Conference Session

New trends in ECE education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Maurice Aburdene, Bucknell University; Thomas Goodman, Bucknell University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

and software components, as appropriate to program objectives.”(Seehttp://www.abet.org/criteria.html).We present one of five projects used in our course, Probability with Applications in ElectricalEngineering. The course is required for all electrical engineering students and is open to thirdand fourth year students. We introduce a way to make this topic more appealing to students. Inthe latest offering, the four other projects included linear averaging,1 computer networks andsimulation,2 frequency response and least-squares estimation,1 and conditional probability andreceivers in communication systems1.The project focuses on the applications of probability to image enhancement using bothhistogram equalization and histogram specification

Conference Session

ECE Curriculum Innovations

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Godfrey, U.S. Coast Guard Academy; Joseph Staier, U.S. Coast Guard Academy

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

course for more thanone or two semesters.Decision to ChangeDuring the spring of 2004 “End-of-Course Review,” a normal part of the assessment process, thecourse’s direction was discussed. The E&CE section discussed the “health” of the course, usingthe two major assessment instruments available: feedback from students and the feedback fromthe Coast Guard fleet (our customer) on what electrical engineering topics new Ensigns mustunderstand during the course of their duties.At the end of each semester, students are asked to fill out an anonymous on-line survey thatcovers five broad categories using a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest. Appendix Bshows the results of the course surveys for the 11 semesters prior to the course change

Conference Session

Digital System Design

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sin Ming Loo, Boise State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

usually have steep learning curves.In some cases, a non-working design can have problems in the hardware or software portion, which canbe difficult to track. This paper describes teaching microprocessor design using a soft processor core, ourexperiences, our methodology, and the pitfalls in depth. 1 IntroductionDuring the last three decades, the microprocessor course has traditionally been taught using a discretemicroprocessor such as the Motorola 6800 series, Intel x86 series, or IBM PowerPC series. The usualtopics include the architecture of a selected microprocessor or microcontroller, assembly and Cprogramming, and devices interfacing. Usually, an off-the-shelf prototyping board with the

Conference Session

Digital System Design

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

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

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

system more than three years old will introducemany problems in the laboratory. This is because the CAD tools are processor and memory intensive.Older computer systems have difficulties satisfying what is required by the CAD tools. 1 IntroductionTeaching a sophomore digital systems course using just basic discrete transistor-transistor logic (TTL)components is no longer a viable and productive option [1-6]. In this case, the pace of technology shoulddictate what is being taught in the classroom and used in the laboratory, such that students emerging fromthe course will find the knowledge and skills learned to be useful in the upper division courses and thosecompleting the degree program will be more

Conference Session

ECE Curriculum Innovations

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gregory Plett, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs; Rodger Ziemer, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs; Michael Ciletti, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs; R. Dandapani, University of Colordo-Colorado Springs; T. S. Kalkur, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs; Mark Wickert, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

robotics course had been successful in part because the concept of robotswas not foreign to the students, because there was a high degree of hands-on content in thecourse, and because we had been careful to use modern pedagogy in different learning environ-ments. We have made several decisions that are designed to propagate these successes further:(1) to put a signal processing course first in the systems sequence, followed by two updatedcourses in circuits and systems (previously, we had two circuits courses first, followed by a lin-ear systems course); (2) to combine the lecture and laboratory portions of each of these threecourses into a single entity; and (3) to update the pedagogy of each course to reach, reinforce,and challenge students of

Conference Session

ECE Poster Session

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lihong (Heidi) Jiao, Grand Valley State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

electricity, magnetism, and basicideas in optics. CHM 115 includes the structure of matter, nuclear chemistry, periodic properties,bonding, molecular shape, etc. Students have learned atomic theory in CHM 115 course. In EGR255, concepts such as protons, neutrons, electrons, atomic number, and atomic mass arereviewed. To study the particle behavior at an atomic level and to explain questions such as whyatoms are stable, why periodic table has the structure it does, basic quantum theory areintroduced. Problems arise when students first encounter the theory of quantum mechanics. Thefirst problem is that quantum concepts are largely mathematical and the second is that it isdifficult to connect it with “reality”. My approach in this module is to (1

