Conference Session

Computer Education Innovations I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Marcial Lapp, University of Michigan; Jeffrey Ringenberg, University of Michigan; T. Jeff Fleszar, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

provide real-time C++ code compilation and testing, we seek to ensure adequatecomprehension of the material presented in an introductory engineering/programming course.We have gathered statistically significant evidence that suggests a strong correlation between astudent’s performance on our automated gateway system and their upcoming exam performance.This indicates that the gateway assessment performance is indicative of overall courseperformance. We also present ideas for further adoption of our gateway system throughout theengineering education community.1. IntroductionCommon across many engineering schools, entering students are expected to complete a set ofcore courses, consisting of mathematics, science, physics, and computer programming

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

platforms for self-expression, and they can bemaintained dynamically over time. Some e-portfolio applications permit varying degrees ofaudience access, so the same portfolio might be used for multiple purposes. There are benefits tousing an electronic portfolio over a traditional portfolio; they can hold a great deal of informationwhile taking up little space, they can be accessed with minimal effort, and they can includecollaborative student work. Additionally, e-portfolios can be enhanced by the addition of sound,music, pictures, graphics and even video, and can serve to enhance computer and technologyskills.In particular, we hope to achieve four fundamental objectives with our NDeP project: 1) engagestudents in their learning and allow students

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

in areas where they might obscure code rather than make it clearer.However, some sections of a project should always be commented regardless of theprogrammer’s preference. One such section is at the beginning of every source file. Thecomment block at the beginning of a source file should include the name of the file, the date thefile was created, a list of authors, and a discussion of the file’s functionality. More informationcan be included as needed, but these four items should never be excluded (see Figure 1). Figure 1: Comment Block for the Top of a Source File Additionally, comments should also always be included upon instantiation to explain thepurpose of all global variables, typedefs, and structures/unions

Conference Session

Computer Education Innovations I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Edward Gehringer, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

missing from a traditional lecture.1. IntroductionIt has been about 10 years since universities began to require students to own laptops. Itis safe to say that the anticipated educational benefits have not accrued. Indeed, somerecent studies [1, 2] have reported that students who bring laptops to class actually learnless than those who do not. However, banning laptops is problematical [4] because itforecloses such positive uses of laptops as taking notes and working problems in class.This has led many educators to realize, belatedly, that “lecturing is dead” [5]. To retainstudents’ attention, classes must become more interactive. Laptops can fill this bill.In recent years, software applications such as DyKnow [6], Ubiquitous Presenter [7

Conference Session

Software and Hardware for Educators I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Fadi Obeidat, Virginia Commonwealth University; Ruba Alkhasawneh, Virginia Commonwealth University; Jerry Tucker, Virginia Commonwealth University; Robert Klenke, Virginia Commonwealth University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

range of applications where the applications’computation-intensive parts can be implemented in hardware (on FPGA)1-3. Available gate countper FPGA chip has reached numbers that allow for implementation of very complex applicationswith the ability to implement soft-core processors such as MocroBlaze (from Xilinx)4 and Nios-II (from Altera)5, which in turn form a fertile environment for hardware/software co-design. Ingeneral, embedded systems work with limited resources (e.g., memory and power) in a real-timeenvironment by employing a combination of software (SW) and hardware (HW) resources.During the last couple of decades, industry needs have increased for embedded system engineerswho possess both HW design and SW programming skills6,7. Hence

Conference Session

Computers in Education Poster Session

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

J. Wey Chen, Southern Taiwan University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

, to provideintelligent navigation support, and to make individualized diagnosis of student solutions inlearning computer programming possible.IntroductionProgramming is a vital area in computer science education and a fundamental part of thecomputer science curriculum1 . Research shows that computer programming languages helpstudents develop problem solving ability and analytical skills2,3,4. Ebrahimi5 claims that the studyof programming provides a golden opportunity for: 1) understanding human problem solving, 2)learning the important aspects of programming, and 3) contributing to the refinement ofprogramming languages, training, tools, and design methods. In addition, programmingexperience as a part of IT education allows students to get a

