Conference Session

Computer Education Innovations

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Charles Lesko, East Carolina University; John Pickard, East Carolina University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

Technology Bldg, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858; email: pickardj@ecu.edu; phone: 252-328-9646. Page 14.415.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Design Considerations for Virtual Classroom and Laboratory EnvironmentsAbstractWith the ever-increasing demand for distance education one of the key challenges facing facultyis not only delivering effective instruction through both lecture-style and laboratory means, butalso giving students an environment with a sense of presence. The key challenge here is toimprove on the distance student’s capabilities for

Conference Session

Computational Tools and Simulation III

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lok PASUPULETI, Northern Illinois University; Omar Ghrayeb, Northern Illinois University; Hubert Ley, Argonne National Laboratory; Clifford Mirman, Northern Illinois University; Young Park, Argonne National Laboratory

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

AC 2009-1241: DISASTER PLANNING FOR A LARGE METROPOLITAN CITYUSING TRANSIMS SOFTWARELok PASUPULETI, Northern Illinois UniversityOmar Ghrayeb, Northern Illinois UniversityClifford Mirman, Northern Illinois UniversityHubert Ley, Argonne National LaboratoryYoung Park, Argonne National Laboratory Page 14.494.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009Disaster Planning for a Large Metropolitan City Using TRANSIMS SoftwareAbstractOver the past decade the United States has endured many disasters, both man made and due tothe forces of nature. In each case, leadership in the public and private sectors learn that moreneeds to be done to ensure continuity of life and economy

Conference Session

Computational Tools and Simulation I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nabil Lehlou, University of Arkansas; Nebil Buyurgan, University of Arkansas; Justin Chimka, University of Arkansas

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

AC 2009-1519: AN ON-LINE RFID LABORATORY LEARNING ENVIRONMENTAND THE ASSESSMENT OF ITS USERS’ EDUCATIONNabil Lehlou, University of ArkansasNebil Buyurgan, University of ArkansasJustin Chimka, University of Arkansas Page 14.209.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 An Online RFID Laboratory Learning Environment and the Assessment of its User’s EducationAbstractDue to the increasing demand for RFID expertise and the existence of a knowledge gap betweenindustry and academia in this domain, work has been stimulated to help spread understanding inthis field and bridge the gap between theoretical examinations and industrial practices

Conference Session

Computational Tools and Simulation III

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Priya Goeser, Armstrong Atlantic State University; Wayne Johnson, Armstrong Atlantic State University; Felix Hamza-Lup, Armstrong Atlantic State University; Ivan Sopin, Armstrong Atlantic State University; Carlos Sanchez, Armstrong Atlantic State University; Patrick Hager, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

engineering with emphasis on robotics.Patrick Hager, Georgia Institute of Technology Patrick S. Hager is currently an undergraduate student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and is working on obtaining his B.S. in civil engineering. His current area of interest is in bridge design, and restoration. As a structural engineer he hopes to be an integral part of the nation’s transportation infrastructure rehabilitation. Page 14.26.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 A Different VIEW: Virtual Interactive Engineering on the WebAbstractVirtual laboratories and modules are used in most universities to reinforce concepts from lecturematerial

Conference Session

Computational Tools and Simulation III

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

El-Sayed Aziz, Stevens Institute of Technology; Sven Esche, Stevens Institute of Technology; Constantin Chassapis, Stevens Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

collaborative activities. Some of the ongoing projects have additional researchobjectives, such as the analysis of patterns of human behavior and the study of the collaborationbetween users and their interaction with virtual environments. A few other developments areaimed at utilizing computer game technologies as a platform for personnel training andeducational laboratory simulations. This paper provides a review of the current state of computergame applications, with a special focus on education and training implementations.IntroductionToday's students have been described as preferring learning experiences that are digital,connected, experiential, immediate, and social1. They appear to prefer learning by doing ratherthan learning by listening and

Conference Session

Embedded Computing

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Holden, California Maritime Academy