Conference Session

ECE Pedagogy and Assessment

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Peter Mark Jansson; Ying Tang; Ravi Ramachandran, Rowan University; John Schmalzel, Rowan University; Shreekanth Mandayam, Rowan University; Robert Krchnavek, Rowan University; Robi Polikar, Rowan University; Linda Head, Rowan University; Raul Ordonez, University of Dayton

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

environments to graduate engineers that can berapidly productive in the professional and research worlds is at least enhanced by somedegree of clinic and/or project based learning experiences in the ECE curriculum.IntroductionIn the guest editorial for the recent (2003) special issue of the IEEE Transactions onEducation devoted to providing visions for the undergraduate ECE curriculum a strikingquote is found: “There is no one common vision of ECE education” [1]. It is clear from Page 11.1329.2review of the many fascinating visions presented in that important issue that this was anunderstatement. The editorial and manuscripts clearly show, however, that a

Conference Session

ECE Pedagogy and Assessment

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joni Spurlin, North Carolina State University; Hatice Ozturk, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

makesa simple request that evidence is needed before any actions are taken about the problem.Engineering programs have gone through transformations after EC2000, designed processeswhich would facilitate the continuous improvements of their programs and placed the curriculumat the center of their operations. Electrical and Computer Engineering department at NorthCarolina State University was one of the leaders of this movement and adopted a two tiercurriculum after a year of intense work involving all of its constituents. The contributions of Page 11.245.2courses in the ECE department to the ABET program outcomes are shown in Figure 1

Conference Session

Digital Communications Systems

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Hoffbeck, University of Portland; Andrew Melton, University of Portland

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Spectrum Analyzer Antenna Figure 1: Experimental Setup for Most of the Database RecordingsThe Tektronix RSA3408A Real Time Spectrum Analyzer captures the inphase component x(n)and quadrature component y(n) of the complex envelope[4] of the signal as shown in Figure 2.The value of the center frequency ω c in Figure 2 is determined by the center frequency setting ofthe spectrum analyzer. The decimate operations reduce the amount of data required to representthe signal. LPF Decimate by X N x(n) ADC 2cos(ωcnT) s(t

Conference Session

ECE Poster Session

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chia-Jeng Tseng, Bucknell University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

. With these considerations inmind, the module was also offered in the course of “High-Performance ComputerArchitectures” for students to understand the fundamentals of CPU design.1. IntroductionAs the complexity of digital design continues to increase, system level design isbecoming the focus of digital design activities. These days digital design often beginswith an algorithmic specification. The algorithmic description is then scheduled [8, 9].The structure of a design is generated based on the scheduled data and control flowspecification.Given a scheduled dataflow specification, a clique-partitioning procedure can be appliedto the synthesis of data paths in a digital system [9]. Slicing techniques can be used toproduce a controller for the

Conference Session

ECE Laboratory Design

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Throne, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

systems are utilizedin electives ECE-520 Discrete-Time Control Systems and ECE-521 Modern Control Systems,which usually have about ten students per year. The majority of this paper discusses thelaboratories for the introductory controls course. All of the labs for ECE-320, ECE-520, andECE-521 can be found using the link http://www.rose-hulman.edu/~throne/CCLI.html. Theselabs are continually undergoing revision as we gain more experience.Laboratory ApproachIn the initial labs the students determine models for the different plants they will be utilizing.Figure 1 shows one of the “carts” for one of our ECP rectilinear systems. The position encoder isshown toward the back of the system. The carts are moved via a motor with a rack and pinionmechanism

Conference Session

ECE Poster Session

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

S. Hossein Mousavinezhad, Western Michigan University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

involving reflection coefficients and voltagestanding wave ratio (VSWR). Input impedance and reflection coefficient and impedancematching calculations using the Smith Chart are discussed next. Additional topics arethen discussed at the conclusion of the course (time permitting), including transients ontransmission lines, pulse response, dispersion, waveguides, antennas and introduction tomicrowave engineering.Lecture ExamplesBecause of the mathematical nature of the subject, it is useful to introduce examples andwork problems following the lecture materials which usually deal with theorems andlaws important in the electromagnetics. We include a few examples in the paper withadditional examples provided during the presentation.Example 1. Consider a

