Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Electrical and Control Engineering

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Harry Courtney Powell, University of Virginia; Maite Brandt-Pearce, University of Virginia; Ronald D. Williams P.E., University of Virginia; Robert M. Weikle, University of Virginia; Lloyd R. Harriott, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

monitoring.We envision engineering education pedagogy as being at a crossroads, especially as it relates toelectrical and computer engineering. We have observed at the University of Virginia thatrelatively few of our undergraduates gain employment designing discrete circuits, i.e. transistoramplifiers. Yet, understanding these low level concepts is seen as valuable especially as itprovides students with an introduction to the concepts of tradeoffs and operational limits that aresuch an essential element of engineering design. An overarching goal of an engineeringeducation is to allow students to develop an appreciation that large scale systems are assembledfrom smaller building blocks and that a truly professional designer must have some sense ofboth