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

throughout the mechanical engineering curriculum at the California MaritimeAcademy, a specialized campus of the California State University.The goal of the project is to design microcontroller courseware, hardware, and software that willbe used in three classes in the ME curriculum, so that the students gain familiarity with commonmicrocontroller systems and applications without taking a special elective. The hardware designmust be useful for classes and laboratories including programming, electronic circuits,measurement systems, control systems and mechatronics. Finding a common platform to use inmany classes allows the instruction time devoted to microcontrollers to be distributed so that thenew topic can be added without cutting significantly

Conference Session

Embedded Computing

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Steven Barrett, University of Wyoming; Jeffrey Anderson, University of Wyoming; Jerry Hamann, University of Wyoming; Robert Kubichek, University of Wyoming; Suresh Muknahallipatna, University of Wyoming; John Pierre, University of Wyoming; David Whitman, University of Wyoming; Cameron Wright, University of Wyoming

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

in microcontrollers, digital signal processors, programmable logiccontrollers, and embedded systems design. We provide education on embedded systemsconcepts starting with middle school enhancement programs through graduate level coursework.A common thread through these programs is heavy emphasis on design. The curriculum allowsa student to become an expert in embedded systems or allows them to selectively choose certainportions to enhance and augment their chosen area of expertise. Much of the design exercisesand laboratories have been developed by student engineers. As a case study, we will discussrecent efforts to expand our course and laboratory coverage of programmable logic controllers(PLCs). We made these modifications in response to

Conference Session

Programming for Engineering Students I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ed Crowley, University of Houston

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

AC 2009-2275: RUNNING LINUX IN A WINDOWS COMPUTER LABEd Crowley, University of Houston Page 14.1039.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Running Linux in a Windows Computer LabAbstractIn many courses, the effective use of Linux, or other open source software, can expandand enhance active learning opportunities for students. Since many institutions havestandardized on Windows Computer Laboratories, implementing Linux based learningexperiences may initially seem problematic. However, with a Live Linux CD, you canquickly and easily run Linux, and related open source tools, in an existing WindowsComputer Lab.In this paper, we will explain how Linux Live CDs

Conference Session

Computational Tools and Simulation III

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Krishna Madhavan, Purdue University; Jacob Schroeder, Clemson University; Hanjun Xian, Clemson University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

virtual laboratories. Newcyberlearning environments have the potential to extend learning from traditional classrooms andphysical laboratories to include informal environments such as social networks and virtualspaces. Despite these significant advances, a larger theoretical framework of learning thatincludes cyberinfrastructure at its very core has not yet evolved.The purpose of this research is to provide a synthesis of the fundamental characteristics ofcyberlearning environments that are being created to facilitate student learning withinengineering disciplines. Furthermore, we examine in-depth how educators are definingcyberlearning within the context of learning theories in general, and engineering education inparticular.Our methodology

Conference Session

Programming for Engineering Students II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jayaraman Jayaraman Thiagarajan, Arizona State University; Kostas Tsakalis, Arizona State University; Andreas Spanias, Arizona State University; Harvey Thornburg, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

AC 2009-1334: ON THE USE OF LABVIEW IN SIGNALS AND SYSTEMSJayaraman Jayaraman Thiagarajan, Arizona State UniversityKostas Tsakalis, Arizona State UniversityAndreas Spanias, Arizona State UniversityHarvey Thornburg, Arizona State University Page 14.932.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 ON THE USE OF LABVIEW IN SIGNALS AND SYSTEMS1. Introduction Computer based data acquisition and instrumentation control packages are embedded inseveral industrial and education applications. The National Instruments Laboratory VirtualInstrument Engineering Workbench (LabVIEW) package is tailored for data acquisition, dataprocessing and instrumentation control. LabVIEW

Conference Session

Software and Hardware for Educators III

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mark Bannatyne, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis; Dan Baldwin, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis; Kevin Marshall, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

instruction via semester endingstudent evaluations that were highly critical of the lack of laboratory technology. Attendance andstudent utilization of these labs dropped considerably once it was discovered that the equipmentcould no longer keep pace with current software needs. For this particular graphics program, thestate of technology in the computer labs was crucial for the success of the core curriculum. The Page 14.62.2computer graphics curriculum has many rigors, perhaps none more important than sustaining alearning environment with contemporary technology.In all disciplines, it is crucial that students possess access to the latest technology

Conference Session

Computational Tools and Simulation II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Anatoliy Protasov, National Technical University of Ukraine “KPI”

