A practical course in digital video communications based on MATLAB

The outline of new course in video coding is presented in which the basic concepts are reinforced by way of a series of graded MATLAB exercises. Following a brief overview of the motion-compensated discrete cosine transform (DCT) encoder, a number of exercises are described in which the student obtains an understanding of image correlations and entropy and the concepts involved in predictive encoding. The data compaction properties of the discrete cosine transform are then illustrated together with interframe motion-estimation and motion-compensated prediction. All aspects of the evolving video encoder are then integrated by way of a simplified encoder syntax that is based upon the standard Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) syntax. This allows students to exchange digital bit-streams and decode image sequences that have been encoded by fellow students. Advanced topics such as fast motion estimation techniques, error resilience, and other coding approaches are briefly discussed     

Interactive online tutorial assistance for a first programming course

Web-based instruction shows great promise toward enriching the student learning experience. One particular area of interest is providing tutorial material and practice problems online so that classroom lecture time can be better utilized. However, the time and cost to develop full tutoring systems can be prohibitive. The project presented in this paper shows that low-cost online modules can be developed to complement existing course delivery methods. The key to the design is limiting the type of tutoring and focusing on instructional challenges involving the repetition of concepts that are introduced in the course lectures. For introductory programming courses, these challenges primarily involve the difficulties inherent in learning the syntax of a particular programming language and gaining sufficient familiarity with programming concepts, such as loops, conditional statements, and simple algorithms. The set of online modules was developed to reduce the need for repetition of these concepts during lectures. Thus, students benefit as they can gain knowledge and comprehension of these concepts at their own pace as they actively engage the tutorials and self-check exercises. The modules were used as an enhancement for an introductory programming course taught in C++ to first-year university students, some of whom had little or no programming experience. Feedback from students and instructors shows that the modules were useful and aided student learning.     

Web-based tutoring in power engineering

This paper deals with the application of web-based technologies to power engineering education in an interactive student/mentor environment. The modern teaching/learning concepts and new technologies to support these concepts have been developed. This project incorporates web-based tools, including Internet, videoconferencing, and educational intelligent system modules for power engineering education. Different student learning styles are adapted for power engineering applications. The proposed interactive learning environment allows the mentor and students to best utilize the facilities for effective teaching and learning.     

Using spreadsheets in student exercises for signal and linearsystem analysis

Several student exercises in signal and linear system analysis that use the power of PC-based spreadsheet programs to aid students' understanding and cognitive development are presented. The first exercise examines the Fourier series and allows students to see graphically how the harmonics of the series add and subtract to form a new periodic waveform. In the second assignment, students work through problems designed to acquaint them with implementing singularity functions and integration methods on the path to accomplishing the convolution of two signals. The final exercise teaches students how to form iterative solutions to state space problems. The exercises allow students to focus on gaining a conceptual understanding of signal and linear system analysis while deemphasizing the rigors of developing a user interface, a common problem when using structured programming languages     

Teaching digital design to computing science students in a single academic term

How should digital design be taught to computing science students in a single one-semester course? This work advocates the use of state-of-the-art design tools and programmable devices and presents a series of laboratory exercises to help students learn digital logic. Each exercise introduces new concepts and produces the complete design of a stand-alone apparatus that is fun and interesting to use. These exercises lead to the most challenging capstone designs for a single-semester course of which the authors are aware. Fast progress is made possible by providing students with predesigned input/output modules. Student feedback demonstrates that the students approve of this methodology. An extensive set of slides, supporting teaching material, and laboratory exercises are freely available for downloading.     

Teaching computer networking fundamentals using practical laboratory exercises

Motivating students to learn computer networking concepts is often difficult because many students find the subject rather technical, dry, and boring. To overcome this problem, the author has prepared some practical laboratory exercises (practicals) and other materials. They are designed around a network operating system and a multiuser, multitasking operating system and are suitable for classroom use in undergraduate computer networking courses. The effectiveness of these practicals has been evaluated both formally by students and informally in discussion within the teaching team. The implementation of the practicals was judged to be successful because of the positive student feedback and also because students scored better in the final exam. This paper describes the practicals, their overall effectiveness, and plans for further projects. The impact of practicals on student learning and comprehension is also discussed.     

