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Session 1526

Integration of Computer-Based Electronics Laboratory into a Control Systems Course

Julio Garcia and Patricia Ryaby Backer San José State University

Abstract

The goal of this project is to adapt the work of other researchers to improve the delivery of electronics lecture and laboratory content in the Electronics & Computer Technology (ECT) area of the BS in Industrial Technology at San Jose State University. There are several other demographic factors that serve to make the delivery of instruction challenging for the department. Approximately 70% of ECT students work at least 30 hours a week. SJSU also has a diverse student population with 62% of all undergraduates identified as having non-White ethnicity. A higher percentage (69%) of the undergraduate students in the BSIT are non-White and there are significantly more students from Asian backgrounds in the BSIT than in the university as a whole. From the research on ethnic and gender differences in learning styles, the evidence suggests that ethnic minorities and women work best when the material is organized so that students work in teams and have a high level of hands-on experimentation and problem- solving. To fund this curricular development, we received a NSF CCLI grant. The four objectives for this project are (1) Revise the lecture and laboratory content for Tech 167— Control Systems in line with theories of effectiveness in web-based instruction (Fisher & Nygren1; NSF23; Shiratuddin, Hassan, & Landoni2); (2) Develop multimedia lecture materials for the teaching/learning of Tech 167—Control Systems using WebCT (Sharer & Frisbee3); (3) Revise the laboratory activities to integrate an electronics kit (consisting of data acquisition hardware) so that students can complete them following the model established by Wang4 and (d) Integrate LabVIEW and Multisim in the Tech 167 class to provide the students with realistic, industry-based simulation experiences

Introduction

The Department of Aviation and Technology at San Jose State University (SJSU) offers two bachelor’s degrees: BS in Industrial Technology (BSIT) and BS in Aviation. BSIT has two concentrations: Electronics and Computer Technology (ECT) and Manufacturing Systems. The students are not distributed equally between the two concentrations; 25% of BSIT majors are Manufacturing Systems students and 75% are Electronics and Computer Technology (BSIT- ECT) majors. This inequity is not surprising considering the location of the university in Silicon Valley, CA. The university, as a whole, has large enrollments in electronics and computer- related fields including computer engineering, computer science, MIS, and the BSIT-ECT.

There are several other demographic factors that serve to make the delivery of instruction challenging for the department. Approximately 70% of ECT students work at least 30 hours a

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Julio, G., & Backer, P. (2005, June), Integration Of Computer Based Electronics Laboratory In A Control Systems Course Paper presented at 2005 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon. 10.18260/1-2--14603