Learning to learn-concepts in a first power engineering course

Three well-known and widely accepted concepts in educational psychology are revisited. These are "inventory of learning styles," "taxonomy of educational objectives," and "metacognition." Relationships among these concepts are highlighted. Often, a student can develop his (or her) own learning style by the process of metacognition. Ideas are borrowed from these concepts for use in a first-level power systems course. It is beyond a doubt that both cognitive and metacognitive skills are necessary for students to succeed in any course. While a semester-long power systems course leaves little time for critical thinking and passive reflection for students, certain activities may very well serve for some of these learning processes.     

A laboratory course in real-time software for the control of dynamic systems

This paper describes a laboratory course in real-time software for dynamic systems control. In the first part of the course, real-time concepts employed by modern real-time operating systems are taught with laboratory assignments. In the second part, students are required to write real-time software for dynamic systems control using the concepts that they learned in the first part. Real-time programming is usually avoided in teaching a feedback control laboratory course, since it has generally been considered difficult. However, student evaluation results for this course show that real-time programming can be successfully included in a feedback control laboratory course. From this course, students are able to obtain working knowledge of both real-time concepts and real-time programming for dynamic systems control.     

Computer modeling for enhancing instruction of electric machinery

This paper discusses the use of computers for modeling of electric machinery at the undergraduate level to enhance the lecture as well as the laboratory part of a course on electric machinery with introduction to power systems. It explains how computer simulation helps students not only get a better understanding of the advantages and limitations of computer simulation, but also get a better feel for the physical concepts they study in the lecture and laboratory part of the course. Sample computational projects assigned to the students are described and simulation results obtained from the computer models are presented     

A toolbox for power system dynamics and control engineeringeducation and research

The design concept and use of the power system toolbox (PST), a Matlab-based power system dynamics simulation and control design package, are discussed. The motivation for developing the package was to provide a flexible environment for teaching power system simulation techniques and control design concepts to advanced undergraduate and graduate students, and for graduate students to perform research and development on power systems. The authors discuss the capabilities of PST and the software development philosophy. Sample applications are given. Some potential educational usage is suggested. The future enhancement to the package is outlined     

A PC based software package for the equal area criterion of powersystem transient stability

This paper presents features and applications of an interactive graphical PC (DOS based) software package for the comprehension of transient stability using the equal area criterion method. The software is specifically useful for senior level undergraduate and first year graduate students in power system analysis courses. Utility engineers working with large-scale power systems can learn some basic concepts of transient stability by simulating the single machine infinite bus power system. A distinctive feature of this package is the user-friendly method for problem definition. Problems are defined by selecting options from menus without typical editor-like entry approach, used in other mathematical software, which normally have their own strict syntax     

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     

Using spreadsheets to teach problem solving in a first year class

The problem-solving portion of a two-semester first-year electrical engineering course is described. This course makes use of personal computers and spreadsheets to improve students' problem-solving skills. The goal is to give students a better understanding of engineering concepts and not just mathematical details. In addition to describing the course contents, a brief review of the rationale that was used in selecting the hardware and software used in the course is also given     

Low-frequency wireless communications System-infrared laboratory experiments

A communications systems course laboratory component using an infrared (IR) communication system has been developed as part of the wireless education initiative at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (RHIT), Terre Haute, IN. Students build the system up over several laboratory periods from distinct subsystems, each of which illustrates specific communications concepts. The multiweek laboratory project has the features of being easy to implement on breadboards owing to the low modulation frequency and of being highly motivational to students because of their interest in building a "working system" with a familiar application. The course, the curricular context, and the laboratory experiments are described, along with student survey data on the perceived effectiveness of the laboratories. The students and instructors have found this laboratory project to be very effective in reinforcing classroom concepts, motivating students, and enhancing debugging skills.     

A Service Course in Microcomputers

This paper describes a three semester-hour laboratory-oriented service course in microcomputers which has been taught five times with steadily increasing enrollments. Using Apple computers, students are taught basic microprocessor and microcomputer concepts, as well as interfacing and applications fundamentals. Emphasis is placed upon developing the skills required to effectively communicate with the hardware and software specialists who will be comembers of a design team in the student's major area. Two 1-h lectures and one 3-h laboratory experiment are given each week. Assembly language is used throughout the course, with Basic being introduced for the last two experiments. The number of concepts which can be effectively introduced using the mutual reinforcement of lecture and laboratory is astonishing, including multiple interrupts, elementary real-time signal processing, software drivers, fail-safe techniques, and closed-loop temperature regulation.     

Design Patterns for Teaching Type Checking in a Compiler Construction Course

A course in compiler construction seeks to develop an understanding of well-defined fundamental theory and typically involves the production of a language processor. In a graduate degree in software engineering, the development of a compiler contributes significantly to the developer's comprehension of the practical application of theoretical concepts. Different formal notations are commonly used to define type systems, and some of them are used to teach the semantic analysis phase of language processing. In the traditional approach, attribute grammars are probably the most widely used ones. This paper shows how object-oriented design patterns represented in unified modeling language (UML) can be used to both teach type systems and develop the semantic analysis phase of a compiler. The main benefit of this approach is two-fold: better comprehension of theoretical concepts because of the use of notations known by the students (UML diagrams), and improvement of software engineering skills for the development of a complete language processor.     