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

Simulation of the Thermal Method for Nondestructive TestingIntroductionThe thermal nondestructive testing (TNDT) method is widely used for inspection of industrialparts and components. The method involves heating the object and subsequently measuringthe temperature of its surface. This change in temperature provides information about the testobject’s structure. The surface temperature changes if the discontinuity exists inside theobject.The laboratory training allows students to understand the fundamental processes, which takeplace during the TNDT procedure. Students are able to simulate this procedure use FEMLABsoftware package. This interactive software package is based on application of partialdifferential equations for

Conference Session

Software and Hardware for Educators III

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Vernier, Ohio State University; Craig Morin, Ohio State University; Patrick Wensing, Ohio State University; Ryan Hartlage, Ohio State University; Barbara Carruthers, Ohio State University; Richard Freuler, Ohio State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

AC 2009-1941: USE OF A LOW-COST CAMERA-BASED POSITIONING SYSTEMIN A FIRST-YEAR ENGINEERING CORNERSTONE DESIGN PROJECTMichael Vernier, Ohio State University Michael A. Vernier is a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the OSU Fundamentals of Engineering for Honors (FEH) Program where he teaches the laboratory portion of the three-quarter FEH engineering course sequence and develops course materials. Mr. Vernier earned his BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering (2007) from The Ohio State University and is currently a Master’s Candidate in Electrical and Computer Engineering at The Ohio State University, researching control system design for autonomous vehicles.Craig Morin, Ohio State University

Conference Session

Embedded Computing

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christopher Korpela, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Robert McTasney, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

correlation between this design and the topicscovered in an undergraduate advanced computer architecture course. Due to our success, wehave integrated this multiprocessor implementation into our senior-level advanced computerarchitecture class to give students the ability to study these systems in actual hardware. Further,this type of laboratory exercise can easily be ported to other schools with similar electricalengineering programs.2. Related WorkMany universities have programmable logic devices and FPGAs integrated into their curriculum.We have also leveraged the educational resources of Altera’s University Program and receivedengineering support from the Toronto Technology Center. Our primary reference is the Alteratutorial titled Creating

Conference Session

Computational Tools and Simulation II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Radian Belu, Drexel University; Alexandru Belu, Case Western Reserve University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

which are too complexto calculate or too expensive to be reproduced in a laboratory, or are simply notaccessible to the senses. The successful use of computer algebra systems does not implythat mathematical skills are no longer at a premium: such skills are important as ever.However, computer algebra systems may remove the need for those poorly understoodmathematical techniques which are practiced and taught simply because they serve asuseful tools. The usefulness of this approach will be evaluated by direct observation andformative assessment, and feedback from other educators will be highly appreciated.1. IntroductionEngineering electromagnetics is considered one of the most difficult courses and mostabstract and conceptually difficult areas

Conference Session

Computational Tools and Simulation II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Trent McDonald, West Inc.; David Mukai, University of Wyoming

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

spreadsheet use. To aidapplication, the authors have implemented bootstrap and permutation routines inExcel, Mathcad, MATLAB, and R.Example 1: Confidence Interval for the Mean and StandardDeviationThis example comes from a Junior-level Civil and Architectural Engineeringexperimental laboratory course. The students collected 10 hardness readings3 andwere asked to compute the mean, mode, median, standard deviation, 95%confidence interval for the mean, and a 95% confidence interval for the standarddeviation of the data. A typical set of readings is shown in Table 1.Table 1. Rockwell hardness readings (HRB).91 93 93 93 93 93 94 94 93 94The students constructed the 95% confidence interval of the mean and

Conference Session

Software and Hardware for Educators I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Miguel Latorre, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Manuel Blazquez, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Elio Sancristobal, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Sergio Martin, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Francisco Garcia-Sevilla, Castilla-La Mancha University; Catalina Martinez-Mediano, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Gabriel Diaz, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Manuel Castro, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

such as originalbook references or hand-written listings. Figure 1. Learning Metadata: characteristics of a resourceDescriptions can become very large if a certain range of attributes is not selected. For thispurpose, LOM contains nine main categories. We will give more importance to its educationalfeatures, but remaining aspects must be fulfilled too. DIEEC (Electrical, Electronic and ControlEngineering Department) has compiled a large number of exercises from various subjects:analog systems, circuit theory, etc. They are a really helpful complement to laboratory sessions,as students can understand physical models of components without any risk. These digitalmaterials were disseminated through text books or instructional CD

