizona University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

describeshow we integrate the hands-on component into the course work to enhance the learningof the core data mining topics. The hands-on projects give students an opportunity tocarry out experiments that illustrate core concepts in a realistic setting. In addition, theopen-source data mining tool, RapidMiner, is introduced to assist students to explore and Page 22.85.2digest various data mining processes and algorithms.The rest of this paper is organized as follows. Section 2 describes the background of thedata mining course offered in Fall 2010. It lists the core topics covered in this courseoffering as well as the hands-on experiments to support course