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Session 1232

Teaching Engineering to Non-Electrical Engineering Majors

K.A. Korzeniowski, D.M. Mechtel United States Naval Academy

Abstract

It has long been recognized in the engineering education community that is useful to convey some core knowledge of underlying physical system components by requiring courses outside of a specific engineering major. The Electrical Engineering Department at the United States Naval Academy meets this challenge by teaching a core competency course in electrical engineering to all Academy students, including non-engineering majors. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how such a course in introductory electrical engineering may translate to an overview of electrical engineering for introductory engineering students deciding on a major course of study or to an accessible, informative science track elective for liberal arts majors. This paper illustrates how students with limited mathematical and analytical problem solving skills can be exposed to a wide variety of electrical engineering topics.

I. Introduction

One of the challenges that the Electrical Engineering Department at the United States Naval Academy (USNA) meets every year is teaching electrical engineering to all Academy students including non-engineering majors. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how this core Introductory Electrical Engineering course may translate to an overview of electrical engineering for introductory engineering students deciding on a major course of study or to an accessible, informative science track elective for liberal arts majors.

It has long been recognized in the engineering education community that is useful to convey some core knowledge of underlying physical system components. For instance, mechanical engineers may study electric circuits and electrical engineers may study thermodynamics. The idea of a core competency also exists at the USNA where it includes not only non-electrical engineering but also liberal arts majors. As advances in electronic technology persist, this continues to translate to more electronic automation being incorporated into everyday life. The underlying purpose of this core course is to instruct all students, regardless of the major course of study in some of the basics of electronic circuits, machinery, instrumentation and communication systems. This result is achieved, along with perhaps the more profound effect of conveying to the student analytical problem solving skills.

This paper discusses how the foundation established in the first semester course is employed to cover the broad range of topics presented in the second semester. Students leave the second semester course, with its introduction to a wide variety of electrical engineering topics, with a clearer picture of the electrical engineering curriculum. The depth and breadth of some of the topics is illustrated by presenting associated laboratory exercises.

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Mechtel, D. M., & Korzeniowski, K. (1998, June), Teaching Engineering To Non Electrical Engineering Majors Paper presented at 1998 Annual Conference, Seattle, Washington. 10.18260/1-2--7451