Conference Session

ECE Poster Session

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

S. Hossein Mousavinezhad, Western Michigan University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

subject area for engineeringmajors. In our school, the text by Alexander and Sadiku1 is used for the first course andalso the second on signals & systems (network analysis). Another textbook is the recentedition of basic engineering circuit analysis by Irwin and Nelms2, including manyexamples of a Web-based tutorial. Assuming good coverage of fundamental concepts ofcircuit analysis typically consisting of resistive, first-order/second-order RC/RL and RLCcircuits, AC voltages/currents, impedance and power relationships; the students will beready to study such concepts and principles as impedance matching, lossless transmissionlines, reflection coefficients, standing waves in a first electromagnetics course (assumingfour hours of lecture per

Conference Session

ECE Poster Session

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yakov Cherner, ATeL, LLC; Amin Karim, DeVry University; Ahmed Khan, DeVry University-Addison; Victor Rubanchik, Don State Technical University (DSTU), Rostov-on-Don, Russia

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Learning Attributes of Surface Learning Learners relate ideas to previous Learners treat the course as unrelated bits knowledge and experience. of knowledge. Learners look for patterns and Learners memorize facts and carry out underlying principles. procedures routinely. Learners check evidence and relate it Learners find difficulty in making sense of to conclusions new ideas presented Learners examine logic and Learners see little value or meaning in argument cautiously and critically. either courses or tasks. Learners are aware of the Learners study without reflecting on either understanding that

Conference Session

ECE Curriculum Innovations

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lisa Huettel, Duke University; April Brown, Duke University; Leslie Collins, Duke University; Kip Coonley, Duke University; Michael Gustafson, Duke University; Jungsang Kim, Duke University; Gary Ybarra, Duke University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

temperature sensor and how to build a circuit to condition the signal generated bythe sensor and how to extract useful information from that signal to control another part of thesystem. The benefit of being able to use more realistic experiments in the laboratory also leads tomore comprehensive discussions in the classroom and an overall more integrated experience.Through this approach, students are presented a holistic view of the field of ECE, which moreaccurately reflects real systems, and develop a greater understanding and appreciation of thisinterdependence. Page 11.90.42.4 Design ExperienceThe importance of design experience in an

Conference Session

Integrating Research Into Undergraduate ECE Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Daniel, Ohio State University; Ronald Reano, Ohio State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

engineering faculty/student partnership involved exposing theundergraduate to a small scale research project designed to reflect typical activities experiencedby graduate students. The student went through the entire cycle of design, simulation,fabrication, and test of a working device prototype. Through this approach, the studentexperienced a microcosm of graduate school while interacting with graduate students,experiencing the difference between laboratory and simulation work, and developing technicalwriting skills through the development of the electronic portfolio.IntroductionA program referred to as "Research on Research" has been developed to expose undergraduatestudents to academic research. The program is instituted through the Technology

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

processing may beeither reflective or active. Based on these two continuums, Kolb enumerated four different types Page 11.614.4of learner, as identified by the four quadrants in Figure 1. Each quadrant is characterized by aquestion: quadrant 1 asks the question “Why?”; quadrant 2 asks the question “What?”; quadrant3 asks “How?”; and quadrant 4 asks “What if?”. These four questions guide an instruction para-digm, the 4MAT system, which cycles through all four quadrants of the perception/processingdomain, as shown in Figure 1. Instruction that adheres to the 4MAT system is expected to (1)reach students of all learning types, and (2) teach students

