Conference Session

Robots in Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Ahlgren, Trinity College; Igor Verner, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

AC 2009-1982: MASTERY PROJECTS IN THE UNDERGRADUATE ROBOTSTUDY TEAM: A CASE STUDYDavid Ahlgren, Trinity College David J. Ahlgren is Karl W. Hallden Professor of Engineering at Trinity College. He holds the B.S. from Trinity College, M.S. from Tulane University, and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His professional interests include semiconductor electronics, simulation and modeling, and educational robotics.Igor Verner, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology Igor M. Verner is Associate Professor at the Department of Education in Technology and Science, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. He received the M.S. degree in Mathematics from the

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

AC 2009-1335: A MICROPROCESSOR-BASED CONTROL SYSTEM PROJECTFOR AN INTEGRATED FRESHMAN CURRICULUMMichael Swanbom, Louisiana Tech UniversityDavis Harbour, Louisiana Tech UniversityHisham Hegab, Louisiana Tech UniversityDanny Eddy, Louisiana Tech University Page 14.56.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Microprocessor-Based Control System Project for Integrated Freshman CurriculumAbstractA project has been developed and implemented in which the temperature and salinity arecontrolled in a small volume of water which is circulated using a small pump. A conductivitysensor measures salinity, and a Resistance Temperature Device (RTD

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

AC 2009-1809: LEVERAGING WORKFORCE NEEDS TO INFORMCURRICULAR CHANGE IN COMPUTING EDUCATION FOR ENGINEERING:THE CPACE PROJECTClaudia E. Vergara, Michigan State University Claudia Elena Vergara. PhD Purdue University. Fields of expertise: Plant Biology and STEM Education Research Dr. Vergara is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Research in College Science Teaching and Learning (CRCSTL) at Michigan State University. Her research interest is in STEM education through research projects on instructional design, implementation and assessment of student learning, aimed to improve science and technology education.Mark Urban-Lurain, Michigan State University Mark Urban-Lurain is the Director of

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

Education, 2009 Use of a Low-Cost Camera-Based Positioning System In a First-Year Engineering Cornerstone Design ProjectAbstractAlthough the concept of autonomous robot design projects has existed in engineering educationfor years as a tool for giving engineering students hands-on experience, in practice, the autonomyof these projects has been limited due to cost. Student programmers participating in theseprojects often have limited ways to interact with their environment autonomously, relying onlow-cost sensors such as touch sensors instead of interacting with a high-cost camera-basedpositioning system. This not only limits the autonomy of the robot, but robs the student ofvaluable design and programming experience

Conference Session

Software and Hardware for Educators III

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Silas Bernardoni, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Mauricio Rodríguez Alcalá, Skidmore College; Maria Rodriguez Alcala, Paraguay Educa

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

AC 2009-2181: UTILIZING THE XO COMPUTER FOR UNDERGRADUATERESEARCH AND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIESSilas Bernardoni, University of Wisconsin, MadisonMauricio Rodríguez Alcalá, Skidmore CollegeMaria Rodriguez Alcala, Paraguay Educa Page 14.1342.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Utilizing the XO Computer for Service Learning Opportunities: Collaborating with US Institutions and Paraguay Educa to Support XO Implementation in Wisconsin and ParaguayAbstract The One Laptop Per Child Project, created by the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC)Foundation, the program’s mission is to serve the worlds’ children by providing educationalopportunities

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

Robots in Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kenneth Fernandez, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center; Richard Fischer, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center; Paul Drews, Missouri University of Science and Technology; Amir Mobasher, Alabama A&M University; Maegan Grady, Saint Mary's College, University of Notre Dame; Robert Rucker, Vanderbilt University; Jessica Tham, Louisiana Tech University; Thomas Bierbower, Randolph High School

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

theaccomplishments of one of three robotics teams that participated in the summer roboticsworkshop in 2008. The program which is administered by NASA's Office of Education placesstudent teams at several NASA Centers engaged in robotics work. Robotics Team 1 at theMarshall Space Flight Center located in Huntsville, Alabama was assigned to the Self-AwareSurface Networks (SASN) project. The SASN project is studies the use of networks to gatherdata from scientific instruments and to control robotic vehicles in scenarios similar to thoseanticipated when NASA returns to the moon or beyond. SASN project has a fleet of eight (8)small MARCbot robots acquired from the U.S. Army which have been modified with a prototypecommunications network. The project also has a

