Conference Session

Labs & Hands-on Instruction II

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kenneth A. Connor, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Dianna Newman, University at Albany/SUNY; Kathy Ann Gullie Ph.D., Evaluation Consortium, University at Albany/SUNY; Paul M. Schoch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

the PowerPoint files. He was completely involved indeveloping the “flip” but didn’t create any video content. Reflecting on this after the semester, itwas a mistake to attempt what might be called a partial flip. He agreed to take of EI because hewas given the opportunity to teach a well-developed flipped course. He also was building on hisexperience from the earlier course. The fundamental reason why he was interested is based onreading papers and forming a conviction that his time with the students is best served helpingthem get past difficulties by learning how they approach problems. Then he is able to help themdetermine where there are gaps in their knowledge and how to use the course resources to bridgethose gaps. A lecture isn’t

Conference Session

Labs & Hands-on Instruction I

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kathleen Meehan, Virginia Tech; Andrew Phillips, The University of Glasgow

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

individual LED positioned at two distances to observer. Narrow and  Analyse the calculated far-field angle with respect to the Wide Angle experimental variables. LEDs  Compare the experimental far-field angles with the expected values documented in the component datasheets.  Theorise why the measurements were made while pulsing the LEDs.  Reflect on the accuracy of the calculated far-field angle and the changes in light intensity with angle as observed by eye.  Compare the linearity of response of the optical sensor and the human eye as the optical power emitted by an LED

Conference Session

Electrical and Computer Division Poster Session

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Danda B. Rawat, Georgia Southern University; Chandra Bajracharya, Georgia Southern University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

the implications and interconnectionsbetween key terms and concepts linked to a topic. In this paper, we have present results based onthe “thought bubbles” approach for ‘Cybersecurity (for Networked Systems)’ course and‘Program Design for Engineers’ course. However, the proposed approach can be implemented inany other courses in a straightforward manner.AcknowledgementsThis work is supported in part by the US National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant CNS1405670. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this materialare those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation. The authorswould like to thank the students who participated in the feedback process for different coursesand

Conference Session

Electrical and Computer Division Technical Session 7

Collection

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joshua Alexéi García Sheridan, Virginia Tech; Richard M. Goff, Virginia Tech; Seungmo Kim, Georgia Southern University; Vuk Marojevic, Virginia Tech; Carl B. Dietrich, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

experience for theirengineering learning and development.AcknowledgmentThis work was made possible in part by Motorola Solutions Foundation Innovation Generationgrants, by National Science Foundation award 1432416, by ONR STEM grant 11884065. Anyopinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those ofthe author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsors.References[1] Executive Office of the President, President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, “Report to the President: Realizing the full potential of government-held spectrum to spur economic growth,” Tech. Rep., 2012. [Online]. Available: https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ostp/pcast/docsreports[2] Defense

Conference Session

Insights for Teaching ECE Courses - Session I

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bryan A. Jones, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

studentswhich study these translations; however, relying on any manual process inevitably leads to error.Students must often rely on manual or ad-hoc methods to check their homework and laboratorysubmissions, ranging from visual inspection of their code by teaching assistants to a set ofloosely-defined functional tests – “if it works, your code is good enough.” More formal ap-proaches, such as the use of unit tests to verify C translations, place a significant burden on theinstructor: do the tests written correctly reflect the operation of a C compiler? Subtle issues suchas integer promotion require extraordinary ability to develop a set of correct and accurate tests.In addition, writing a comprehensive set of unit tests for each translation requires a

Conference Session

Assessment of Learning in ECE Courses

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Ahmed Dallal, University of Pittsburgh; April Dukes, University of Pittsburgh; Renee M. Clark, University of Pittsburgh

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

, University of Pittsburgh. She conducts research on education projects that focus on active learning and engineering professional development. Current research includes the propagation of active learning throughout the Swanson School and the use of systematic reflection and metacognitive activities within coursework. She received the Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and the MS in Mechanical Engineering from Case Western. She has over 25 years of experience as an engineer and analyst in industry and academia. She completed her post-doctoral studies in engineering education at the University of Pittsburgh. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2020