Conference Session

ECE Curriculum Innovations

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Holmes, AcuityEdge, Inc.; Hisham Massoud, Duke University; Steven Cummer, Duke University; John Board, Duke University; Kip Coonley, Duke University; April Brown, Duke University; Michael Gustafson; Leslie Collins, Duke University; Lisa Huettel, Duke University; Gary Ybarra, Duke University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

appending themto each other. Rather, the final syllabus for Fundamentals of ECE introduces concepts in a veryintegrated manner, reflecting the approach taken in the laboratory. This organization, which isunlike traditional courses, is critical to the success of the course as it emphasizes theinterrelationships between major ECE areas and embodies the curricular theme.In the next year of this project, Fundamentals of ECE will proceed through the process of beingapproved by the faculty and is being piloted currently in the Spring of 2006. This offering of thecourse will be limited to 20 students. New teaching methods, such as think-pair-share and minutepapers, to which the faculty have been exposed through bi-annual teaching workshops offered

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

dual core processor (OMAP 5912)development system has enabled a new lab curricula. The OMAP 5912 gives us the flexibility ofdevelopment for a general-purpose processor based (GPP) system combined with the processingefficiency of a DSP based system. The sheer number of new concepts introduced to students in Page 11.1064.2this course reflects the reality they have to face in the new job market. In order to fit in asprofessionals the students have to be conversant with real-time, computer architecture, DSP,networking and other concepts. It is not possible to address all these topics without using arelatively advanced and mature platform. Further

Conference Session

ECE Pedagogy and Assessment

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Freeman, Valparaiso University; Mani Mina, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

meaning to the assessment data, with the purpose ofmaking decisions regarding the program. Following the tool, changes can be made to thelearning communities’ curricula that would easily allow the faculty to make subsequent changesto the assessment tools. The tool reflects the close relationship between assessment, outcomesand curriculum.Faculty need to establish educational opportunities. Once a faculty member prioritizesknowledge and skills for the curriculum, she must create opportunities for students to learn them.Lectures, labs, homework, and student-led class discussions are examples of educationalopportunities. In addition, Cooperative Learning exercises such as Jigsawing, and turn to yourpartner (TTYP) are also opportunities for students

Conference Session

Integrating Research Into Undergraduate ECE Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Georgios Anagnostopoulos, Florida Tech; Michael Georgiopoulos, University of Central Florida; Ken Ports, Florida Tech; Richie Samuel, University of Central Florida; Melinda White, Seminole Community College; Veton Kepuska, Florida Tech; Philip Chan, Florida Tech; Annie Wu, University of Central Florida; Marcella Kysilka, University of Central Florida

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

constitutethe anchor of an elaborate dissemination plan that is multi-faceted and self-sustained. Moreover,it plans to impact 80 students in a span of 2 years, some of which are members ofunderrepresented groups (in particular UCF and SCC students). Additional, distinctcharacteristics are reflected in the immediate objectives of Project EMD-MLR, which are listedbelow 1. Introduce research into the undergraduate curriculum of many engineering and science disciplines. The number of undergraduate students that will be affected by the project will be 40 per year, 80 in total. 2. Develop educational materials focused on Machine Learning, that will be of value to many academicians, students and professionals with interest in this field, or

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

semester.Question 1: What are the three most valuable non-technical things you have learned bybeing a member of a VIP Team?When asked, “What are the three most valuable non-technical things you have learned by being amember of a VIP team,” the 19 VIP participants responded with sixty-one (61) authenticcomments reflecting nineteen categories. Seventy-four percent, forty-five (45) of the sixty-one(61) comments, fell within the following seven categories and forty-four percent of thesecomments related to teamwork; a fundamental component to the VIP Program. ‚ Teamwork (20 Comments) ‚ Interpersonal Communication (6) ‚ Public Speaking and Related Skills (5) ‚ Personal Responsibility (4) ‚ Time Management (4) ‚ Problem Solving (3) ‚ Accessing

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

lectures in ECE3183 helps me conduct experiments involtage and current measurement”, “the lectures in ECE3183 helps me conduct LabViewexperiments in resistance measurement”, “the lectures in ECE3183 helps me conduct straingauge analysis”, “the schedule coordination between ECE3183 and ME3701 is reasonable”.Possible open-ended questions are “any other help that I get from the coordination of ECE3183and ME3701”, “suggestions for improvement”.For a small number of ME students who have taken ME3701 before, they will only participate inthe exit interview as a group. The purpose of such an in-person interview is to collect the mostauthentic data that reflects the student perspective about the class. Because it is quite time-consuming, the subjects

