Electrical and computer engineering curriculum assessment via senior miniproject

Traditionally, senior capstone projects have been used for comprehensive student assessment. Other mechanisms exist for engineering course assessments, such as teacher/course evaluations, homework and test results, student office visits, and senior exit interviews. Each of these methods has weaknesses if the primary objective is curriculum improvement. The new Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) Engineering Criteria 2000 (EC-2000) accreditation process requires new methods to allow for continuous program improvement. This paper discusses the six-week miniproject for senior students in the Electrical and Computer Engineering program at Bradley University. Use of the miniproject to steer the curriculum design content has been in place for eleven years. The evaluation results have been used successfully to implement course, laboratory, and curriculum modifications. The paper discusses the project, its costs, evaluation procedures, curriculum modifications and improvements, and use of the project in the EC-2000 accreditation process.     

The ABCs of preparing for ABET

For an undergraduate biomedical engineering (BME) degree program to gain accreditation, it must pass a thorough evaluation by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. (ABET). ABET is the organization responsible for monitoring, evaluating, and certifying the quality of engineering, engineering technology, and engineering-related education in the United States. This article provides guidance on planning, implementing, and accrediting BME programs. New programs are generally not as well connected to a previous infrastructure and an information database needed for the review process. Existing programs usually have a mindset and history for doing the pre-EC2000 preparation, which can also cause significant problems. Each author is a fully trained ABET evaluator and offers insights gained from experience on how to achieve a successful conclusion without providing any details about any programs visited.     

International technical education: a comparative study of fivecountries

The criteria used in the US by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) for evaluating engineering programs are summarized. As an example, one university's electrical engineering curriculum is presented to illustrate how it meets the ABET criteria. The illustration also provides detailed aspects of the ABET requirements. Other countries' educational philosophies (Japan, Federal Republic of Germany, Turkey, and India) are discussed with regard to basic education, employment for graduates, funding, the role of the professor, and curriculum     

All this and engineering too: a history of accreditation requirements

This article traces the history of US engineering accreditation with regard to non-technical curriculum requirements from the founding of the Engineers' Council for Professional Development (ECPD) in 1932 up to the adoption of Engineering Criteria 2000 (EC 2000) in 1999. The activities of the ECPD, which became the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, ABET, in 1980, took place in the larger context of the development of engineering as a profession and steps that industrial and academic leaders took during the 20th century to increase the quality and uniformity of engineering education. The story is not a simple, straightforward tale of how a homogeneous pro-business cadre of engineering educators designed a system of education for purely pragmatic ends. Buried in the volumes of old journals and annual reports is evidence that engineering educators and leaders indulged in a serious amount of organized introspection over the years.     

A capstone design project to meet the needs of the changing power systems industry and satisfy new accreditation standards

Currently, two motivators are effecting change in power systems education. First, the industry's transition to a more competitive environment is requiring changes in the content and pedagogy of power systems education. Second, engineering education as a whole is seeking to modify its curriculum to reflect a better balance between science and education in order to better meet the needs of industry. These curricular changes are largely a result of revised Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) accreditation requirements. In response to these changes, new curriculum and analysis tools were developed for a power systems capstone design course. The project integrates market economics and socio-political considerations with transient stability analysis and transmission planning. A power systems analysis package and an economic analysis tool were developed for use with this project. Student evaluations of the course in which the project was implemented indicate that the curriculum successfully addresses a broad range of ABET accreditation criteria.     

Experiences in threading UML throughout a computer science program

The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science of the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY, decided to standardize its computer science program on the unified modeling language (UML) for all software design representations. Converting the appropriate courses to support formal teaching or reinforcement of UML concepts was planned as a phased approach over four academic years. Formal UML instruction was planned for Computer Science 1 courses and the senior two-course software engineering capstone sequence. Reinforcement of UML would be in the intervening courses. Once implementation began, it became apparent that a prolonged period between formal blocks of instruction was insufficient. Instead, some additional courses were redesigned to support formal UML instruction. The end result was a richer and deeper exposure to UML than anticipated over the same timeframe.     

Education of the Engineer for Electrical Construction

A new and unique undergraduate program is being developed at Purdue University to educate engineers for work in the construction industry. Students selecting the electrical specialty option of the program will combine electric power engineering courses with management courses and with work experience on electrical construction projects to earn the degree of Bachelor of Science in Engineering (Construction). Active participation by the construction industry is an essential part of the program. Industry's desire for a more construction-oriented engineering graduate motivated the request for the program and motivates industry's support of summer internship opportunities. The curriculum is designed to provide the desired construction emphasis while offering a quality engineering education. In the electric power field, the result should be capable power engineers, better equipped for engineering practice.     

