Creating Learning Communities for Student Success in Gateway Discrete Linear Systems

Cheryl B. Schrader

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Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: June 26, 2024
Conference Session: Community Building and Student Engagement
Tagged Division: Electrical and Computer Engineering Division (ECE)
Page Count: 14
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--47087
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/47087
Download Count: 94

Paper Authors

biography

Cheryl B. Schrader Wright State University

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Cheryl B. Schrader recently retired as president and rejoined full-time professor ranks in Wright State University's Department of Electrical Engineering. Prior to Wright State she served as chancellor of Missouri University of Science and Technology and associate vice president for research and dean of engineering at Boise State University. Professor Schrader earned her BSEE degree from Valparaiso University and MSEE and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Notre Dame. Over her career she received several best paper and presentation awards; authored approximately 100 publications; and delivered more than 100 invited presentations and keynote addresses. Her grant and contract funding exceeds $11 million.

A Fellow of both the ASEE and IEEE, Professor Schrader has served ASEE in myriad technical, regional and institute-level leadership positions and committees and has been recognized for her many contributions. She was most honored to receive the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring from the White House, enhancing participation of individuals who might not otherwise have considered or had access to opportunities in STEM.

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Abstract

Wright State University is a multi-campus, public research university headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, which has one of the largest concentrations of electrical engineers and computer scientists in the United States [1]. By the early twentieth century this region was well-known as a center for innovation and entrepreneurship, becoming the top site in the country in patents per capita in 1903 when the university’s namesakes Orville and Wilbur Wright flew. Wright State University was created in 1967 to meet the region’s needs for research, innovation and education and is situated on land that formerly belonged to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB), home of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and five directorates. Technology companies surround the university and base, creating a vibrant innovation hub. To this day, electrical engineering continues to play a large role in the workforce and in opportunity afforded the citizenry, university and prospective and current students of all ages.

In a proactive move to provide students more flexibility, electrical engineering faculty members at Wright State University conducted an in-depth review of all course pre-requisites to streamline the Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) program and make it more adaptable for students with diverse experiences to progress through their degrees. This includes high school students accessing university curricula through the state’s dual enrollment opportunities; a technology workforce heavy in job opportunities, internships and co-ops for those with degrees and interest in electrical engineering at all levels; a large influx of active and retired military and civilians; and an accessible and affordable research university in the heart of it all. Among others, changes in pre-requisites occurred in both Continuous Linear Systems and Discrete Linear Systems, which had previously been offered respectively in sequence and had required higher-level mathematics.

These gateway courses were both reorganized with the same pre-requisites effective Summer 2022 – Analog Circuit Theory with accompanying laboratory and Calculus II – without any particular ordering of linear systems courses; that is, students may take continuous first, discrete first, or both courses simultaneously. This flexibility recognizes that diverse student experiences may enhance student success dependent upon the first course passed. Of note, Analog Circuit Theory now includes electrical quantities and their relationships, transform-calculus impedance models, conservation models leveraging algebraic solutions, transform-calculus-derived algebraic models of dynamic systems, and mathematical solution techniques. Calculus II remains fairly standard and includes integration techniques, applications of the definite integral, numeral integration and improper integrals, parametric equations and polar coordinates, and infinite sequences and series. The author taught both linear systems courses in addition to follow-on control courses before and after these pre-requisite changes were implemented and was successful in transitioning learning achievement to the new pre-requisite scenario.

Both courses are gateway, required courses for the BSEE, often are first courses in the major that challenge students theoretically, and either or both may become a barrier to success; as such, they have higher rates of students earning a D or an F or withdrawing from the class with a W (i.e., DFW rates). Many required courses and technical electives in the junior and senior years dictate proficiency in foundational linear systems topics. For these reasons and at the author’s recommendation, the Wright State University College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) Undergraduate Policy and Curriculum Committee selected these two linear systems courses to include in a year-long, university-wide initiative to improve student success.

Although originally designed for online/hybrid implementation, many of the innovative strategies on creating learning communities reported here port seamlessly to in-person classes and benefit students regardless of content or modality. Such ideas were implemented in the author’s Summer 2023 online/hybrid course and Fall 2023 in-person/hybrid offering of Discrete Linear Systems with promising results.