Conference Session

Optical and Wireless Communication Systems

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adam Neale, University of Waterloo; Jason Shirtliff, University of Waterloo; William Bishop, University of Waterloo; Cutberto Santillan Rios, University of Waterloo

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

, none of the available tools accurately reflected the laboratory materialenough to warrant use in the course. Most of the existing simulators either did not use thedesired antenna configurations or did not facilitate altering the desired parameters of interest.The tools that did allow the detailed examination of the desire parameters of interest were toocomplicated and contained too many features for the simple pre-lab exercise. Also, none of thetools attempted to explain the underlying theory in a way suitable for students. Thus, it wasdetermined that a simulation tool should be developed by the university to facilitate the needs ofthe dipole antenna laboratory study.The end product of this development is a suite of four simulation tools

Conference Session

New Trends in ECE Education I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sandra Yost, University of Detroit Mercy; Mohan Krishnan, University of Detroit Mercy; Mark Paulik, University of Detroit Mercy

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

this course,” 37% ofthose who responded either agreed or strongly agreed.We believe that these disappointing results reflect some resistance from the students to engage inthe kind of independent enquiry-based learning that the instructor expected from them throughoutthe course. After discussion, it was suggested that in the second offering of the course, theinstructor provide a little more structure and guidance early on to gradually build up the students’confidence in their ability to seek the relevant information needed to solve novel problems.4.1.4 EE355: Advanced Electronic SystemsTo the statement: “I find the design projects interesting and effective in connecting theory withpractice,” 83% of those who responded either agreed or

Conference Session

Digital and Embedded System Design

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Clint Kohl, Cedarville University; Keith Shomper, Cedarville University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

to become more familiar with the application. The culmination of these interviews is reflected in the software Page 12.348.6 requirements document (SRD). The SRD includes a full description of the application’s features from a user’s perspective. It also presents the application in context with the systems (e.g., hardware, software, process) with which it must integrate. The final version of the SRD is due six to seven weeks into the semester. 4. Software Design Document: At 12 weeks, the software design document (SDD) is due. The SDD begins where the SRD left off by describing the user-visible components (e.g

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

Projects in ECE

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Wookwon Lee, Gannon University; Nicholas B. Conklin, Gannon University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Teflon tape to reflect stray photons back in, increasing the numberof photons detected by the SiPM, and then in electrical tape to block outside light. A wrappedscintillator is shown in Figure 4(b). Each SiPM isconnected to a pre-amplifier, also visible in thephotos. The pre-amplifier generates a negativepulse with a magnitude ranging from 0 to about -1.0V depending on the number of photonsimpinging on the SiPM. The advantage of usingSiPMs over traditional photomultiplier tubes       (PMTs) is that they only require a very low (~30V)             (a)                         (b) bias voltage, as opposed to the ~1 kV require by

Conference Session

Innovations in Computer Engineering Courses

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bill D Carroll P.E., University of Texas, Arlington; Shawn N Gieser, University Of Texas At Arlington; David Levine, University of Texas, Arlington

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

. Page 24.54.9 Students were required to write a project report to document their design, implementation, and test results. The quality of reports was uneven across the class. On reflection, this result is understandable given that, typically, our students have not taken a technical communications course before taking the digital logic course. On the last day of class, students were asked to complete a survey concerning their experiences relative to laboratory exercises and term project. See Table 3 for a summary of the results. The same survey will be given at the end of the current (spring 2014) offering of the course. Generally speaking, the survey results are consistent with the observations of the authors. The