Conference Session

ECE Poster Session

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Qian Du, Mississippi State University; Judy Schneider, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

the near future.I. IntroductionOne key mission of baccalaureate engineering programs is to develop and offer theinterdisciplinary coursework that is essential to preparing highly-qualified engineering graduateswho will be successful and productive in their future careers.1 As Electrical Engineering (EE)has increasing cross-correlation with other engineering fields, most engineering institutions offeran introductory course in EE to non-electrical engineering (non-EE) students.At Mississippi State University (MSU), the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering(ECE) is tasked with offering such a “service” course, ECE3183 Electrical Engineering Systems,to non-EE majors in other engineering departments. In this course, basic circuit

Conference Session

New trends in ECE education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Qian Du, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Communications, where probability and random processes theories arewidely used as well.A dozen of developed projects are documented. Similar projects will be modified for anundergraduate level probability and random processes class, MA4533/6533 Probability andRandom Processes, for ECE majors at MSU.II. Improvement of ECE88032.1 Introduction of ECE8803 at MSUECE8803 Random Signals & Systems is a graduate level course for electrical engineering (EE)majors at MSU. It consists of three hours of lecture, and offered every fall semester. Theprerequisite is MA4533/6533 Probability and Random Processes, an undergraduate courseoffered by Department of Mathematics and Statistics (MATH)The objectives of this course are: 1) to teach the students theoretical

Conference Session

ECE Pedagogy and Assessment

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sandra Yost, University of Detroit Mercy

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

above.In the 2002-2003 academic year, Program Assessment activities began a transition fromad hoc to more formal. Once the Program Educational Objectives and ProgramOutcomes were created and validated by various constituencies, it was possible to beginto formulate and implement an assessment plan in preparation for the 2004 accreditationvisit.Assessment Process for 2004 Accreditation Visit Page 11.1134.2Figure 1 depicts the overall evaluation and assessment process. Note that OutcomesAssessment takes place on an annual cycle. 3 year cycle Senior Exit Survey

Conference Session

ECE Poster Session

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ravel Ammerman, Colorado School of Mines; Pankaj Sen, Colorado School of Mines

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

. After presenting an overview of the “powerengineering option” at CSM, this paper discusses the course outline, the scope, and themethodology that was adopted to design a very successful and effective advanced power systemslaboratory. Our advanced undergraduate energy systems laboratory promotes power engineeringeducation by showcasing the modern simulation tools used by the utility sector. Working closelywith industrial representatives helps to prepare the students for the real world problems they willeventually be asked to evaluate.IntroductionEstablished in 1874, Colorado School of Mines (CSM) is one of the oldest institutions of highereducation in the State of Colorado.[1] It is known both nationally and internationally for itseducation and

Conference Session

New trends in ECE education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ravel Ammerman, Colorado School of Mines; Pankaj Sen, Colorado School of Mines; Michael Stewart, North Dakota State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

often times is not treatedwith respect and caution based on the inherent hazards. According to the National Institute forOccupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) [1], an average of one worker is electrocuted on the jobevery day in the United States. Statistics indicate that additional injuries and deaths occurbecause of arc flash events. Within the U.S., arc flash explosions occur at the rate of five to tenper day.[2]Tremendous progress in the broad area of electrical safety has occurred during the past threedecades, advancing the overall understanding of how to recognize electrical hazards and take theappropriate precautions (developing Codes and Regulations) to ensure that the exposure tohazards does not result in injury or death and to

Conference Session

Digital Communications Systems

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dennis Silage, Temple University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

systems. A partial lesson survey of binary phase shift keying(BPSK) bandpass modulation and demodulation will illustrate this approach of usingdigital communication simulation to elucidate principles.It’s Only a (Binary) PhaseBPSK is a modulation technique that encodes binary information as only the phase of asinusoidal carrier. BPSK can be simulated in SystemVue with the system configured withTokens within the Design Window (Figure 1). The specifics of the SystemVue simulationare not appropriate for the intent of the lesson survey here. However, a detaileddescription of this BPSK digital communication system simulation in SystemVue isavailable4.The source (Token 9) is an audio .wav file that provides a perceptible performance of theBPSK digital