The section following provides additional motivation and novel strategies demonstrated to be particularly attuned with the current generation of students effected by COVID-19 and other disruptions in learning. With flexibility at the forefront, important factors to student success and skills gaps are addressed. Specific course enhancements and results then are highlighted and conclusions described.

Citation
Format

Schrader, C. B. (2024, June), Creating Learning Communities for Student Success in Gateway Discrete Linear Systems Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. 10.18260/1-2--47087

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Wright State University is a multi-campus, public research university headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, which has one of the largest concentrations of electrical engineers and computer scientists in the United States [1]. By the early twentieth century this region was well-known as a center for innovation and entrepreneurship, becoming the top site in the country in patents per capita in 1903 when the university’s namesakes Orville and Wilbur Wright flew. Wright State University was created in 1967 to meet the region’s needs for research, innovation and education and is situated on land that formerly belonged to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB), home of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and five directorates. Technology companies surround the university and base, creating a vibrant innovation hub. To this day, electrical engineering continues to play a large role in the workforce and in opportunity afforded the citizenry, university and prospective and current students of all ages.  

In a proactive move to provide students more flexibility, electrical engineering faculty members at Wright State University conducted an in-depth review of all course pre-requisites to streamline the Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) program and make it more adaptable for students with diverse experiences to progress through their degrees. This includes high school students accessing university curricula through the state’s dual enrollment opportunities; a technology workforce heavy in job opportunities, internships and co-ops for those with degrees and interest in electrical engineering at all levels; a large influx of active and retired military and civilians; and an accessible and affordable research university in the heart of it all. Among others, changes in pre-requisites occurred in both Continuous Linear Systems and Discrete Linear Systems, which had previously been offered respectively in sequence and had required higher-level mathematics. 

These gateway courses were both reorganized with the same pre-requisites effective Summer 2022 – Analog Circuit Theory with accompanying laboratory and Calculus II – without any particular ordering of linear systems courses; that is, students may take continuous first, discrete first, or both courses simultaneously. This flexibility recognizes that diverse student experiences may enhance student success dependent upon the first course passed. Of note, Analog Circuit Theory now includes electrical quantities and their relationships, transform-calculus impedance models, conservation models leveraging algebraic solutions, transform-calculus-derived algebraic models of dynamic systems, and mathematical solution techniques. Calculus II remains fairly standard and includes integration techniques, applications of the definite integral, numeral integration and improper integrals, parametric equations and polar coordinates, and infinite sequences and series. The author taught both linear systems courses in addition to follow-on control courses before and after these pre-requisite changes were implemented and was successful in transitioning learning achievement to the new pre-requisite scenario.

Both courses are gateway, required courses for the BSEE, often are first courses in the major that challenge students theoretically, and either or both may become a barrier to success; as such, they have higher rates of students earning a D or an F or withdrawing from the class with a W (i.e., DFW rates). Many required courses and technical electives in the junior and senior years dictate proficiency in foundational linear systems topics. For these reasons and at the author’s recommendation, the Wright State University College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) Undergraduate Policy and Curriculum Committee selected these two linear systems courses to include in a year-long, university-wide initiative to improve student success. 

Although originally designed for online/hybrid implementation, many of the innovative strategies on creating learning communities reported here port seamlessly to in-person classes and benefit students regardless of content or modality. Such ideas were implemented in the author’s Summer 2023 online/hybrid course and Fall 2023 in-person/hybrid offering of Discrete Linear Systems with promising results. 

The section following provides additional motivation and novel strategies demonstrated to be particularly attuned with the current generation of students effected by COVID-19 and other disruptions in learning. With flexibility at the forefront, important factors to student success and skills gaps are addressed. Specific course enhancements and results then are highlighted and conclusions described. 



AU  - Cheryl B. Schrader
CY  - Portland, Oregon
DA  - 2024/06/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Creating Learning Communities for Student Success in Gateway Discrete Linear Systems
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/47087
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--47087
ER  -