Conference Session

New trends in ECE education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Qian Du, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Ergodicity Karhunen-Loeve expansion Power spectral density 4. Analysis and Processing of Response of linear systems to random signals Random Signals Optimum linear systemsMany graduate students do not like this course, because the content is difficult and the classesare boring. This has been reflected by historically low student evaluation. Students usuallyavoid taking this course, unless their academic advisors force them to take it.2.2 Improvement ApproachThe approach to improving the teaching and learning effectiveness of ECE8803 is to designapplication-oriented computer projects with four objectives: to help students

Conference Session

ECE Pedagogy and Assessment

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sandra Yost, University of Detroit Mercy

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Department Chair Senior Reflection Advisory Council Faculty Reviews Alumni Surveys Administration Program Faculty Other Program Dean objective Improvement Evaluation

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

confidence after the class are assessed.Some of the assessment questions that were given to students with respect to the quality of theclass/lab are listed below. a. Rate the instructor’s overall teaching effectiveness b. Rate the overall quality of this course c. Was the grading system for the course explained d. The instructor seemed well prepared for the class e. The instructor promoted an atmosphere conductive to work and learning Page 11.860.8 f. Was there agreement between announced course objectives and what was taught? g. How well did examination questions reflect content and emphasis of the course?The results

Conference Session

ECE Laboratory Design

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Fitra Khan, University of Texas-Brownsville; Mahmoud Quweider, University of Texas-Brownsville; Juan Iglesias, University of Texas-Brownsville; Amjad Zaim, University of Texas-Brownsville

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

different offerings of the same course from onesemester to another.Topics of CP’s were not restricted to the ambit of a single particular course. Instead, CP’s weredeveloped having in mind a crossing-discipline emphasis that could integrate different areas ofcomputer science. Appendix B shows a more detailed description of the CP’s.As the reader can appreciate from Appendix B, the topics of CP’s are wide in range going froman “Integrated Monitoring System” for public networks to the “Parallel Simulation ofElectromagnetic Wave Propagation” and “Optimization Based on Genetic Algorithms”. Thisvariety is in fact a reflection of the versatility and generality of the CNL.ResultsDuring the three years of its implementation, the project has proven to be

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

graduates by local, regional and national industry. This is reflected by an increased demand for our power engineering graduates (multiple job offers and higher salary) and positive feedback from both our students and their employers. • Student ratings of the CSM instructors in power area are significantly above our division and university average. • Greater enthusiasm and interest in our power program from our student body. This is evidenced by the increased number of higher quality students enrolling in senior (optional) power elective courses. (Average of almost 20 students/year) • Students’ frustrations with laboratory work have been relieved to a large degree by our lab procedures and lab coordination

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

reflecting on theexperiences of others. Much of the curriculum we developed for use in the Field Sessionfeatures the use of electrical incident case studies. These real life stories generally have tragicoutcomes. The case studies are compelling, providing a graphic reminder about theconsequences of not following fundamental safety practices. Students can learn many valuablelessons about how to conduct themselves safely in an electrical environment by listening to thesevisceral stories. In addition, this is a practical way to have students observe a number of variedelectrical incidents during a one-week course module. While there are many resources availablefor obtaining electrical incident case studies, we have chosen to use examples that are posted

Conference Session

New trends in ECE education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Douglas Jacobson, Iowa State University; Thomas Daniels, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

semesters. However, we invited and facilitatedparticipants to actually take the courses along with distance education students during thesemesters the courses are offered. This gives them access to student chats and other informationin real-time so that faculty participants can experience the range of issues that arise during thesemester that are not reflected in printed material.Workshop curriculumThe workshop curriculum is delivered over an intense two full day period. We rely on the factthat participants are already accomplished faculty in a related discipline, which allows us tofocus on pedagogy, advanced security topics, and the logistics of building a program. We viewthe workshop as the start of the process; participants see a “proof of

