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Teaching Sustainability Analysis in Electronics Lecture Courses

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Conference

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Vancouver, BC

Publication Date

June 26, 2011

Start Date

June 26, 2011

End Date

June 29, 2011

ISSN

2153-5965

Conference Session

Teaching Circuit Theory and Electronics

Tagged Division

Electrical and Computer

Page Count

15

Page Numbers

22.1404.1 - 22.1404.15

DOI

10.18260/1-2--18529

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/18529

Download Count

434

Paper Authors

biography

David Braun California Polytechnic State University

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David Braun received the Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1991. From 1992 to 1996, he worked for Philips Research Laboratories in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, on semiconducting polymers for display applications. He joined California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 1996 and is now a Professor in the Electrical Engineering Department. See www.ee.calpoly.edu/faculty/dbraun/ for more information. He teaches courses in electronics, solid-state electronics, polymer electronics and sustainability. He holds nine U.S. patents.

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Abstract

Teaching Sustainability Analysis in Electronics Lecture CoursesAbstractBased on positive prior experiences teaching sustainability analysis in electronics laboratorycourses, this work explores techniques for teaching sustainability analysis in lecture courses. Asdifficult as it may seem to incorporate sustainability into integrated circuit courses or otherengineering courses, it may prove as easy as asking students to consider how the courseworkrelates to sustainability issues.The need to educate students “to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needswithin realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health andsafety, manufacturability, and sustainability” has gained sufficient value and prominence todeserve its own ABET Program Outcome, Criterion 3(c). This work presents a strategy tointroduce students to the relevant issues before senior design coursework, thereby providingpractice and enabling them to achieve such a program outcome more skillfully in senior levelcoursework. Key practical challenges arise when attempting to add learning content to a onequarter electronics course already bursting at the seams with conceptually challenging learningoutcomes: 1. No extra class time exists in which to insert additional in-class activities; and 2. Few instructors desire the increased workload associated with reading dozens of additional student essays on top of normal assignment grading.To address the in-class time limitation, this work delivers the sustainability issues content online.To minimize excess faculty workload, this work presents a tool designed to assist faculty to usepeer review of writing assignments, even in medium to large courses. The webpage,http://tinyurl.com/EE306-Sust, contains an example sustainability analysis assignment promptand rubric.David Braun, Cal Poly State University, Electrical Engineering Dept., San Luis Obispo, CAdbraun@calpoly.edu

Braun, D. (2011, June), Teaching Sustainability Analysis in Electronics Lecture Courses Paper presented at 2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Vancouver, BC. 10.18260/1-2--18529

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