Conference Session

Digital System Design

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joanne DeGroat, Ohio State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

generation significantly easier. Placing the test vectors in afile also allows easy expansion of tests and incorporation of new tests once the first testresults are evaluated. Lectures also cover several other verification topics such a whitebox versus black box verification. The first design the students work on is white-boxverification. White box verification means that the students see the HDL code they areverifying. In some cases the HDL code is not available to be seen.II.A. The ProjectsII.A.1 Floating Point Adder Functional Unit For the first project the students work in groups of two. As modern HDL designis done in teams the verification course uses teamwork for all the assignments. However,the teams are changed for each assignment

Conference Session

ECE Poster Session

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Erik Peterson, University of Cincinnati; Ian Papautsky, University of Cincinnati

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

assess student’sopinions on the course content, delivery, and structure. We reported our preliminary results lastyear.1 Now, in this recent offering, the course has been modified to address student feedback.This paper reports on modifications to the course and draws comparisons with the last year’sstudent feedback and course evaluations.The CourseThe “Introduction to Biomedical Microsystems” course introduces electrical engineers to therapidly emerging area of BioMEMS, and was described in detail previously.1 Briefly, the coursewas designed to be ten weeks long, three hours per week, consisting of twenty 75 min lectures.As a 600-level course it was dual-level, intended for the undergraduate seniors and first yeargraduate students in the

Conference Session

ECE Laboratory Design

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kain Osterholt, Belcan Corp.; Adam Vaccari, Caterpillar Incorporated; Joe Faivre, Caterpillar Incorporated; Gary Dempsey, Bradley University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

projects. Additionalworkstations have not been purchased for students in the control theory courses because of costand space constraints. However, incorporating a laboratory feel into these courses would enhancelearning and retention. The design and use of a low-cost virtual control workstation in the firstundergraduate control theory course will be discussed. The virtual workstation was modeledfrom the physical electrical and mechanical parameters of a Quanser Consulting electro-mechanical system.I. Introduction Two control workstations from Quanser Consulting have been used in over adozen student projects in the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department at BradleyUniversity as well as for faculty research 1. The Quanser Consulting

Conference Session

ECE Poster Session

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rocio Alba-Flores, University of Minnesota-Duluth; Fernando Rios-Gutierrez, University of Minnesota-Duluth

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Duluth. Her interests include control, robotics, image processing, digital systems, and microprocessor applications. Page 11.934.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2006 Mobile Robots Capstone Design CourseAbstractThis work describes the educational experience gained during the "Design Workshop", a fourthyear course in the undergraduate Electrical and Computer Engineering program at ourUniversity. The main topic of this course is concentrated on a team-based, semester-long projectin which students design and build mobile robots for different applications.1. Introduction The number of electronic

Conference Session

Digital Communications Systems

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Border, Bowling Green State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Technology Organization.”IV. ChannelIt was desired to adopt a channel mode that has achieved quasi commodity status in thecommunications world. For this reason, the Bluetooth standard, and Bluetooth standard deviceswere chosen. Two modules were tested during project work, the Euzio (class 1) andConnectBlue (class 2) Bluetooth modules. Both units are marketed as replacement for copperserial cable links. Both modules are mounted onto development kit boards that support voltagelevel shifting (3.3 V / TTL / RS-232), RS 232 with DB-9 connector and power adaptor. TheEzurio provides plated through holes to access the 40 pins of their Bluetooth module. TheConnectBlue version uses a 20 pin header mounted on the module board itself. The Ezurio andConnectBlue

Conference Session

ECE Laboratory Design

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mukul Shirvaikar, University of Texas-Tyler; Mark Humphries, University of Texas-Tyler; Leonardo Estevez, Texas Instruments Inc.