A personal computer based interactive software for power systemoperation education

The use of personal-computer-based interactive software to aid instruction in power system operations is described. The software was designed to be used as a teaching aid for the course power system operation at National Taiwan University. The main programs included in the package were short-term load forecasting and unit commitment. Other supporting routines included power flow analysis, static security assessment, small signal stability analysis, and transient stability analysis. To promote the students interest in the course, a user-friendly interface and interactive windows have been developed. The integrated software package proved to be useful for educational and research purposes     

A practice-oriented course in switching converters

The development of a practice-oriented course in switching power converters at the University of Arkansas, USA, is presented. Students learn, verify, and reinforce lecture concepts by performing switching power converter experiments in the laboratory sessions. PSpice simulations are used extensively to verify concepts and to enhance students' comprehension. A design project is used to integrate the materials taught in the lectures with experience gained in the laboratory sessions. In general, students feel they learn more effectively in a practice-oriented course. The switching power converters course is very time intensive for both students and the instructor. However, it is very well received by students     

A unique instructional tool for visualizing equipotentials and itsuse in an introductory fields course

Charge Master, an IBM PC-compatible software package that aids in visualizing equipotentials produced by systems of point charges, is described. It accomplishes this via an educational game and an option that plots equipotentials. An assignment designed to accompany the software and its use in an introductory EM fields course are also described. The software has been well received by students     

Automated system for measuring electrical three-phase powercomponents

This paper describes an automated system, using the software LabVIEW and an experimental setup including a digital oscilloscope equipped with general purpose interface bus (GPIB) interface, to measure the instantaneous and average power components of generic three-phase electrical systems. The system is being used as an academic laboratory tool for teaching concepts on generic three-phase electrical power systems to third-year electrical engineering students. The method is based on a generalized instantaneous power theory and can be applied to balanced or unbalanced three-phase power systems feeding linear or nonlinear loads. Details of the methodology, comprising acquisition, and signal processing are presented. Examples of three-phase balanced and unbalanced power system measurements are displayed     

`EDCON': an educational control system analysis and design program

A PC-based software package called EDCON which is a useful tool for teaching basic control system theory is discussed. It provides a user friendly environment that allows students to vary system parameters and design requirements to see the effects on system response. The package is designed around the root locus plot of a unity feedback control system. It uses a second order approximation technique to calculate and graph the unit step response of the system for any value of gain, and gives all the time and frequency parameters of the system. The package was developed to be used as a complement to an undergraduate course in control systems analysis and design     

Applications of dynamic data analysis: a multidisciplinarylaboratory course

This paper describes a junior-level multidisciplinary laboratory course centered around industrial applications of dynamic data acquisition and analysis. The course was developed with funding from an NSF Instrumentation and Laboratory Improvement (ILI) grant and is offered as a NSF Foundation Coalition (FC) course. It is also open to traditional aerospace, electrical, industrial, and mechanical engineering students. In the course, teams of four (maximum) students with complementary interests and skills are drawn from more than one discipline. It is intended that the associations developed within and among the teams will enable cooperative multidisciplinary design projects in the senior year. The course consists of four weeks of introductory material followed by four laboratory modules, each concerning a specific application of signal acquisition and analysis. Currently, these modules include speech encoding and enhancement, machinery sound power measurement, machine condition monitoring, and motor condition monitoring. Each module is independent, so the modules may be presented in any order. The course concludes with a small design project. Three instructors have been involved in teaching the course, one from mechanical and two from electrical engineering     

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.      

An Open Source Power System Virtual Laboratory: The PSAT Case and Experience

This paper describes the authors' experience in the assessment of laboratory activities based on an open source software package for power system analysis, namely, Power System Analysis Toolbox (PSAT). PSAT is currently used in several universities for both undergraduate and graduate courses. PSAT has also its own Web forum, which provides support to students and researchers all around the world, thus resulting in an almost unique example of ldquovirtual laboratoryrdquo over the Internet. This paper attempts to answer through a variety of real-life examples the following open questions: What are the practical and pedagogical advantages of using an open source software with respect to proprietary software for power system analysis? What happens if a power system virtual laboratory is freely available on the Web? What is the difference between a class-based and a Web-based virtual laboratory?     

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.     

A design laboratory in electrical and computer engineering forfreshmen

ECE 110, Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering, is a new laboratory course for freshmen. Unlike most freshman engineering courses, ECE 110 provides substantial design and problem solving experiences with electronic devices and electrical systems. To convey fundamental concepts and principles in electrical and computer engineering, ECE 110 is directed toward the design of an autonomous electric vehicle. Each laboratory session focuses on one subsystem of the vehicle, such as the power supply, the infrared photodiode sensors, and the digital pulse width modulation circuit to control motor speed. The last four weeks culminate in a design challenge: each pair of students enhances their vehicle to negotiate a previously unseen course with obstacles. Topics are covered in lectures as they are needed in the laboratory