Senior design project: undergraduate thesis

Engineering design has become a critical element of the undergraduate engineering curriculum. To become accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) requires that at least 24 credits of design content be included in the four-year undergraduate engineering curriculum. Senior design is the principal course in which students apply their knowledge in several disciplines to one project assignment and is a significant step towards meeting ABET requirements. Engineering experience acquired in the senior design course is a valuable aid to students as they learn how to apply theory to an actual design project. The senior design course develops project management and oral and written communication skills and enables students to learn scheduling, team coordination and cooperation, parts ordering, and cost/performance tradeoffs. Ten senior design projects that have won IEEE and SME student paper contests are presented herein as a guide in the difficult selection of suitable design topics. The unique nature of the senior design course requires certain departures from usual engineering course organization if students are to derive the maximum benefit. Senior design is nearly equivalent to an industrial internship and may be more valuable as the first step a student takes in making the transition to working engineer     

Incorporating computer-aided design into an electricalengineering/computer science curriculum

The restructuring of the circuits and computer hardware courses at the University of Michigan's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science to include a uniform set of electronic design automation (EDA) tools beginning early in the undergraduate curriculum is discussed. The ability to teach good engineering in the department has been significantly strengthened by these changes. The program and the details which have made it successful, including using a consistent set of well-supported commercial tools throughout the curriculum, providing adequate computing resources through a tuition surcharge for engineering students, and offering department-wide support through CAD short courses and consulting hours, are described     

The light applications in science and engineering research collaborative undergraduate laboratory for teaching (LASER CULT)-relevant experiential learning in photonics

An integrative undergraduate photonics curriculum has been developed that utilizes three active learning methods: case studies, team learning, and project-based learning (PBL). This two-course sequence at Oklahoma State University's Light Applications in Science and Engineering Research Collaborative Undergraduate Laboratory for Teaching (LASER CULT), is designed as an introduction to optics and photonics for electrical engineering students. The LASER CULT has three primary goals: make course concepts more relevant to students, provide students with training and positive experiences in functioning on a team, and introduce in-depth projects that require higher level problem-solving skills, such as evaluation and synthesis. To accomplish these goals, which are synergistic with Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) outcomes, LASER CULT courses use two in-depth design projects that are constructed by student teams under realistic constraints rather than focusing on hierarchical concepts. The relevance of course content to students is increased by recreating the environment of practicing engineers. Assessment data, measured through individual reflection included in team portfolios and student assessment of learning gains, demonstrate the effectiveness of this format for meeting course goals and ABET criteria and pipelining students into graduate school.     

Communications engineering: a new discipline for the 21st century

Communications engineering, a new undergraduate degree program, is being introduced in the Department of Systems and Computer Engineering at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. At a time when increased specialization is questionable, the case is made that communications engineering, i.e., telecommunications and computers, is such a broad and fundamental area that a distinct degree is an appropriate approach to meet the requirements for engineering in this area. The objectives of the new program and the role that its graduates will play are discussed. The curriculum proposed for the new degree is presented. In the new degree, which is derived from the telecommunications stream in electrical engineering and from computer systems engineering, students will receive a comprehensive education ranging from a one and one-half gear common core, to communications theory, design and practice, with consideration of economic, regulatory, and social issues with a strong background in real-time computer systems. Graduates will participate in the engineering of a variety of private and public telecommunications systems, and be at home in many related areas of information technology and signal processing     

Engineering licenses are not for everyone

A license to practice engineering is a privilege granted by a state to call oneself an “engineer” and to practice “engineering” before the public. In most states, these are protected terms having very specific meaning to the public. To become licensed as an “engineer”, an individual has to be willing to meet a minimum standard of education, experience, and examination to demonstrate their technical competence and their concern for the welfare of the public. The educational requirement is provided by an institution offering an engineering program that has been reviewed and accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). The degree awarded by such an institution allows one to claim that one is a graduate of an accredited engineering program but not that one is an engineer. The experience requirement is satisfied by engaging in the “practice of engineering” as defined in the empowering statutes of each state engineering licensing board. The examination requirement is met by passing two eight-hour national examinations prepared by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), which are offered twice each year. The philosophy and content of the national examinations is the subject of this article     

Integrating Hardware and Software in a Computer Engineering Laboratory

A systematic approach to the design of a multipurpose computer engineering laboratory is presented. An essential ingredient of a successful computer engineering program, and of an effective laboratory servicing that program, is that the hardware and software aspects of the curriculum be truly integrated. The laboratory described here is designed around a central resource-sharing minicomputer to which are connected minimal microcomputer stations. This configuration is proposed as the most cost-effective and the most educationally effective approach to the integration of hardware and software in a microcomputer curriculum.     

The PE license: certifying competence [professional engineering]

Since 1934, the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) has been stressing the importance for engineers to become licensed as a way of ensuring a minimal level of competency. After passing the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam (upon successful completion of an engineering program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. (ABET)), an engineer, now known as an EIT or engineer in training, must have at least four years of work experience in the field before being able to sit for the Professional Engineering (PE) exam. In addition, EITs also need to obtain references, including some from licensed PEs, before being allowed to take the exam     

Multiple Case Studies to Enhance Project-Based Learning in a Computer Architecture Course