Building intelligent tutorial systems for teaching simulation inengineering education

A framework for building intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs) to teach students the use of various simulation systems used in engineering education is described. Case studies to two widely used simulators in electronics education (LASAR, a digital logic simulator, and SPICE, an integrated circuit simulator) provide the basis of pedagogical methodology for teaching the use of simulators. This methodology is used to develop a tutorial environment which includes: an authoring system that enables an instructor to develop and tailor the course contents; and a course presentation system that communicates this information via a direct manipulation interface to the user. The student perceives the tutorial as a hypertext network which can be freely explored; however, the tutoring system monitors and dynamically reconfigures the accessible information according to the level and attainment of expertise by the student. The environment includes components to monitor and evaluate the performance of the student. This tutorial framework is used to create intelligent tutorial systems for SPICE and LASAR     

Interactive online undergraduate laboratories using J-DSP

An interactive Web-based simulation tool called Java-DSP (J-DSP) for use in digital signal processing (DSP)-related electrical engineering courses is described. J-DSP is an object-oriented simulation environment that enables students and distance learners to perform online signal processing simulations, visualize Web-based interactive demos, and perform computer laboratories from remote locations. J-DSP is accompanied by a series of hands-on laboratory exercises that complement classroom and textbook content. The laboratories cover several fundamental concepts, including z transforms, digital filter design, spectral analysis, multirate signal processing, and statistical signal processing. Online assessment instruments for the evaluation of the J-DSP software and the associated laboratory exercises have been developed. Pre/postassessment data have been collected and analyzed for each laboratory in an effort to assess the impact of the tool on student learning.     

Some aspects of developing a modern engineering graphics course

Some aspects of the development of a modern engineering graphics course for first-year engineering students are described. The objective of the course is to teach students the graphic presentation of 2-D and 3-D data, to give an understanding of the graphic-user/computer communication, and to apply these concepts efficiently to engineering problems. The course covers the mathematical principles of 2-D and 3-D data representation and the hardware and software components of a graphic system, and it includes a wide range of laboratory exercises to illustrate the concepts covered in the lecture. Some examples of student work are given     

Interactive teaching of elementary digital logic design with WinLogiLab

This paper presents an interactive computerized teaching suite developed for the design of combinatorial and sequential logic circuits. This suite fills a perceived gap in the currently available computer-based teaching software, with the purpose of providing alternative-mode subject delivery. The authors were, therefore, prompted to develop a Microsoft-Windows tutorial suite, WinLogiLab, comprising a set of interactive tutorials that show the link between Boolean algebra and digital combinatorial and sequential circuits. The combinatorial tutorials follow the initial design steps: from Boolean algebra, to truth tables, to minimization techniques, to production of the combinatorial circuit in a seamless way. Similarly, the sequential tutorials can design simple finite-state counters and can model more complex finite-state automata.     

Development, implementation, and assessment of a web-based power electronics laboratory

A Web-based laboratory exercise with remote access is presented, through which a student of Electrical/Electronic Engineering is introduced in both a theoretical and practical way, to many fundamental aspects of power electronics. The system is flexible and can expand the range of laboratory exercises where full-scale laboratories are not feasible. In the electrical environment, limits can be placed on voltages and currents for safety reasons. Prelaboratory investigations allow students to take an active involvement in the learning process by addressing some challenging and critical aspects of the design before approaching the physical system. Further understanding is gained by studying the circuit in a Web-based, interactive power electronics seminar (iPES) by simulating the circuit using PSpice and then analyzing the control and feedback issues with MATLAB. In the final stage, a real power converter is tested remotely over the Web, and the cycle of design, simulation, and test is completed using Web-based tools.     

Teaching Grid Computing: Topics, Exercises, and Experiences

Grid protocols and technologies are being adopted in a wide variety of academic, government, and industrial environments, and a growing body of research-oriented literature in grid computing is being compiled. However, there is a need for educational material that is suitable for classroom use. This paper describes topics, exercises, and experiences of teaching grid computing at two different universities. Course material in grid computing can be grouped into several knowledge areas. The focus in this paper is on grid programming, i.e., developing grid-enabled services using the Globus toolkit. Assessment data shows that with preparatory material and hands-on exercises, undergraduate computer science students can master grid programming. Topics and exercises for security, network programming, Web services, and grid programming are described. Recommendations include using stand-alone containers on individual student computers and following a first grid programming exercise that builds confidence with at least one more elaborate grid programming exercise     

Teaching performance evaluation of multiprocessor architectures with Mathcad and MathConnex

This paper presents the development of an interactive environment that facilitates the performance evaluation of multiprocessor architectures with Mathcad and MathConnex. This environment was primarily designed for utilization as an interactive computer laboratory exercise for teaching undergraduate students of the Computer Science Department at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.     

