CATE: A Circuit Analysis Tool for Education
- Conference
- Location
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New Orleans, Louisiana
- Publication Date
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June 26, 2016
- Start Date
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June 26, 2016
- End Date
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June 29, 2016
- ISBN
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978-0-692-68565-5
- ISSN
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2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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Electrical and Computer
- Page Count
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15
- DOI
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10.18260/p.26463
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/26463
- Download Count
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908
Paper Authors
Fred W. DePiero California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Dr. Fred DePiero received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Michigan State University in 1985 and 1987. He then worked as a Development Associate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory until 1993. Fred began working on his Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee while still at ORNL, and completed it in May 1996. Fred joined the faculty at Cal Poly in September of 1996. He is presently serving as the Associate Dean for Student Success in the College of Engineering.
K. Clay McKell
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
orcid.org/0000-0001-6027-0641
Clay McKell earned his B.S. degree, summa cum laude, in mechanical engineering from UCLA in 2006. He earned his M.S. degree in mechanical engineering from UCLA in 2007. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and teaching as a lecturer in the Electrical Engineering Department at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. His research interests include distributed control of multi-agent networks as well as STEM education practices that foster diversity and equity.
Bridget Benson California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Bridget Benson received a Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obipso in 2005, a Master's degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California Santa Barbara in 2007 and a PhD degree in the Computer Science and Engineering at the University of California San Diego in 2010. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Electrical Engineering Department at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obipso. Her research interests span engineering education, embedded systems, and ecological monitoring.
Abstract
This paper describes a new teaching and learning tool for linear circuit analysis, CATE (the Circuit Analysis Tool for Education). CATE supports both active and passive learning for students. In passive mode, it generates circuits, transparently formulates necessary equations, and solves for unknowns. Students can vary the difficulty of the problem and choose the desired solution method: equivalent circuits, nodal analysis, or mesh analysis. In active mode, CATE generates and grades practice problems in areas including DC and AC analysis, Thevenin modeling, and superposition. CATE is a free web resource that works in a variety of browsers, at YourLearningCoach.com. Student evaluations of the system suggest that it has already become a useful study tool. We proceed to describe the implementation of the CATE software including such novel features as guaranteed "nice" numeric values and platform-independence.
DePiero, F. W., & McKell, K. C., & Benson, B. (2016, June), CATE: A Circuit Analysis Tool for Education Paper presented at 2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, New Orleans, Louisiana. 10.18260/p.26463
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