The IEEE/Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Computing Curricula and the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) Evaluation Criteria 2000 emphasize the use of recurrent concepts and system design/evaluation through projects and case studies in the curriculum of Computer and Electrical Engineering. In addition, efficient teamwork, autonomy, and initiative are commonly required qualifications for a professional in this field. Project-based learning approaches that require the students to handle realistic case studies are adequate to pursue these objectives. However, these pedagogical approaches tend to be rejected because they promote deep learning but focus on a restricted set of concepts, whereas many engineering curricula require a broad range of concepts to be covered in each course. The introduction of multiple case studies carried out simultaneously in the same course by different teams of students can broaden the set of concepts studied, but collaboration at different levels must be strongly enforced to achieve effective learning. This paper describes a multiple-case-study project design that has been applied to a computer architecture course for four years. After systematically evaluating the experience, the authors conclude that students achieve a deep learning of the concepts required in their own case study, while they are able to generalize their knowledge to case studies of different characteristics from those considered during the course. Furthermore, a number of collaborative skills and attitudes are developed as a consequence of the proposed environment based on multiple levels of collaboration.     

Power Electronics in Electrical Engineering

The area of Power Electronics consists of groups of topics which should now form part of a program in Electrical Power Engineering. Some of these topics can be introduced by modifying part of the standard curriculum in Electrical Engineering; others require the introduction of new courses. Desirable modifications are described and new courses in Thyristor Circuits are outlined. It is acknowledged that the number of courses required to give students an adequate knowledge of Power Electronics may be considered excessive for an undergraduate program in that they could result in a level of specialization which may be undesirable. In this case the main group of courses on Thyristor Circuits would be part of the graduate program with one introductory course included in the undergraduate program.     

Approaches to Nonconventional Energy Conversion Education

During a session of the first Intersociety Energy Conversion Engineering Conference, a panel discussion dealt with approaches to nonconventional energy conversion education. This short paper covers the contribution of this author. It is realized that these topics should be covered during university studies; however, the question of where in a curriculum, or when during a student's university career formal courses should be offered, has not yet been answered. The author suggests that only a small number of engineers are needed in this area, and that there is really no space in any undergraduate curriculum to give these topics the amount of time they require. Accordingly, the place for such studies is on the graduate level, at the very few universities which can expect to interest a sufficiently large number of students in order to develop and carry on a specialized program in an economical way.     

Implementing CS1 with embedded instructional research design in laboratories

Closed laboratories are becoming an increasingly popular approach to teaching introductory computer science courses. Unlike open laboratories that tend to be an informal environment provided for students to practice their skills with attendance optional, closed laboratories are structured meeting times that support the lecture component of the course, and attendance is required. This paper reports on an integrated approach to designing, implementing, and assessing laboratories with an embedded instructional research design. The activities reported here are parts of a departmentwide effort not only to improve student learning in computer science and computer engineering (CE) but also to improve the agility of the Computer Science and Engineering Department in adapting the curriculum to changing technologies, incorporate research, and validate the instructional strategies used. This paper presents the design and implementation of the laboratories and the results and analysis of student performance. Also described in this paper is cooperative learning in the laboratories and its impact on student learning.     

Engineering the Future: Embedding Engineering Permanently Across the School–University Interface

This paper describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of an educational program. Engineering the Future (EtF) sought to promote a permanent, informed awareness within the school community of high-level engineering by embedding key aspects of engineering within the education curriculum. The Scottish education system is used for a case study in which a range of pilot high schools worked in close partnership with two university engineering departments. The study focuses on electronic/electrical engineering (EEE), a technically challenging area, which reflects many of the problems that are intrinsic to modern society. In so doing, the work also sought to support and refine the transition from the school environment to higher education engineering courses. EtF is founded on research into transformational change and describes the findings of a three-year program that sought to develop sustainable and transferable means of encouraging school students to study engineering at university. The authors describe the conditions needed to support sustainable developments. They also provide an analysis of inevitable constraints and suggest strategies to address these issues. The paper concludes that sustainable long-term promotion of engineering within schools to support the transition to university is possible if certain conditions are fulfilled. These conditions include the use of a model that facilitates partnerships among researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners in all sectors. Building such essential linkages is often challenging, but this effort is necessary if changes in engineering education are to be realized and sustained.      

A project-based learning approach to design electronic systems curricula

This paper presents an approach to design Electronic Systems Curricula for making electronics more appealing to students. Since electronics is an important grounding for other disciplines (computer science, signal processing, and communications), this approach proposes the development of multidisciplinary projects using the project-based learning (PBL) strategy for increasing the attractiveness of the curriculum. The proposed curriculum structure consists of eight courses: four theoretical courses and four PBL courses (including a compulsory Master's thesis). In PBL courses, the students, working together in groups, develop multidisciplinary systems, which become progressively more complex. To address this complexity, the Department of Electronic Engineering has invested in the last five years in many resources for developing software tools and a common hardware. This curriculum has been evaluated successfully for the last four academic years: the students have increased their interest in electronics and have given the courses an average grade of more than 71% for all PBL course evaluations (data extracted from students surveys). The students have also acquired new skills and obtained very good academic results: the average grade was more than 74% for all PBL courses. An important result is that all students have developed more complex and sophisticated electronic systems, while considering that the results are worth the effort invested.