Conference Session

Integrating Research Into Undergraduate ECE Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Wicker, U.S. Air Force Academy; Erlind Royer, U.S. Air Force Academy; Allen Arb; Daniel Pack, U.S. Air Force Academy

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

response to evolving U.S. Air Force requirements, the five departments that make up theEngineering Division at the U.S. Air Force Academy have shifted their emphasis from individualprojects to multidisciplinary team projects for their senior-level, two-semester capstone designcourses. Design teams consist of students from a variety of engineering disciplines and, in someinstances, a student majoring in systems engineering management. The roles of the differentstudents on each project team reflect their disciplines. This approach has been providing ourstudents with real world engineering experiences. These experiences include, in addition to thetraditional engineering design activities, learning to work with other students from outside theirown

Conference Session

Digital System Design

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Loui, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign; James Longino, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign; Craig Zilles, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

students during the fall semester of 2005; each interview lasted about onehour and was videotaped. Student volunteers were identified through three rounds of emailsolicitation. In the first round, we contacted students who had taken ECE290 and CS231 duringthe Summer 2005 session, and only students with A grades responded. To achieve a diversity ofachievement levels in our interview subjects, we contacted students who had taken these coursesduring the Spring 2005 semester and received course grades of “C and lower” and “B/B-” in thesecond and third solicitations, respectively. Of the eight students whom we interviewed, threehad taken CS231 and five had taken ECE290. Two students were women.Students were first asked to reflect on their experiences

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

mostly cover circuits with resistive elements. A few examples of circuitsinvolving capacitors and non-resistive elements (e.g. integrators and differentiators) are alsogiven as examples of signal shaping circuits.In the laboratory, operational amplifiers are used to amplify signals in two practical applications.In the first experiment, students amplify the signals from an ultrasonic emitter/receive pair. Theobjective of the experiment is to measure the speed of sound by measuring the time delaybetween the original and reflected signals. In the second experiment, an operational amplifier isused to amplify the signal from an infrared emitter/detector pair used to measure the speed of avariable speed DC motor. Both the motor and the emitter

Conference Session

Integrating Research Into Undergraduate ECE Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Georgiopoulos, University of Central Florida; Erol Gelenbe, Imperial College; Ronald DeMara, University of Central Florida; Avelino Gonzalez, University of Central Florida; Marcella Kysilka, University of Central Florida; Mansooreh Mollaghasemi, University of Central Florida; Annie Wu, University of Central Florida; Georgios Anagnostopoulos, Florida Tech; Ingrid Russell; Jimmy Secretan, University of Central Florida

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

machinelearning approaches. The approach taken here for Machine Learning I is to have a course that isenthusiastically taught by the principal investigators (since it will always be relevant to theirmachine learning research), reflects the ever changing research interests of the machine learningcommunity (the topics in this class will frequently change), and is a welcome alternative toundergraduate students (students are normally exposed to knowledge that is at least a few yearsold). The approach taken in Machine Learning II is to build on the fundamentals that the studentshave been exposed to in Machine Learning I in order to embrace the research aspects of agraspable Machine Learning project. In Machine Learning II the students have the opportunity

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

conceived problems not yet faced, but looming on the horizon;issues in the news; issues facing the Coast Guard on a daily basis and issues being discussed inthe current module in the class lectures.When presented with the course’s new outline, the other E&CE section members enthusiasticallyagreed with the course’s new direction. The course changes were submitted to the Academy’sCurriculum committee and then the Academic Council who both approved the changesbeginning the fall semester of 2004. To reflect the course’s new direction, in the fall of 2005 thecourse name was changed to “Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering” (IECE).Appendix C includes an overview of the new course’s lesson plans.FeedbackDuring the three semesters since