Conference Session

Embedded System Design

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bin Wang, Wright State University; Zhiqiang Wu, Wright State University; Yong Pei, Wright State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

the modules (for visual learners); verbal narrative and explanations (forverbal learners) may also be an integrated part. Small online quizzes and questions posed willprovide opportunities for active participation (for active learners) and time for individualthinking (for reflective learners).Lab Development Supporting Wireless Communication Page 15.1072.8Lab one: Analog modulation and demodulationIn this lab, students will experiment different analog modulation and demodulation techniquesincluding AM, FM, SSB, DSBSC in the prescribed part. They will then build AM and FMreceivers which can tune to AM and FM radio stations. Advanced students

Conference Session

STEM and ECE

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Khosrow Ghadiri, San Jose State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

-managed and Page 24.391.8effective learning unit. The faculty takes great pains to foster this growth and help manage theseteams throughout the semester.The live portion of the class necessitates the utmost faculty preparation and organization. In thefirst ten minutes of the class, a question and answer discussion is held reflecting the materialcovered in e-learning to gauge the level of understanding of the students. Concurrently, theteacher assistants gather e-learning surveys that the students filled out after watching the onlinelectures. The results are quickly compiled identifying common difficulties for the faculty toaddress. A 15-minute

Conference Session

Innovations in Electrical Engineering Courses

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daniel Raviv, Florida Atlantic University; George Jonathan Roskovich, Florida Atlantic University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Page 24.173.3 With these facts in mind, it is no coincidence that as each year goes by, teachers notice agreater percentage of students having difficulty understanding key concepts from difficultcoursework. With that said, it is not for lack of trying that students are failing to connect betweenwhat they learn and what is expected of them. Studies have shown that 65% of the populationbenefits more from visual learning than any other style 6. As this can serve as a reflection of thechanging world, it is up to educators to adapt to these changes to ensure that students are giventhe highest probability of success. Addressing this growing trend, an approach has been developed to cater to students’increasing demand for teaching techniques

Conference Session

Assessment of Learning in ECE

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mohammed Taqiuddin Taher, DeVry University, Addison; Ahmed S. Khan, DeVry University, DuPage

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

pace progress in discovery and understanding of issues.  Facilitating the presentation of ‘dry concepts’ in another way – by integration of theory and practice. The present study focused on the use of simulation as an instructional method to improvestudent learning. Specifically scaffolding and exploration domains of cognitive apprenticeshipwere employed to explore their impact on student learning. Due to limitations of simulationsoftware elements like modeling, coaching, articulation, and reflection were not addressed (SeeTable 2). Also Multisim features do not allow interactivity component thus modulation will notbe directly studied. Since the present study primarily focused on the use of scaffold

Conference Session

Recruitment, Retention, and First-Year Programs in ECE

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hector A. Ochoa, University of Texas, Tyler; Mukul Shirvaikar, University of Texas, Tyler

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

students were given a survey composed of sixteen questions to evaluate the success of thecourse. The survey is given to the students the last week of the semester during class. Theprofessor is required to leave the classroom while the students fill out the survey. Since some ofthe questions are reflective in nature, in the following years the authors will seriously considermodifying the survey methodology to include two surveys: one at the beginning of the class andone later. One of the major difficulties with this approach is to quantify and measure items like“knowledge of the area of electrical engineering” at the beginning of the course. The first sixquestions of the survey are committed to obtaining information about the amount of knowledge

Conference Session

New Developments in Teaching Electromagnetics and Related Topics

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yong Xu, Virginia Tech; Kathleen Meehan, Virginia Tech; Cortney V. Martin, Virginia Tech; Alan B Overby; Xiangyu Wei, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

compare the results from themeasurements with those obtained from the steps performed in the Analysis and Modeling.The students are required to submit a lab report, which is graded and returned to providefeedback to the students.Concepts to Experiments Page 22.1669.5The concepts integrated into the first four experiments are: far-field angle, numerical aperture,collection efficiency, Malus’ Law, Beer-Lambert Law, and total internal reflection. Theexperiments that cover these concepts are: Propagation in Free Space and DetectorResponsivity; Coupling Efficiency; Polarization and Vector Dot Product; and Total InternalReflection and Absorption

