Conference Session

Teaching Dynamics

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Ruhala, Southern Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

AC 2010-1069: FOUR FREE-VIBRATION LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS USINGTWO LUMPED MASS APPARATUSES WITH RESEARCH CALIBERACCELEROMETERS AND ANALYZERRichard Ruhala, Southern Polytechnic State University Richard Ruhala earned his BSME from Michigan State in 1991 and his PhD in Acoustics from The Pennsylvania State University in 1999. He has 3 years industrial experience at General Motors and 3 years at Lucent Technologies. He was an Assistant Professor in the Engineering Department at the University of Southern Indiana before joining the faculty at Southern Polytechnic State University in 2010 as an Associate Professor, where he also serves as director for their new mechanical engineering program. He has

Conference Session

Teaching Technological Literacy - Engaging Students

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Krupczak, Hope College; Kate Disney, Mission College

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

,often only one or two. Each instructor has high teaching loads of four or more courses persemester. Faculty have little time for course or laboratory development. There is limitedlaboratory support staff and budgets to buy and maintain equipment. While many communitycolleges exist, the relentless teaching demands on the faculty and geographic separation tend toresult in community college engineering faculty working in a state of relative isolation. Anyeffort to attract students into engineering careers and promote technological literacy for non-engineers through community colleges must contend with these challenges.Topics Cited as Appealing by Non-Engineering StudentsEngineering faculty teaching technological literacy courses for non-engineers

Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching Physics or Engineering Physics

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Ross, University of Detroit Mercy

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

activity into variousphysics and/or engineering courses. We believe the laboratory activity provides a valuablecontext for teaching and learning in the areas of nanotechnology, photovoltaics, elementary andadvanced topics in direct current circuits, thin films and the interaction of light and matter. Webelieve that the device fabrication and subsequent analysis is appropriate for a variety of coursesincluding second semester general physics laboratory courses (typically electricity, magnetismand optics) as well as advanced courses in physics, engineering or both.First, we present a brief introduction of the physics of thin film organic solar cells incorporatingthe fullerene, C60. The section is not meant to be a comprehensive review but an

Conference Session

New Trends in ECE Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul Cotae, University of the District of Columbia; Esther Ososanya, University of the District of Columbia; Lily Kemathe, University of the District of Columbia; Suresh Regmi, University of the District of Columbia; Kamden Patrice Kouam, The University of the District of Columbia

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

AC 2010-2417: WORK IN PROGRESS: TEACHING WIRELESS SENSORNETWORKS THROUGH LABORATORY EXPERIMENTSPaul Cotae, University of the District of Columbia Dr. Paul Cotae, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering has more than 25 years of experience in the communication field (research and education). He received a Dipl. Ing. and a M.S. degrees in communication and electronic engineering in 1980 from the Technical University of Iassy and a Ph.D. degree in telecommunications from “Politechnica” University of Bucharest, Romania in 1991, and a Master in Applied Mathematics in 1998 from the University of Colorado at Boulder. From 1994 to 1998 he spent four years at the University of

Conference Session

College-Industry Partnerships: Bringing Industry into the Curriculum Development and Design Cycle

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tammy Baldwin, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.; Marisa Hemingway, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc

Tagged Divisions

College-Industry Partnerships

Laboratories developed and integrated a formalized mentor program intothe EDP. The program coordinators reviewed the needs of associate engineers, evaluated bestpractices, and created benchmarks for success. It became evident that a mechanism beyondsupervision and teaching was a necessary component of the new training program. Mentoringserves many purposes at varying levels. The EDP includes numerous individuals across theUnited States and therefore had to be multifaceted and deliverable through contemporary trainingand communications methods.The needs of the associate engineers included a formal mentoring component that would aid theirultimate success as well as assist with swift facilitated growth. Formal mentoring can be achallenge, because it

Conference Session

Laboratory Development in ECE

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Hoffbeck, University of Portland

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

, 2010 A Laboratory Method for Teaching Analog-to-Digital and Digital-to-Analog ConversionAbstractSince analog-to-digital converters (ADC’s) and digital-to-analog converters (DAC’s) are used insuch a wide variety of electronic systems, it is important for engineers to have a deepunderstanding of the distortions caused by ADC’s and DAC’s such as aliasing and quantization,and to realize that the digital signal is not a perfect representation of the original analog signal.In fact, if the system is set up poorly, the digital signal can be corrupted enough that it iscompletely unusable. Furthermore, students are often curious how ADC’s and DAC’s work andbenefit from building, testing, and using these