Conference Session

Robots in Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ryan Meuth, Missouri University of Science and Technology; Paul Robinette, Missouri University of Science and Technology; Donald Wunsch, Missouri University of Science and Technology

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

AC 2009-162: INTRODUCING ROBOTSRyan Meuth, Missouri University of Science and Technology Ryan Meuth received his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Computer Engineering from the University of Missouri –Rolla in 2005 and 2007 respectively. He is currently a Computer Engineering PhD student at Missouri University of Science and Technology (formerly the University of Missouri – Rolla). He works as a research assistant in the Applied Computational Intelligence Laboratory, contributing to research projects on optimizing the behavior of robot swarms, large scale optimization problems such as computer Go, and high performance computing methods utilizing video game consoles and graphics processing units. His

Conference Session

Programming for Engineering Students I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christiaan Gribble, Grove City College

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

determine the scaling propertiesof their implementation using the multicore machines in our computer laboratory. Specifically,students measure the wall time required to approximate the value of using 100 million randomsamples distributed across one, two, four, eight, or 16 threads. A written analysis of theobserved scaling behavior is submitted along with the source code for each of their multithreadedprograms.The pthreads project is introduced first primarily because the execution environment, thoughrequiring the students to begin thinking “in parallel”, is nevertheless more familiar than that ofthe GPU devices. Once students have gained a certain level of comfort with the core issuesarising from a multithreaded implementation of the Monte Carlo

Conference Session

Programming for Engineering Students II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Birmingham, Grove City College; Vincent DiStasi, Grove City College; Gary Welton, Grove City College

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

coursemanagement systems (CMS). Since Tablet PCs are integrated into the college curriculum as well Page 14.841.3as students’ lives (i.e., they are comfortable with the affordances offered by the Tablet PC) andthe use of CMS is spread thorough the college, GCC is an excellent laboratory to assess thistechnology.All the classrooms are equipped with network ports, wireless networking, and electrical outlets ateach seat. The backbone is all fiber connected running at gigabit speeds with multiple trunks toeach of the academic buildings. The campus network has ample bandwidth with capacity to growin the future. In addition, all students and faculty have

Conference Session

Tablet and Portable PCs for Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sabina Jeschke, University of Stuttgart; Lars Knipping, Technische Universitaet Berlin; Nicole Natho, Technische Universitaet Berlin; Erhard Zorn, Technische Universitaet Berlin; Olivier Pfeiffer, Technische Universitaet Berlin

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

hands-on-experiences withcollaborative tools like MS OneNote 2007. Finally, data acquisition using databases, computeralgebra systems and virtual laboratories was practiced and visualization and criticalinterpretation of statistical data were discussed.Blended Learning in Higher EducationBlended learning is a model of education, combining traditional didactical methodologies withnew media technologies for the presentation and distribution of knowledge. Therefore, thismethod unites the flexibility and efficiency of the new media with social components such asface-to-face communication, which is an important factor in modern higher education11, 12, 13, 14.Done right, blended learning ensures the quality of the academic curriculum15, 16, 17, 18

Conference Session

Software and Hardware for Educators I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Fuller, Auburn University; Chetan Sankar, Auburn University; P.K. Raju, Auburn University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

AC 2009-1744: DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE DATASYNCHRONIZATION CASE STUDYMichael Fuller, Auburn UniversityChetan Sankar, Auburn UniversityP.K. Raju, Auburn University Page 14.409.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009Design and Development of the Data Synchronization Case StudyAbstractThe Laboratory for Innovative Technology and Engineering Education (LITEE)at Auburn University has been developing case studies that engage students incross-disciplinary learning and require engineering and business and students ofother disciplines to work together in order to solve a common problem. The DataSynchronization case study is one of the latest case studies from LITEE, whichfocuses