An assessment of on-line engineering design problem presentationstrategies

This paper describes the assessment of three on-line learning modules in engineering design for first-year students developed at Columbia University. The assessment includes results from more than 200 students who used test and control versions of each module during the 1996-1997 academic year. The goal of the assessment was to identify presentation formats and strategies for on-line engineering design problems that improved student performance on the design problem or on a short paper and pencil follow-up quiz taken immediately after module use. Students nearly unanimously preferred modules that incorporated animation and interactive design tools over those with static snapshots of the same material. Interactive design tools also improved performance on the design problems. However, performance on the follow-up quizzes did not vary among student cohorts regardless of presentation format. Similarly, although students generally enjoyed and valued group work activities, and although these experiences frequently increased students' confidence in their answers, follow-up quiz performance was not enhanced by group work activities. In an unanticipated result, students were twice as likely to sketch their answers when the module itself contained animated illustrations rather than static graphic material. This result suggests that computer-based learning tools can significantly affect the character and texture of students' representation of their own ideas in manners that do not emerge from traditional performance measures     

Simulation of flat fading using MATLAB for classroom instruction

An approach to demonstrate flat fading in communication systems is presented here, wherein the basic concepts are reinforced by means of a series of MATLAB (Mathworks, Inc., Natick, MA 01760-2098 USA) simulations. Following a brief introduction to fading in general, models for flat fading are developed and simulated using MATLAB. The concept of outage is also demonstrated using MATLAB. The authors suggest that the use of MATLAB exercises will assist the students in gaining a better understanding of the various nuances of flat fading     

Applications of Programmed Experimental Teaching Exercises

Programmed Experimental Teaching Exercises have been used for laboratory instrument familiarization and for demonstration of basic circuit phenomena in conjunction with a first course in circuit theory for electrical engineering students. The exercises were used as part of the normal classroom presentation and covered such subjects as signal waveforms, time constants, superposition, impedance, resonance, power, Bode plots, and dependent sources. The students confirmed that the exercises materially strengthened the course and were of definite help in understanding basic concepts. The exercise on the use of the dual-trace oscilloscope, as an example of the utilization of these exercises for instrument familiarization, provided sufficient theory and training to enable the students to confidently use the oscilloscope as a measuring instrument.     

Thevenin's Theorem and a Black Box

The concepts of an equivalent electrical circuit and maximum power transfer are difficult for some students to comprehend. A laboratory exercise is presented that facilitates the teaching of Thevenin's equivalent circuit and maximum power transfer through the use of a black box equipped with two external terminals. The laboratory exercise has improved students' understanding of these important electrical engineering concepts.      

Educational issues on number representation and arithmetic in computers: an undergraduate laboratory

This paper presents an initiative to teach computer representation of numbers and arithmetic in undergraduate courses in computer science and engineering. The approach is based upon carefully designed practical exercises that highlight the main properties and computational issues of finite-length number representation and arithmetic. In conjunction with the exercises, an auxiliary computer-based environment constitutes a valuable support tool for students to learn and understand the concepts involved. For integer representation, this work has focused on the standard 2's complement. Special emphasis has been put on the algorithms for integer arithmetic operations. For floating-point representation, simpler formats have been used as an introduction to the IEEE Standard 754, with the aim of presenting the fundamentals of the floating-point computation and emphasizing its limitations. This approach could be included in introductory courses related to computer organization, programming, discrete mathematics, or numerical methods.     

A knowledge based tutoring system for teaching fault analysis

A knowledge based tutoring system is used to support the education of power engineering students. The aim of this project is to make teaching and learning more productive and efficient by employing modern technologies. It seeks to find new methods to teach large numbers of students with no increase in staff. The tutoring system is based on an expert system shell. It provides a functionally interacting set of theory and problems, and supports student progress through monitoring and assessment. This paper describes the development of the tutoring system for teaching electrical engineering subjects, and in particular, fault analysis in power systems. The expert system based software has been successfully used by power engineering students. They found this software easy to use and understand, and it has become an extra teaching tool