Conference Session

Laboratory Development in ECE

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alexander Ganago, University of Michigan; Inger Bergom, University of Michigan; Britton Wolfe, Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

AC 2010-2039: USING A WEBSITE AND WIKI AS A SUPPORT TOOL FORTEACHING ASSISTANTSAlexander Ganago, University of MichiganInger Bergom, University of MichiganBritton Wolfe, Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne Page 15.1317.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Using a website and wiki as a support tool for teaching assistantsAbstract Employing students as teaching assistants (TAs) in laboratory sections of large coursesreduces faculty’s teaching commitments and provides valuable teaching experience for futurefaculty. However, it also presents challenges, such as inexperienced TAs and high turnoverbetween semesters. New tools are

Conference Session

BME Course and Curriculum Development

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Sweeney, Florida Gulf Coast University

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

. Page 15.21.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 A Consumer and Laboratory Devices Approach to Teaching Principles and Applications of BioelectricityAbstractCourses in Bioelectricity, or similarly Bioelectric Phenomena, are taught within manyundergraduate and/or graduate curricula in Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering, andsometimes Electrical Engineering or Neurosciences. While most such offerings emphasizemainly the theoretical foundations of bioelectricity as applied to clinical devices and/or modelingof excitable cell function, we have supplemented this traditional approach in the courseBME4504C at Florida Gulf Coast University through the incorporation of experiments andprojects featuring

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jiabin Zhu, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Jonathan Hicks, Purdue University; Monica Cox, Purdue University; Osman Cekic, Purdue University; Rocio Chavela Guerra, Purdue University

AC 2010-849: EXPERIENCES OF GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTS INENGINEERING LABORATORIES: CONTENT ANALYSIS USING THE “HOWPEOPLE LEARN” FRAMEWORKJiabin Zhu, Purdue University, West Lafayette Jiabin Zhu is a Ph.D. student in the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. She obtained a B.S. in Physics from East China Normal University, a M.S. in Optics from Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a second M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Purdue University. Her primary research interests relate to the professional development and mentoring of engineering graduate students. She is a student member of American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE).Jonathan Hicks, Purdue University

Conference Session

BME Laboratory and Project Experiences

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Estefania Alvarez, Clemson University; Steven Saville, Clemson University; O. Thompson Mefford, Clemson University; John DesJardins, Clemson University

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

AC 2010-1621: THE USE OF CONFERENCE PREPARATORY PRINCIPLES ANDPRACTICES (WRITING AND PRESENTATION SKILLS) TO TEACHINTERDISCIPLINARY LABORATORY COURSESEstefania Alvarez, Clemson UniversitySteven Saville, Clemson UniversityO. Thompson Mefford, Clemson UniversityJohn DesJardins, Clemson University Page 15.1259.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 The Use Of Conference Preparatory Principles And Practices (Writing And Presentation Skills) To Teach Interdisciplinary Laboratory CoursesAbstract This paper examines the application of conference preparatory principles and practices toteach materials science through the

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yongpeng Zhang, Prairie View A&M University; Cajetan Akujuobi, Prairie View A&M University; Yonghui Wang, Prairie View A&M University; Suxia Cui, Prairie View A&M University

, Army and Dept of Education, a series ofpipelined laboratories including both equipment and courseware have been revamped, and thesechanges achieved great responses among students. In order to achieve a sustainable success forthe ET department in seeking external resources to further enhance its teaching and research, it iscritical to engage more faculties in the revamping plan, such that the latest facilities can befurther utilized in the other related courses, as well as to provide a leverage for the other facultiesto achieve their success in professional developments. Page 15.497.7

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Steve Warren, Kansas State University; Jianchu Yao, East Carolina University

facilitate participation of a larger, more diverse student base.• Disseminate research products and findings to the broader engineering education community.II. MotivationA. The Lecture/Laboratory DisconnectIn curricula that teach EE concepts, hands-on laboratories that accompany circuit theory, signals& systems, and digital design courses are often scheduled separately, partly because textbooksoften adopt a written-work and software paradigm. Additionally, organizing students and topicsin laboratory-only environments is more efficient than interspersing hands-on assignments withlectures, so unless lecture and laboratory courses are paired, laboratories can be separated in timefrom their corresponding lecture material, making it difficult for

Conference Session

Methods, Techniques and New Programs in Graduate Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Buket Barkana, University of Bridgeport