Conference Session

Embedded Computing

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Swanbom, Louisiana Tech University; Davis Harbour, Louisiana Tech University; Hisham Hegab, Louisiana Tech University; Danny Eddy, Louisiana Tech University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

in the project that it benefits the students greatly to literally build their own engineeringproblems, and through solving them to end up with a working system. The data collected doessuggest that the students are confident in what they have learned how to do by the time theyfinish the course. The range of topics that can be motivated by this project is truly impressive; itwould be difficult to imagine a better experiential learning centerpiece that was as easilyimplemented to an entire incoming class of freshmen.Acknowledgement, Disclaimer and Contact Information Partial support for this work was provided by the National Science Foundation’s Course,Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) program under Award No. 0618288

Conference Session

Programming for Engineering Students I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Arlen Planting, Boise State University; Sin Ming Loo, Boise State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

to other platforms.ConclusionA combination of assembly and C language was used to teach the basics of microprocessorprogramming in the updated Microprocessors course at BSU, using a modern developmentenvironment (a soft processor instantiated on an FPGA with classic RISC architecture).Overlapping the teaching of both languages had a synergistic effect on educating the studentsabout microprocessors. In addition to learning how microprocessors work and control a broadrange of devices, the students learned problem-solving skills and practiced these skills withrealistic laboratory assignments and projects. Materials developed to teach the updatedMicroprocessors course are continuing to be expanded and refined.References[1] B.E. Dunne, A.J

Conference Session

Programming for Engineering Students II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John K. Estell, Ohio Northern University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

address.In the second step of the group creation process, Facebook allows for customization by theuploading of an image containing a relevant logo or photo; for our alumni group it was decidedto use a photo of a student working in one of our laboratories that captured the lab-intensivenature of our program. Several options are presented as part of this step regarding the features tobe enabled. Given that one wants to encourage alumni to use the group, it was decided to allowall items (showing related groups and events; and enabling the discussion board, Wall, photos,videos, and postings features) to be fully accessible to all group members. As part of this stepone must also specify whether the group is “open”, “closed”, or “secret”; while “secret

Conference Session

Software and Hardware for Educators I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rosario Gil, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Elio Sancristobal, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Sergio Martin, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Antonio Colmenar, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Gabriel Diaz, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Martin Llamas, Universidad de Vigo; Edmundo Tovar, Polytechnic University, Montegancedo; Alfonso Duran, Carlos III University of Madrid; juan peire, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Manuel Castro, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

/. Accessed on January, 15th, 2009.13. J. Lang, G.C. Nungent, A. Samal and L.-K. Soh, “Implementing CS1 with Embedded Instructional ResearchDesign in Laboratories”. IEEE Transactions on Education, Vol. 49, No. 1, pp. 157 – 165, February 2006.14. M. Domínguez, P. Reguera and J.J. Fuertes, “Laboratorio Remoto para la Enseñanza de la Automática en laUniversidad de León (España)”. RIAI (Revista Iberoamericna de Automática e Informática Industrial), Vol. 2, No.2, pp. 36 – 45, April 2005.15. D. Deniman and T. Sumner, “Merging Metadata and Content-Based Retrieval”, Journal of Digital Information,Vol. 4 No. 3, Article No. 231, November 2003.16. L. Kecheng et al, “Interoperability for digital learning resource management”, in Proc. ICALT 2005, Fifth

Conference Session

Computer Education Innovations

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Claudia E. Vergara, Michigan State University; Mark Urban-Lurain, Michigan State University; Cindee Dresen, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce; Tammy Coxen, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce; Taryn MacFarlane, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce; Kysha Frazier, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce; Daina Briedis, Michigan State University; Neeraj Buch, Michigan State University; Louise Paquette, Lansing Community College; Jon Sticklen, Michigan State University; Jeannine LaPrad, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce; Thomas Wolff, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

University Jon Sticklen is the Director of the Applied Engineering Sciences major, College of Engineering, Michigan State University. Dr. Sticklen also serves as the College Coordinator for engineering education research, and is an Associate Professor in the Computer Science and Engineering Department, MSU. Dr. Sticklen has lead a laboratory in knowledge-based systems focused on task specific approaches to problem solving. More recently, Dr. Sticklen has pursued engineering education research focused on early engineering; his current research is supported by NSF/DUE and NSF/ CISE.Jeannine LaPrad, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce Jeannine La Prad is President and CEO of CSW