Conference Session

Online and Web-based Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Susan Miertschin, University of Houston; Carole Goodson, University of Houston; Susan Schroeder, University of Houston

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

including general lessons learned, technological drivers of success, and preliminary data regarding student perceptions of an online tutoring experience.Foundational BasisMuch learning today is supported in some way by information and communication technologies(ICT). Recent research reports that ICT supported learning is growing. At the same time, studiesreport that drop-out rates for such non-traditional learning vary from 10% – 75%.10Chang grouped factors that may cause such high drop-out rates, calling the groups (1) barriers(including technology problems), (2) unmet student expectations, and (3) faculty timelimitations. Factors contributing to unmet student expectations include timely response time,comfortable student-instructor

Conference Session

Software and Hardware for Educators I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Warren Rosen, Drexel University; Eric Carr, Drexel University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

, Page 15.139.2control theory, and cost tradeoffs. They also build on skills typically acquired in an introductorycourse including AC/DC circuits, energy and power, and digital electronics. Expected outcomesinclude the ability of the students to explain basic computer organization and architecture,programming models, and instruction sets, and to write simple microcontroller code. Multipleforms of assessment were used to measure success, including student surveys, course exams,laboratory reports, and homework.The Smart House ProjectThe Smart House is shown in Figure 1. The shell measures 30 cm along each side and isconstructed from a Styrofoam (polystyrene) sheet with an R-3 insulation value. These sheets aresold in the U.S. in 4’ x 8’ x 5/8

Conference Session

Computational Tools and Simulation II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alejandra J. Magana, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Edwin Garcia, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

example applications to expose students to advantagesand disadvantages of a) phase field, sharp, and level set microstructural evolution methods and b)numerical techniques such as finite differences, finite elements, and finite volumes.To attain the goals of the course, two computational tools, OOF and FiPy, have beenincorporated into the class. OOF (Reid et al., 2009) 3 is a tool designed to calculate the spatial Page 15.584.2distribution of physical fields and the macroscopic properties from images of real or simulatedmicrostructures (see Figure 1). The code provides an intuitive Graphical User Interface to enablethe user to perform Finite

Conference Session

Robotics in Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carlotta Berry, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

accomplish a given task.The controller for these courses was typically the Basic Stamp or Handy Board controller.Furthermore, some of the authors even surmised that robot design can be used to satisfy ABETcore outcomes a – k as well29 - 31. Table 1 presents a summary of related courses that hadcomponents similar to the mission of the IMR course. It should be noted that many of thesecourses were discipline-specific and may have used the robot to motivate another topic as well. Table 1: Summary of Related Courses School Content Summary HardwareBrown University Embodied Gaming Roomba42Drexel University CS, AI, engineering problems

Conference Session

Computers in Education Poster Session

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hamed Farahani Manesh, Eastern Mediterranean University; Dirk Schaefer, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

structural reasons. The VR-HMS allows trainees to self-experience onthese systems without the need to work in actual industry.IntroductionA side-effect of continuing globalization is that manufacturing is more and more becoming acommodity. In addition, the manufacturing industry has to respond to rapidly changing marketsmore often and much faster than ever before. The ability to respond to change, predicted orunpredicted, is referred to as agility and the associated industrial paradigm called agilemanufacturing. A key goal is to make the manufacturing equipment, associated informationsystems and control architecture of an agile manufacturing enterprise as responsive to thephysical and logical disturbances as possible [1].Several technologies have

Conference Session

Online and Web-based Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amelito Enriquez, Canada College

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

sets and tests were given to the two groups, and their performance compared. Resultsshow that there is no statistically significant difference in the levels of performance of the twogroups of students. Online students also rated their experience in this online class to be betterthan other online courses they have previously taken.1. IntroductionOnline teaching is one of the fastest growing trends in educational technology in the U.S. A2008 study1 released by the US Department of Education indicates that online enrollments aregrowing at substantially faster than overall higher education enrollments (12.9% vs. 1.2%), withover 3.9 million students (or over 20% of all U.S. higher education students) taking at least oneonline course in the fall of