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

are well explained. 3. Booklet (it includes experiments %87.5 %12.5 and their theory) was useful and informative. 4. I believe that this real-time DSP %100 experience is valuable to my professional future. 5. The final project gave me the %87.5 %12.5 opportunity to demonstrate individual initiative and creativity. 6. I recommend this laboratory %67 %22 %11 course to other students. 7. The teaching assistant was very %100 helpful in the laboratory. 8. Lab should be available to %56 %33 %11 students more often.All the students think that the real-time DSP experience is helpful to their professional future. Inaddition, all the students found the instructor very helpful in the lab. A high

Collection

2010 ASEE Zone 4 Conference

Authors

David Lanning; Wahyu Lestari; Shirley Waterhouse

MechanicalEngineering (ME) degree program, which is new on the Prescott campus, will undergo its firstABET accreditation visit during the summer of 2010.The Prescott campus of ERAU might be thought of as a “teaching institution,” where emphasisin the undergraduate engineering programs is placed on faculty-student interaction, designexperiences, and hands-on laboratory learning. Design projects are sprinkled throughout thecurriculum starting from the freshman year1, culminating in a significant and intensive two-semester design, manufacturing, and testing sequence during the senior year2. Many of thesedesign experiences require students to spend considerable time in the machine and fabricationshop constructing test articles and additional time in the laboratory

Conference Session

Electrical and Computer Engineering Laboratories

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ahmed Rubaai, Howard University

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

AC 2010-462: LABORATORY INNOVATIONS IN UNDERGRADUATE CONTROLENGINEERING EDUCATIONAhmed Rubaai, Howard University Ahmed Rubaai received the M.S.E.E degree from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, in 1983, and the Dr. Eng. degree from Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio, in 1988. In 1988, he joined Howard University, Washington, D.C., as a faculty member, where he is presently a Professor of Electrical Engineering. He is the Founder and Lead Developer of Howard University Motion Control and Drives Laboratory and is actively involved in many projects with industry, while engaged in teaching, research and consulting in the area of artificial intelligence and motion controls. His

Conference Session

Energy Education and Industry Needs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Frank Falcone, Argonne National Laboratory; Terrence Davidovits, A123 Systems; Eric Schacht, The Ohio State Univeristy; Michael Wahlstrom, Argonne National Laboratory

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

AC 2010-1388: INTEGRATION OF MODERN ENERGY STORAGE DESIGNPRACTICES INTO UNIVERSITY AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING PROGRAMSFrank Falcone, Argonne National LaboratoryTerrence Davidovits, A123 SystemsEric Schacht, The Ohio State UniveristyMichael Wahlstrom, Argonne National Laboratory Page 15.783.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Title of the Paper: Integration of Modern Energy Storage Design Practices into University Automotive Engineering ProgramsAbstractAs automotive technology surges forward at an ever increasing pace, Argonne NationalLaboratory works to keep the US Department of Energy sponsored Advanced

Conference Session

Teaching Dynamics

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

J. Shelley, United States Air Force

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

AC 2010-832: USING THE DYNAMICS CONCEPTS INVENTORY AS ACONTINUOUS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT METRIC FOR IMPROVINGSTUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMESJ. Shelley, United States Air Force Page 15.1342.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Using the Dynamics Concepts Inventory as a Continuous Process Improvement Metric for Improving Student Learning OutcomesAbstract Having objective metrics to assess student assimilation of the concepts on whichthe study of Dynamics is based makes it possible to implement Continuous ProcessImprovement on the teaching of this junior-level dynamics class. Over seven semesters,the Dynamics Concepts Inventory was

Conference Session

Teaching Statics

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Masoud Rais-Rohani, Mississippi State University; Andrew Walters, Mississippi State University; Anthony Vizzini, Western Michigan University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

AC 2010-610: EMPORIUM BASED REDESIGN OF STATICS: AN INNOVATIVEAPPROACH TO ENHANCE LEARNING AND REDUCE COSTSMasoud Rais-Rohani, Mississippi State University Masoud Rais-Rohani is a Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics. He teaches courses in aircraft structures, structural mechanics, and design optimization, and his primary research activities are in the area of structural and multidisciplinary design optimization.Andrew Walters, Mississippi State University Andrew Walters is an instructor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering. His primary area of teaching is undergraduate engineering mechanics courses such as Statics, Dynamics, and Mechanics of Materials. Prior to joining

Conference Session

Teaching Dynamics

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brian Self, California Polytechnic State University; James Widmann, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