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

, testing an audio codec and implementing an embeddedweb server. TI expects to disseminate the instructional resources developed and tested in thiscourse to other universities and industry partners.IntroductionDual-core processors have recently entered mainstream computing in PC systems, and it iscritical for students of computer engineering to be exposed to them early in their career. Thispaper extends past work 1, which presented the development of some introductory labs using TI's P POMAP 5912 Starter Kit (OSK). The Real Time Systems senior elective course at theUniversity of Texas at Tyler combines lectures along with an integrated lab. The students arerequired to have at least one course in structured

Conference Session

ECE Pedagogy and Assessment

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Larry Bland, John Brown University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

environments.Introduction Undergraduate engineering classrooms are experiencing changes as we strive to improvecurriculum outcomes and develop students to meet future challenges. Two important issues thatface engineering educators are changing educational philosophies and techniques and theoutcome requirements of ABET. Active learning educational philosophies push us to consider alearner-centered approach over an instructor-centered teaching style. In addition to changingour teaching style, we have become aware of the different learning styles of our students.Research shows that students learn best when taught according to their particular learning stylethat may be dependent, collaborative, or independent.1 Course design must strive to integratethese

Conference Session

ECE Curriculum Innovations

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mehmet Ozturk, North Carolina State University; Michael Escuti, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

foundations of signalsand systems in future core courses.Instructional objectives for the first part of the course are: 1. Explain the concepts of electric charge, current, voltage, resistance, and capacitance. 2. Identify resistors, diodes and capacitors in circuit diagrams. 3. Interpret the basic current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of key circuit elements, including resistors, photocells, diodes, and capacitors. 4. Calculate the equivalent resistance of resistor circuits (i.e. series and parallel), and the equivalent capacitance of capacitive circuits (i.e. series and parallel). 5. Apply Ohm's Law and Kirchoff's Laws to simple circuits consisting of DC voltage sources, linear and non-linear resistive elements

Conference Session

New trends in ECE education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Agnieszka Miguel, Seattle University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

made the class more interesting and allowed studentsto practice the material learned in the lecture. Such in-class exercises give an immediatefeedback to the students on how well they understood the concepts presented in class.The material is still fresh in their mind. Using it immediately in a practical settingimproves its assimilation and retention. The instructor was available during the time thestudents worked on the exercises to give feedback, address important issues, and correctany misunderstandings.There were twenty in-class computer exercises (at least one for each module). The topicsof the exercises are listed below: 1. Introduction to MATLAB (five exercises): • Setting up the MATLAB environment. Using the diary command

Conference Session

ECE Poster Session

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Janos Grantner, Western Michigan University; Ramakrishna Gottipati, Western Michigan University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

University, in Computer Engineering. Page 11.860.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2006 Laboratory for Digital ElectronicsAbstractThe Digital Electronics course (ECE 3500)1 was created in the Department of Electrical andComputer Engineering of Western Michigan University to develop the skills students need todesign, and simulate digital integrated circuits down to the transistor layout level using MentorGraphics Category II tools2. Digital Electronics is a required course for students majoring incomputer engineering. The class has an embedded lab which makes use of the 0.25 microntechnology for IC

Conference Session

Integrating Research Into Undergraduate ECE Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jan Allebach, Purdue University; Edward Coyle, Purdue University; Joy Krueger, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

the completion of projects of significant benefit tofaculty members’ research programs.1. IntroductionSustaining and accelerating the rapid pace of innovation in electrical and computer engineeringwill require a continuous stream of new graduates that have been educated and trained tounderstand how the processes of research, technology advancement, and applicationsdevelopment should be integrated to enable innovations. Current approaches to the education ofundergraduates and graduate students are not up to this challenge: undergraduates are generallynot provided with a deep exposure to any technology area; Master’s students are often notinvolved in research or the development of new technology; and PhD students rarely see theirbreakthroughs

Conference Session

ECE Poster Session

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Colin Campbell, TechnicalMastery.com Corp.; Faycal Saffih, UAE University; Khaled Nigim, University of Waterloo

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Waterloo, E&CE department. Page 11.730.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2006 Improve Learning Efficiency with Integrated Math and Circuit Simulation Tools in Electrical and Computer Engineering Courses1. AbstractThis paper presents coupling the use of the TINA circuit simulation software with theMathcad mathematical software. This coupling permits students to simply (1) enter a circuit inTINA diagramatically, (2) export its symbolic solution y(t), or its transfer function, Y(s), to aMathcad file, and (3) plot these solutions for multiple values of a parameter (e.g. R) on a 2-Dor 3-D graph. The symbolic