Conference Session

Software and Hardware for Educators I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chad Hager, United States Air Force Academy; Steven Barrett, University of Wyoming; Cameron Wright, University of Wyoming; Jerry Hamann, University of Wyoming

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

architecture text.Overview There are many tools used in the design of microprocessors and microcontrollers toincrease their speed and performance: manufacturing/processing, software development, andcomputer architecture. Previous advances in computer architecture were made possible by thereduction of the transistor size and performance and enhancement in architecture design. Morerecent computer architecture enhancements have focused on multiple cores and parallelprocessing in design. It is essential that computer architecture students understand thefundamental concepts as well as advanced techniques [1]. Computer architectures have evolved over many years and today there are many differenttypes of computer architectures. Some are made

Conference Session

Computer Gaming and Virtual Reality for Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Jaurez, National University; Peilin Fu, National University; Ronald Uhlig, National University, San Diego; Shekar Viswanathan, Ph.D., M.B.A., P.E., received a Bachelor of Technology in chemical

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

thestudents, rather than using games designed by others. In other words, students would becommissioned to understand a specific perspective within the discipline by creating a uniquegame to describe a real life situation within the wireless communications field.The courses targeted for this study were WCM 608 Wireless System Design and WCM 609Radio Systems Modeling, each of which was considered a separate phase of the study, labeledphase 1 and phase 2 respectively. The courses were taught in series and students were largelythe same for both courses, allowing students to grow in the program discipline as well as theconcept of video game design. This continuation of the study allowed for the added benefit ofleveraging existing knowledge of game

Conference Session

Computational Tools and Simulation I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Derek Yip-Hoi, Western Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

such courses include 4,5 and 6. Page 15.1099.4 Figure 1. Automation Interface for Modeling of Wing using NACA Section Formṡ Macros: These are scripted instructions that are executed in interpretive fashion (no code compiling is necessary) by the process that runs in memory when the CAD system is launched. Many CAD systems have moved away from (or supplemented) their proprietary macro programming languages with VBA. One of the main advantages of using VBA is that integration with other applications that utilize the Windows object-based framework is simplified. Macro programming typically provides a means to programmatically

Conference Session

Computational Tools and Simulation I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Arnaldo Mazzei, Kettering University; Richard Scott, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

Technology. He is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He has obtained a teaching award from the College of Engineering and was selected as professor of the semester four times by the local chapter of Pi-Tau-Sigma. Page 15.970.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Prediction comparisons between non-linear and linear models for dynamics enhanced educationIntroductionIn previous works 1, 2, 3, 4 examples were given illustrating benefits of introducing modernsoftware, such as MAPLE®, into undergraduate and beginning graduate mechanics courses.There are

Conference Session

Computers in Education Poster Session

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sarvesh Kulkarni, Villanova University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

;(∃ ∀ ) ∗ #∀)∗∃ !∀ + + ) + ∗ , − . #∗,−∃ /0 ) 1 23 /0 ∀ 1 24 ) 5 6 ! . 0 7 5 . . . ∗,− 8 9 0 #−∀ 6

Conference Session

Software and Hardware for Educators II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daniel McCarthy, University of Wyoming; Cameron Wright, University of Wyoming; Steven Barrett, University of Wyoming; Jerry Hamann, University of Wyoming

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

have tested with several different courses. This paper describes the result of applying this paradigm to a four semester hour introductory digital systems design course typically taken by sophomore electrical engineering and com- puter engineering majors. The lab exercises involve considerable use of programmable logic and the Verilog hardware description language (HDL). Interestingly, the student-created lab exercises tended to be more challenging than the previous set of faculty-created lab exercises.1 IntroductionThe concepts presented in a digital systems design lecture may be difficult for some undergraduatestudents to fully grasp. In order to aid in students’ understanding, laboratory exercises are oftenused in

Conference Session

Tablet and Portable PCs for Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ramiro Bravo, University of Texas of the Permian Basin; Brett Batson, Trine University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