Conference Session

Software and Hardware for Educators II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Eric Wiebe, North Carolina State University; Chia-Lin Ho, North Carolina State University; Lisa Bullard, North Carolina State University; Dianne Raubenheimer, North Carolina State University; Jeff Joines, North Carolina State University; Carolyn Miller, North Carolina State University; George Rouskas, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

Carolina State UniversityJeff Joines, North Carolina State UniversityCarolyn Miller, North Carolina State UniversityGeorge Rouskas, North Carolina State University Page 14.356.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Computing Across Curricula: The View of Industry LeadersAbstractWith the aim of preparing students for pervasive, advanced computing in the workplace, aproject funded by the National Science Foundation CISE Pathways to RevitalizedUndergraduate Computing Education (CPATH) was initiated in 2007. Themultidisciplinary project has two overarching goals: (1) create a computational thinkingthread in the engineering

Conference Session

Embedded Computing

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Holden, California Maritime Academy

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

AC 2009-1016: THE UBIQUITOUS MICROCONTROLLER IN MECHANICALENGINEERINGMichael Holden, California Maritime Academy Michael Holden is an assistant professor at the California Maritime Academy, a specialized campus of the California State University. He teaches instrumentation and controls. Professor Holden also works as an engineer in the autonomous vehicle field. Page 14.1258.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 The Ubiquitous Microcontroller in Mechanical EngineeringIntroductionThis paper will describe a project aimed at integrating the teaching of microcontroller skills inseveral classes

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

LITEE lab has been producing case studies for many years, such as Lorn Textiles, DellaSteam Plant, STS-51L and others (www.litee.org), but they have always focused on events thatoccurred in or involved companies in the United States. In 2007, LITEE was awarded an NSFgrant to send students from American Universities to India to live, work and finally produce acase study. Before the group of five students ventured to India, the project leaders of the LITEE lab were in communication with multiple private companies located in Indiaand IIT Madras asking them for projects that students may work on. This paper describes theexperiences of a graduate student who travelled to India to develop a case study with a largeconstruction company.1.1 Project

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

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

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

, material properties and testing, and materials performance in various engineeringapplications. Students often view this course as a collection of abstract concepts that are difficultto understand and apply to engineering problems and design. This contributes to the challenge tomaintain a high level of interest, enthusiasm and information retention among the students.Introducing Web based virtual laboratories in this course as proposed in this project, can addressthis challenge. The main objective of the VTTL is to introduce students to the testing techniquesrequired to evaluate certain mechanical properties of materials such as the elastic modulus, yieldstrength, ductility and toughness.The following sections present a brief background on the

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

Multiprocessor Nios II Systems.1 We have also looked at FPGA work atother universities. At the Cornell University School of Electrical and Computer Engineering,students learn embedded design by using FPGAs to develop SOC (system-on-chip) devices.Their program has done extensive work with using FPGAs for embedded control and inelectronic design.2 At Georgia Tech, FPGAs are also integrated into the classroom where theyare used to develop the skills that are necessary of an electrical engineer. FPGA-based SoPCdevelopment boards have been used over the past few years in their undergraduate classes. Theyhave been successfully used in undergraduate student projects that allow for a wider variety ofstudent projects as an alternative to more traditional off-the

Conference Session

Programming for Engineering Students I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ed Crowley, University of Houston

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

Students use Network Mapper (NMap) and the Nessus vulnerability scanner to identify open ports and other individual system vulnerabilities. They then use the CVE numbers reported by Nessus to further research the vulnerabilities.Table One, Learning Module DescriptionsA glance at the software utilized in our sample modules will show that our students gainexperience with a variety of sophisticated software tools including protocol analyzers,network monitors and intrusion detection systems in addition to the normal Linuxcommand line utilities.While calculating the cost of equivalent proprietary software tools would be aninteresting project, FOSS and Live Linux CDs offer a free solution that

Conference Session

Software and Hardware for Educators II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Walter Schilling, MSOE

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

of Tablet PCsFrom the instructors standpoint, Tablet PCs offer numerous advantages over traditionalPowerPoint lectures and blackboard writing. While many articles have addressed using Page 14.1119.2tablets in a lecture setting, the main advantages revolve around interactive lectures andimproved grading. Video Projector Transmits Signal To Video Cable Projection Screen holds Lecturer Tablet PC Figure 1 Presentation setup