AC 2010-1367: DYNAMICS BUZZWORD BINGO:ACTIVE/COLLABORATIVE/INDUCTIVE LEARNING, MODEL ELICITINGACTIVITIES, AND CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDINGBrian Self, California Polytechnic State University Brian Self is a Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. Prior to joining the faculty at Cal Poly in 2006, he taught for seven years at the United States Air Force Academy and worked for four years in the Air Force Research Laboratories. Research interests include active learning and engineering education, spatial disorientation, rehabilitation engineering, sports biomechanics, and aerospace physiology. He worked on a team that

Conference Session

Teaching Dynamics

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Josue Njock-Libii, Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

Page 15.1331.3ball [31. A frame-by-frame study of the pictures of bouncing tennis balls obtained using high-speedcameras (2000 frames per second) in our laboratory demonstrated that this process consists of fourseparate and distinct phases: initial contact, deformation of the original shape, restitution andrecovery of the shape of the ball, and separation and takeoff.Phase 1: Contact. Initial contact between the ball and the surface occurs at one point.Phase 2: Deformation. Although the lowest point on the ball has been forced to stop movingduring initial contact, other parts of the ball continue to move downward. Consequently, a periodof continued contact is observed during which the ball is in contact with the surface over an areathat

Collection

2010 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Christopher J. Lowrance

An Efficient Teaching Technique for Engineering Major Christopher J. Lowrance Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department United States Military Academy, West Point, NY 10996 Christopher.Lowrance@usma.eduAbstractAlmost every professor has experimented with various teaching techniques in order to find aneffective way to reach their students. As a new instructor to engineering trying to find my ownpreferred teaching style, I found a particular technique to be extremely effective in terms itsbenefits and the positive feedback I receive from my students. According to numerous educationexperts, just purely lecturing

Collection

2010 Northeast Section Meeting

Authors

Christopher J. Lowrance

An Efficient Teaching Technique for Engineering Major Christopher J. Lowrance Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department United States Military Academy, West Point, NY 10996 Christopher.Lowrance@usma.eduAbstractAlmost every professor has experimented with various teaching techniques in order to find aneffective way to reach their students. As a new instructor to engineering trying to find my ownpreferred teaching style, I found a particular technique to be extremely effective in terms itsbenefits and the positive feedback I receive from my students. According to numerous educationexperts, just purely lecturing

Conference Session

Laboratory Development in ECE

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yakov Cherner, ATeL, LLC; Amin Karim, DeVry University; Ahmed Khan, DeVry University; Gary Mullett, Springfield Technical Community College

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

AC 2010-2327: WEB-BASED INTERACTIVE VIRTUAL LABORATORIES FORELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AND MANUFACTURING EDUCATIONYakov Cherner, ATeL, LLC YAKOV E. CHERNER, Ph.D., is the Founder and President of ATEL, LLC. He combines over 25 years of teaching experience with extensive experience in writing curricula and developing educational software and efficient instructional strategies. Dr. Cherner develops new concepts and simulation-based e-learning tools for STEM education that use real-world objects, processes and learning situations as the context for science, engineering and technology investigations. He also proposed and implemented the pioneering concept of integrated adjustable virtual

Collection

2010 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Christopher L. Reitsma

Reinvigorating Microcontroller Laboratories with Experiences and Applications of Common Devices Major Christopher L. Reitsma, Dept. of EE&CS, United States Military AcademyAbstractMany non-engineering Cadets at the United States Military Academy take a sequence of coursesin Electrical Engineering as part of their requirement to earn a Bachelor’s of Science. The finalcourse in the sequence incorporates the programming of a microcontroller, including theutilization of analog and digital circuits, and implementation of robotics as part of militaryelectronic systems. Because of the limited programming experience of these students, the courseuses the BOE-Bot containing a BASIC Stamp 2 microcontroller

Conference Session

Sustainable Energy Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Blekhman; Jason Keith; Ahmad Sleiti; Eileen Cashman; Peter Lehman; Richard Engel; Michael Mann; Hossein Salehfar

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

demonstrators3, 4, 5, 6 to undergraduate research7 or summer researchprojects for undergraduates8. In Shirkhanzadeh,3 a thin-layer fuel cell is described that isparticularly useful for teaching and classroom demonstrations combining both an electrolyzerand a fuel cell. Lin4 and Fenton5 in the Chemical Engineering Department at the University ofConnecticut present a more comprehensive laboratory set up with a full set of experimentsdemonstrating the principles related to proton exchange membrane fuel cell. The fuel cell is setin a holistic environment that also includes solar panel, electrolyzer, and gas storage realizinggreat flexibility of topics supported. Ososanya6 presents a 10V hydrogen fuel cell built bystacking 10 1volt single fuel cell as an