: 1) hear and record information incorrectly, 2) attach the wrong meaning to correctstatements and, 3) make unjustified extrapolation leaps or inappropriate generalizations.Another common problem in a traditional lecture is that few students participate in classes. Many Page 15.196.2students are afraid to raise their hands for fear of criticism or lack of confidence. Wheninstructors ask questions in order to engage students in the subject under consideration, it is notuncommon for only a few students to participate regularly. These students are usually thestudents who know how to study and obtain a high grade at the end of a class, regardless

Conference Session

Computational Tools and Simulation III

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hassan Rajaei, Bowling Green State University; Arsen Gasparyan, Bowling Green State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

paper we propose a paradigm for virtual training environment (VTE) that uses web-cameras as the main interface to the platform. The interactive setting enables the students tomove the simulated objects with their hands through the web-cam in cyberspace. In addition, theplatform allows the users to collaborate with other students in the virtual world to perform theirtraining tasks in virtual laboratories. We present a proof of the concept, examine the limitationsand discuss the opportunities this paradigm can offer.1. IntroductionAdvances in web-based technologies have provided a spectrum of options for educationalpurposes. Virtual classrooms and laboratories are speculated to become an integral part of ourfuture educational settings. Various

Conference Session

Computer Education Innovations II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Suxia Cui, Prairie View A&M University; Yonghui Wang, Prairie View A&M University; Siew Koay, Prairie View A&M University; Yonggao Yang, Prairie View A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

change much. This enlarges the gap betweenadvanced computing technology and the college computer education, which creates followingproblems: Problem 1 There exists a feeling among youngsters that computing jobs are of less fun; computer experts have no social skills 1,2. This stereotype also drives college students away from computing discipline. Although the truth is computer is a modern tool for human communication and socialization—a growing number of people use social networking site (such as Facebook and Myspace) to keep in contact with friends and family 3—there is a missing educational track to let non-computing major students notice that computer has been accepted in the circle of communication and

Conference Session

Computer Gaming and Virtual Reality for Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Birmingham, Grove City College

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

either costly or required special licensing. The Microsoft Zune, however, avoids thoseproblems. The Zune is relatively inexpensive and is supported by an excellent SDK and IDE, both ofwhich are free. In this paper, we describe our experience teaching mobile gaming with the Zune. Weexplain how the Zune platform is used, we outline the projects we use, the topics covered in lecture, andwe give examples of game developed by students. In addition, we provide student assessment of thecourse. We describe how the course supports our ABET course and program outcomes.1. IntroductionMobile gaming is one of the most important and growing segments of the computer games industry1. Itdrives hardware and software innovation in the smartphone market segment

Conference Session

Software and Hardware for Educators II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jeffrey Richardson, Purdue University; James Jacob, Purdue University; Brant Price, Purdue University; Jeremiah Dole, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

of the applications of analog integrated circuits through topics like linear amplifiers, ICspecifications, linear regulators, waveform generation, linear and switched capacitor activefilters, and nonlinear circuit applications. As part of this course, it is desired to utilize amultitude of devices which require a synchronous serial interface typically generated by amicrocontroller. However, as noted earlier, this is an advanced analog course and the studentsenrolled in the course historically have struggled to implement the necessary software toimplement the synchronous serial interfaces required to apply these devices in their circuits. Theinstructors of this course therefore desired a solution to overcome this short coming [1].Education

Conference Session

Software and Hardware for Educators II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Anne Clark, USAF Academy, CO; Brian Peterson, United States Air Force Academy

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

version, the “VISIble COMPuter” or VISICOMPin 19963. Today, we have transitioned these hardware training aids to a hardware descriptionlanguage (HDL) implementation called the Programmable Reconfigurable Informational SimpleMicrocomputer or PRISM. PRISM is implemented on a Field-Programmable Gate Array(FPGA) while still retaining the original strengths of the EDUCOMP/VISICOMP computerarchitecture.PRISM is partitioned into the main subsystems of a computer (ALU, controller, memory, andinput/output (I/O)). The controller is implemented as a simplistic, mealy state machine whichallows students to see each step of the instruction cycle as an assembly language program isexecuted. PRISM’s operation is visual to the student since: (1) each subsystem is