Conference Session

Computer Education Innovations

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thomas Cochrane, University of Canterbury

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

, student numbers for each class inthe first 3 years surpass 160. Given these large numbers and a tight curriculum focused ontechnical material, lecturers are usually not able (or willing) to allocate lecture, tutorial, or labtime for individual students or even groups of students to deliver oral presentations. In the finalyear, students are supposed to have more opportunities to improve their professional skills;however, with some class numbers surpassing 75 students, it is becoming impractical to allocatetime for oral presentations of individual or group projects. In Advanced Hydrology, forexample, group project reports and oral presentations have traditionally been a highlight of thecourse. However, with last years class size of 78 students, 4

Conference Session

Programming for Engineering Students I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christiaan Gribble, Grove City College

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

study of parallel computing. To combat this situation, we have integrated thekey components of such a course into a 300-level course on modern operating systems. In thispaper, we describe a parallel computing unit that is designed to dovetail with the discussion ofprocess and thread management common to operating systems courses. We also describe a set ofself-contained projects in which students explore two parallel programming models, POSIXThreads and NVIDIA’s Compute Unified Device Architecture, that enable parallel architecturesto be utilized effectively. In our experience, this unit can be integrated with traditional operatingsystems topics quite readily, making parallel computing accessible to undergraduate studentswithout requiring a full

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

holds a co-professorship at the TU Berlin, in particular targeted towards the co-ordination of the design of new curricula in technology-oriented studies and the coordination of several eLearning and eResearch projects. Contact Information: University of Stuttgart Rechenzentrum Prof. Dr. Sabina Jeschke Allmandring 30a 70550 Stuttgart Mail: sabina.jeschke@rus.uni-stuttgart.de Phone: +49-711-685-88000 Fax: +49-711-685-55898 WWW: http://www.rus.uni-stuttgart.deLars Knipping, Technische Universitaet Berlin Lars Knipping is a researcher at the mathematics department at Technische Universität Berlin. He belongs to the board of editors of ITSE (International Journal of

Conference Session

Embedded Computing

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yoon Kim, Virginia State University; Shahzad Akbar, Virginia State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

but effectivetechnique can be employed to monitor the structural integrity of bridges routinely using thissystem. When a characteristic frequency shift is detected, the wireless monitoring may besupplemented with visual inspections, to warn the bridge safety personnel and users of imminentbridge deficiency. The designed system provides a good opportunity for our ComputerEngineering students to culminate their technical education in a Senior Design Project using theirknowledge of Signals and Systems as well as Communications and Electronics. By participatingin this project, the students successfully implement the knowledge learned in courses onfrequency domain analysis, impulse response, signal amplification, and physical vibrations

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

and a positive perception of thelaptop program itself. IUPUI was also in the midst of updating all of the wireless access pointsthroughout campus in an effort to embrace mobile computing. No longer would students feel theneed to stay within the confines of a lab or classroom when they could now identify morecomfortable work areas as they study, develop projects or work with peers.In an effort to show an outward symbol of support and generate value in the laptop program tothe students, the department opened a library, populated with course textbooks. The departmentallibrary was seen as a positive benefit. Several textbooks for each course were available forcheckout, helping to alleviate any additional financial burden to the

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

. Through this software researcherswere able to model events and transportation into and out of the city. In addition, undergraduateand graduate students were involved in this complex year-long project. The authors will provideinformation as to the modeling, input, and output that was obtained. Through an analysis of themotion of the population working and living in the city, planners have a much better Page 14.494.2understanding of how to react to emergencies that might occur, and ensure that emergency reliefcan get to the targeted location in a timely manner.IntroductionTransportation planning is currently undergoing a metamorphosis from a

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

resources reveals the need fornew tools which can treat metadata not only as static data but as information in constantevolution, thus supporting the effective development of educational resources. Secure andcomfortable authentication systems (SSO), trust facilities or how to connect on line communitiesare issues we are going to take into account in future developments.AcknowledgementsThe authors would like to acknowledge the Spanish Science and Innovation Ministry and theSpanish National Plan I+D+I 2004-2007 the support in the project TSI2005-08225-C07-03"MOSAIC Learning: Mobile and electronic learning, of open code, based on standards, secure,contextual, personalized and collaborative" and to the CYTED-508AC0341 “SOLITE-SOFTWARE LIBRE EN