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Vladimir Genis, Drexel University; Michael Mauk, Drexel University; Yury Gogotsi, Drexel University; Dhruv Sakalley, Drexel University; James Hagarman, Drexel University; Holly Burnside, Drexel University

of a Laboratory-Based Course in Lean Six Sigma NanomanufacturingAbstractWe are developing a laboratory- and project-based Lean Six Sigma Nanomanufacturing courseunder an NSF Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement Grant, Type 1. The laboratory-and project-based course will teach Applied Engineering Technology (AET) studentsnanomanufacturing by combining hands-on nanotechnology laboratory experiments and SixSigma analysis with lectures on Lean manufacturing principles and implementation. AETstudents will be introduced to nanotechnology principles, projects, and laboratory procedures byworking with leading faculty members through classroom instruction, guest lectures, and fieldtrips. During an 11-week term, the

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Milo Koretsky, Oregon State University; Christine Kelly, Oregon State University

practicing engineer in industry. The objectives of thisresearch are to explore the types of cognition and social interactions of student teams as theyengage in these virtual laboratories, to determine the role of instructional design in the responseof student teams, and to ascertain whether virtual laboratories can effectively promote types oflearning that are difficult or impossible to achieve from physical laboratories.Objectives The specific objectives of the NSF CCLI Phase 2 project are to: 1. Create the following learning materials and teaching strategies based on virtual laboratories: A. Enhance the Virtual CVD laboratory by including interactive reflection tools (e.g., interactive lab notebook, a virtual supervisor

Conference Session

Demonstration and Project Enhancements in Chemical Engineering Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Polly Piergiovanni, Lafayette College; J. Ronald Martin, Lafayette College

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

AC 2010-1373: FERMENTATION LABORATORY EXERCISE HELPS FIRSTYEAR STUDENTS UNDERSTAND LOG-TRANSFORMED VARIABLESPolly Piergiovanni, Lafayette CollegeJ. Ronald Martin, Lafayette College Page 15.580.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Fermentation Laboratory Exercise Helps First Year Students Understand Log-Transformed Variables in Linear RegressionAbstractLafayette College’s Introduction to Engineering course offers students a chance to learn aboutfive branches of engineering. The students spend approximately three weeks with faculty fromeach branch, and complete three laboratory exercises during that time. In the chemicalengineering branch, the

Conference Session

Web-based Learning in ECE

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kathleen Meehan, Virginia Tech; Joshua Quesenberry, Virginia Tech; Justeen Olinger, Virginia Western Community College; Kevin Diomedi II, Virginia Western Community College; Robert Hendricks, Virginia Tech; Richard Clark, Virginia Western Community College; Peter Doolittle, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

support the needs of theincoming transfer students and students engaged in co-op and internship programs,we decided to develop a distance learning hands-on laboratory course, anopportunity that is possible due to the flexible platform offered by LiaB. Lectures oneach experiment and other supplemental learning materials have been developed,used in the on-campus course during Spring 2010, and converted to Powerpointslides with embedded audio for use in the on-line course. A key component to theon-campus laboratory course is regular one-on-one interactions between eachstudent and the course instructor or graduate teaching assistant (GTA). Hence,‘face-to-face’ communication was immediately identified as a critical requirementfor the success of the on

Conference Session

Enhancing CE Learning Through Use of Technology

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ghulam Bham, Missouri University of Science and Technology; Dan Cernusca, Missouri University of Science and Technology; Uday Manepalli, Missouri University of Science and Technology; Ronaldo Luna, Missouri University of Science and Technology

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

Page 15.1114.2curriculum especially for transportation planners.To resolve some of the above issues, the transportation engineering curriculum (including bothtopics and teaching methods) needs to be more rigorous and technically focused to meet marketneeds5. In recent years, web-based education has become a popular and effective way ofcomplementing classroom instruction. Online learning tools bring a classroom laboratory right infront of a student on the computer. Web-based learning tools also offer the benefit of platform,independence of location, and flexibility of usage. The learning tools can be accessed anytimeand from anywhere around the world from computers with Internet access5. Smith and Cunningham6 describe the ideal learner as one