Conference Session

Innovative Instructional Strategies and Curricula in ECE I

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chen Jia, Kansas State University; Andrew G. Bennett, Kansas State University; Dong-Hai Nguyen, Kansas State University; N. Sanjay Rebello, Kansas State University; Steve Warren, Kansas State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

. Follow-on exams andinterviews will determine whether these updates were successful.AcknowledgementsThis material is based upon work supported by the National Science FoundationResearch and Evaluation on Education in Science and Engineering (REESE)Program under grant DRL–0816207. Opinions, findings, conclusions, orrecommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do notnecessarily reflect the views of the NSF. Studies involving human subjects wereconducted with KSU Human Studies Board oversight under protocol #4691.References[1] Warren, Steve, "Optimizing Student Learning and Retention of Time- and Frequency-Domain Concepts Through Numerical Computation Projects," 2005 Annual Conference and Exposition

Conference Session

Pedagogy and Assessment in ECE III

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jianbiao Pan, California Polytechnic State University; Albert Liddicoat, California Polytechnic State University; James Harris, California Polytechnic State University; Linda Shepherd, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

score (e.g. 85 or 93) for eachquestion that best reflects the evidence provided in the senior project report. Please consider thefollowing grading criteria when assigning a numeric score.A – (90-100) Superior Attainment of Course ObjectivesB – (80-89) Good Attainment of Course ObjectivesC – (70-79) Acceptable Attainment of Course ObjectivesD – (60-69) Poor Attainment of Course ObjectivesF – ( 0-59) Non-Attainment of Course Objectives1. Overall system level design SCORE ____________ Several All requirements Some requirements Most requirements

Conference Session

Student Engagement in ECE

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sergey Makarov, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Reinhold Ludwig, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Stephen Bitar, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

important when studying operationalamplifiers, where the current path to the voltage supply and the role of the voltage supply itselfare frequently ignored by some students.Fig. 1 illustrates the current flow in a typical dual-rail amplifier. Fig. 1a) corresponds to the push Page 15.1048.2mode - the non-inverting amplifier sources the current from the power supply. Fig. 1b)corresponds to the pull mode - the non-inverting amplifier sinks the current into the powersource. Such a figure attracts close class attention and allows students to reflect on initialamplifier concepts. In particular, it clearly establishes the role of the dual power supply

Conference Session

Innovations in Power Engineering Education

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sanghun Choi, Purdue University; Maryam Saeedifard, Purdue University; Rohit Shenoy, MathWorks

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Fig. 8: A fabricated three-phase dc-ac inverter.Student Evaluation and AssessmentTo insure that the objectives of the project were reached, the students’ learning experience andthe instructional approach in the proposed laboratory were closely monitored based on pre-laboratory assignments, in-laboratory performances, and the end-of-semester student evaluationscores. The collected data was analyzed to reflect (i) the quality and effectiveness of thelaboratory assignments in familiarizing the students with experimentation, (ii) the effectivenessof the industrial grade tools in the laboratory in upgrading the students perspectives, as comparedwith other undergraduate courses they have taken, and (iii) the students level of confidence,internal

Conference Session

Teaching Circuit Theory and Electronics

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James W. Bales, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

make recommendations for further work.Structure of the SubjectConceptually, the subject can be broken into three sections, each 3 or 4 weeks long. The firstfocuses on giving students success with some simple design projects and introducing a few keycomponents. The only items of test equipment used are a triple-output power supply and a digitalmulti-meter (DMM). The second section goes into more depth in both theory (e.g., AC instead ofDC, capacitors) and tools (the function generator and oscilloscope are introduced). The finalsection of the subject is the final project.The pace is kept fast, and we try to maximize the time spent building circuits while allowingenough time for reflection and discussion. We now present the material covered each

