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Enhancing Student Learning Through State-of- the-Art Systems Level Design and Implementation: The Development of a Lower Division Learning Module

Abstract

The Cal Poly/Allan Hancock team is developing a learning module that will allow all lower division engineering students to design, fabricate, assemble, and test an electronic system implemented on a printed circuit board (PCB). All the services necessary to perform this laboratory experiment will be provided with low-cost vendors available on the . The learning module is being developed so that it can be integrated into the existing electrical engineering lower division courses that are required by all engineering students. The laboratory learning module will use operational amplifiers (op amp), resistors, capacitors and other common electronic components to study the theory of op am circuits, and to apply these circuits to the interfacing of electronic signals with the physical world. The learning module will replace two existing laboratory experiments on op amps with a five week exercise. After lecture on the theory, the five week exercise will consist of one week of laboratory introducing the PCB technology and the PCB design tool. Outside of class, the students will submit their designs (after instructor review) to a vendor for fabrication, and order their parts. After about three weeks, the students are expected to have received the fabricated PCB and to have assembled the parts on the PCB. On the last week, they will test their board and perform the experiment. Thus, this learning module will be compatible with current course/lab schedules, and could be conveniently incorporated into an existing course/lab to meet and extend the existing laboratory learning objectives.

Introduction

In today’s global environment it is imperative that engineering graduates are prepared to enter the workforce with the skills necessary to make immediate contributions. A review of that imperative identified a gap in the engineering curricula: there is a lack of “systems” level design experience that requires engineering students to synthesize what they have learned in their curriculum and extend their knowledge outside their field of study through independent learning.

In an attempt to address this issue in the computer engineering curriculum at Cal Poly, we are building a pipeline in the curriculum to properly prepare and engage students in project-based learning activities. More specifically, we are developing a new electronics design and manufacturing course, a new introduction to systems design course, and incorporating a scalable solution to project-based learning into the curriculum1. The project-based learning experience is aimed to provide a multidisciplinary environment to design the hardware and software components of a system while industrial and manufacturing engineering students fabricate and assemble the boards. This experience in the undergraduate computer engineering curriculum will better prepare students to enter the workforce after obtaining a four-year degree and to better meet their employers’ expectations.

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Harris, J., & Dalbello, D., & Pan, J., & Liddicoat, A. (2008, June), Enhancing Student Learning Through State Of The Art Systems Level Design And Implementation: The Development Of A Lower Division Learning Module Paper presented at 2008 Annual Conference & Exposition, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 10.18260/1-2--3756