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

. Amongstthe encouraged work, there is the I-ATMUS project (Integrated Auto-ID Technology forMultidisciplinary Undergraduate Studies) that involved developing a remotely controllable RFIDlaboratory system. Technological resources can now be accessed by learners through the Webtechnology to apply appropriate configurations to the system, conduct experiments using RFIDtechnology, and perform statistical analysis on the acquired data. Furthermore, the developededucational tool was used by a class of student that showed improvements in their confidence,knowledge, and skills.IntroductionFor some technologies, the supply of their qualified users struggles to match the pace of theassociated growing demand. In other words, the growth of the skilled-user

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

). Page 14.1040.6Following this methodology, our university is developing several e-learning projects with thetarget of creating different services that will improve in some way the learning experience. Figure 1. Example of integration of new services in a LMSA Learning Management System (LMS) is software for delivering, tracking and managingtraining. LMSs range from systems for managing training records to software for distributingcourses over the Internet and offering features for online collaboration.Most LMSs are web-based to facilitate access to learning content and administration. LMSs areused by regulated industries for compliance training.LMSs are based on a variety of development platforms, from Java EE based

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

. Page 14.528.8≠ Demonstrate hands-on test bench skills and the ability to communicate appropriately via a lab notebook while functioning as part of an engineering lab team.C.2.4 Design activities: Students in EE 2390 encounter a variety of open-ended problems inwhich they must design some circuit or system to achieve the solution. The most obviousexample is the final project in the laboratory portion of the course, in which they are given onlythe system requirements. They design a solution, build and test it using programmable logic(typically a CPLD) and some supporting peripheral devices, and must demonstrate it working totheir TA. Other design activities take place in the lecture portion of the course, with a particularexample being the

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

separately. The material has been developedto promote both a thorough understanding of microprocessors, and greater productivity thatallows students to do more intriguing and relevant projects. The course presents just enough C,at a very low level and in a specific topic order, to enable the students to better comprehendmicroprocessors and how they can control a broad range of devices. The updatedMicroprocessors course is currently in its fourth iteration.IntroductionThe C programming language is increasingly being utilized in development of embeddedsystems and ultra-small microcontrollers that were previously the domain of assembly language-only programming. Teaching assembly only in a Microprocessors course does not providestudents the skills they

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

AC 2009-1244: DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS FOR VIRTUAL-CLASSROOM ANDLABORATORY ENVIRONMENTSCharles Lesko, East Carolina University Charles Lesko is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Technology Systems, College of Technology & Computer Science at East Carolina University. He received his BS at the US Naval Academy; he holds a MS in Forensics from National University and a second MS in Computer Information Systems from Boston University; his PhD is in Applied Management from Walden University. His current teaching and research regime focus on strategic technology management and communication, information technology project management, and virtual reality technology use in the

Conference Session

Tablet and Portable PCs for Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ricky Castles, Virginia Tech; Eric Scott, Virginia Tech; Jenny Lo, Virginia Tech; Vinod Lohani, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

engineering issues, use of electronicportfolio (e-portfolio) for instruction, and a mechatronics initiativedesigned to introduce multi-disciplinary engineering concepts to engineering freshmen. In the 2006-07 academic year, TabletPC-based instruction was introduced in this course. In Fall 2007, DyKnow, a classroominteraction software package, was implemented to develop a participatory learning environmentin EngE1024. A number of assessment (formative and summative) activities are beingimplemented in EngE1024 as part of the DLR project to evaluate the learning experiences offreshmen. Typically, about 1700 freshmen take this course every year with about 1400 in the Fallsemester. In the Fall semester, the EngE1024 teaching team typically involves five

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

developed and are now available for largeand small computers. However, they are not used with the same extent in teaching andlearning difficult subjects of engineering such as electromagnetics. Our approach isdifferent and it is based on the following ideas:≠ The general-purpose symbolic packages (in our case, Maple) are used to do actualsymbolic calculation and to analytically solve the electromagnetic field equations.≠ The approach is project-oriented, in that the students are asked to solve new problems,based on models elaborated by the teaching staff.≠ The students' activity is finalized by scientific reports containing text, formulas andgraphics, while full advantage is taken of the evaluation and visualization capabilities.≠ The students are