Conference Session

Experiential Learning in ECE

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kathleen Meehan, Virginia Tech; Robert W. Hendricks, Virginia Tech; Cortney V. Martin, Virginia Tech; Peter Doolittle, Virginia Tech; Richadr Lee Clark, Virginia Western Community College

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

-course survey was conducted in the secondweek of class and the follow-up post-course survey was conducted after the completion of thefinal Lab-in-a-Box course project.MethodsSurveys were made available on the student course management sites. Completion of thesurveys was a required component of the course as a self-reflective component of their learning,but students could opt to have their data excluded from the study.In ECE 2074, of the 121 enrolled students, 106 completed the pre-course survey and 95permitted their data to be released. A total of 91 students responded to the post-course survey,with 80 students allowing use of their data. Just over half were second-years, a quarter werethird-years, and the rest were in their fourth year or

Conference Session

Electrical and Computer Poster Session

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David H. Hoe, University of Texas, Tyler

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

theavailable funding allowed the two sophomore students to be paid for only ten hours per weekduring the summer months. It is gratifying to see that the summer research experience had apositive impact on the students’ plans for graduate school as reflected in the response to thefourth statement.Summary and ConclusionsSeveral important lessons learned for enabling successful undergraduate student research inFPGAs are now summarized. First, while rather obvious, it is worth stating again, the importanceof finding the right quality of student. Students who are motivated and especially those who arepondering graduate school are key.8,18 All five of the students represented in this paper areconsidering graduate school or have already applied. (One of them

Conference Session

New Trends in ECE Education I

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bosco Mansel Oliver, Clemson University; John R. Wagner, Clemson University; Elham B. Makram, Clemson University; Rajendra DUPE Singh, Clemson University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

conclusion will be presentedin Section 5.2. Fundamentals of Solar EnergySolar energy has the theoretical potential to power the entire world. Over the course of a year,the earth receives 17 GW of energy from the sun. Approximately 30% of the solarradiation is reflected back into space while the rest is absorbed by clouds, oceans, and landmasses. So the earth’s surface receives roughly 89 GW of energy. The yearly globalconsumption of energy is 16 GW5. Therefore, capturing all the global solar energy for asmall time period can nearly fulfill this amount. Solar energy can be converted to both heat andelectricity. Solar heating can be used to provide domestic hot water, space heating, cooking, anddrying. Direct solar

Conference Session

Capstone Design and Innovations in ECE

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hanqi Zhuang, Florida Atlantic University; Oren Masory, Florida Atlantic University; Zvi S Roth

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

students’ learning experience [14-16]: 1. Is the design the result of consultation with the healthcare practitioners and persons with disabilities? 2. Is the design suited to the users' diverse social and physical environments? 3. Does the design reflect the technology innovations in the field? 4. Is the analytical component of the design sound? 5. Is the design inexpensive to produce, purchase and maintain? 6. Is the design easy to use? 7. Is the design effective? 8. Will the eventual product be affordable? Sample projects are given in the next section.IV. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SAMPLE PROJECTSA. Mobility Assist Device for Traversing StepsThe device allows for the transport of a person in a wheelchair up and down steps

Conference Session

Electrical and Computer Division Technical Session 8

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Zeran Zhu, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign; Ujjal K. Bhowmik, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign; Yue Wang, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign; Zuofu Cheng, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign; Yuting W. Chen, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

extra credits earned fromcompleting the modules. Therefore, the original final score is the reflection of their overallacademic performance in the course. Based on their original final score, students were assignedletter grades from A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, to F. We use the standard cut-offsof 97 / 93 / 90 / 87 / 83 / 80 / 77 / 73 / 70 / 67 / 63 / 60 when assigning letter grades. To simplifyour analysis, students were divided into three groups based on their original final letter grade torepresent three different levels of course performance. Students who had original final lettergrades of A+, A, and A- belong to Group 1; those with original final letter grades of B+, B, andB- belong to Group 2; and the rest (with original