Conference Session

Programming for Engineering Students

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Punch, Michigan State University; Richard Enbody, Michigan State University; Colleen McDonough, Michigan State University; Jon Sticklen, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

on data to better establish those indications. However, the kinds ofproblems the students can address have changed. Students have been able to download real datafrom the Web and analyze it (fitting the ideas of [Jukic and Gray5]). Examples include buildinga simple classifier for breast-cancer data, finding cycles in sunspot data, and simulating DNAtranscription. The idea is to grab some real data, parse it into useful form, and analyze it—idealproblem solving skills for scientists. Text analysis such as building a concordance or tag-cloudis quite simple in Python, and provides a tool that humanities students can use in their courses.Overall GoalsOverall, the goals we had for the conversion were: 1. Learning to program for the first time

Conference Session

Computers in Education Poster Session

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Easley, Louisiana Tech University; David Hall, Louisiana Tech University; Nicholas Beard, Louisiana Tech University; Glenn Fardsalehi, Louisiana Tech University; Nathan Wallace, Louisiana Tech University; Michael Swanbom, Louisiana Tech University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

curriculum was expanded to 40 students during the 2003-2004 academic year.The program was adopted as the honors engineering curriculum from 2004 to 2007. The newfreshman curriculum became known as Living with the Lab (LWTL)2, and funding from theNational Science Foundation provided the opportunity to extend the program to more than 400students in fall of 2008.Louisiana Tech operates on a quarter system, thereby allowing three general engineering coursesto be offered per year. The three courses (ENGR 120, 121, and 122) are hybrid Page 15.95.2lecture/laboratory classes that meet for 110 minutes, two times per week. Table 1 shows thesecourses along

Conference Session

Robotics in Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chiraag Nataraj, Conestoga High School; Sanjeev Reddy, Radnor High School; Mark Woods, Villanova University; Biswanath Samanta, Villanova University; C. Nataraj, Villanova University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

robotic platform for the project. Fourkits were procured; at any time three were used, and the fourth was kept as a stand-by. The maincomponent of a NXT kit is the NXT intelligent brick. There are two microcontrollers embeddedinside the brick. One brick can take inputs from four sensors and can control up to three motorsat once. The NXT kit comes with four sensors, namely, light, sound, touch and ultrasonicsensors. In this project only two of these sensors, touch and ultrasonic sensors were used. Two ofthe motors were used for driving the robot. The third motor was used to rotate the ultrasonicsensor through a geared mechanism. Figure 1 shows the photograph of two assembled NXTmobile robots. For communication with a PC laptop, the wireless

Conference Session

Computational Tools and Simulation III

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Anca Stefan, Lawrence Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

Conference Session

Computational Tools and Simulation III

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephen Crown, University of Texas, Pan American; Arturo Fuentes, University of Texas, Pan American; Robert Jones, University of Texas, Pan American; Rajiv Nambiar, University of Texas, Pan American; Deborah Crown, San Jose State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

created a significant database of responses for questions about algebra. However, thestudents struggled with some of the complex structure of AIML beyond one for one matching ofresponses to algebra questions. Furthermore, the students had difficulty with the online teachinginterface for the chat-bot.Based on the positive response of students to the chat-bot and the difficulties encountered inusing the available training utilities, a new platform for the chat-bot was developed by Dr.Crown (www.crown.panam.edu/chat) as shown in Figure 1. The new Anne G. Neering chat-botwas developed to interpret a majority of questions and responses given in existing AIML files.This would enable the engineering chat-bot to build onto one of several chat-bot

Conference Session

Computational Tools and Simulation II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nicholas Roberts, Vanderbilt University; Greg Walker, Vanderbilt University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

better their understanding of the concepts instead of justlearning enough to get the correct solution.IntroductionThe use of technology in the classroom has reduced the work load for instructors and offers thepotential for improved learning, but many time the use of technology alone fails to grasp the at-tention or interest of the students enrolled. Interactive demonstrations, whether computer-based orhands-on, have been shown to enhance comprehension especially when dealing with higher levelconcepts often encountered in science and engineering courses [1–5]. Though hands-on activitiesare likely more effective for student learning, in class demonstrations of simulation tools related to