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System-on-Chip as a Theme for Achieving Seamless Transition from a Two-Year College to a Four-Year University

ABSTRACT

System-on-Chip (SoC) is the major revolution taking place in the design of Integrated Circuits (IC). However, progress in this rapidly evolving area hinges critically on the availability of well-educated engineers able to bridge the architectural and physical gaps in SoC design. There is a strong consensus from industry and academic institutions on the importance and urgency of reflecting the impact of the SoC paradigm shift in engineering education, as traditional programs, especially at the undergraduate level, have not kept pace with this evolution. This paper presents progress using SoC as a theme to achieve a seamless transition from a two-year community college (Camden County College) to the junior level of a four-year Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) program at Rowan University. The crux of achieving this seamless transition lies in reconfiguring and developing new courses at Camden County College that not only introduce key concepts taught in the first two years at Rowan but also replicate the innovative lab experiments in SoC introduced at Rowan. To this end, a new course sequence in Electronics and Digital Circuits is being developed at Camden County College. In addition, several concepts from the Freshman Clinic sequence at Rowan have been included at Camden County College in the Introduction to Engineering course. This course introduces key SoC concepts (like the timing circuitry of an electric toothbrush), reverse engineering, measurements and emphasizes oral and written communication skills. The paper presents details of these transition activities as a work in progress.

INTRODUCTION

System-on-Chip (SoC) is the major revolution taking place in the design of Integrated Circuits. There is a strong consensus from industry and academic institutions on the importance and urgency of reflecting the impact of the SoC paradigm shift in engineering education, as traditional programs, especially at the undergraduate level, have not kept pace with this evolution [1]. Recognizing the acute national demand for a new breed of SoC engineers, our project proposes an innovative curricula prototype that cuts across the artificial course boundaries and introduces SoC knowledge through vertically-integrated and problem-oriented laboratory experiments [2]. In addition, we value the important role that community colleges play in starting students on the road to engineering careers, as well as realize the obstacles the transfer students often face in their continuing education at a four-year institution. Particularly, we collaborate with Camden County College

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Tang, Y., & Ramachandran, R., & Head, L., & Chatman, L. (2010, June), System On Chip As A Theme For Achieving Seamless Transition From A Two Year College To A Four Year University Paper presented at 2010 Annual Conference & Exposition, Louisville, Kentucky. 10.18260/1-2--15940