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Questions are used to obtain information, stimulate thinking, and redirect reasoning. Academics in higher education use questions on a daily basis to stimulate thinking and reasoning in students. Final examination papers are used by academics to assess the retention and application skills of students. The assumption, however, exists that questions relating to application skills at universities of technology should start to dominate the higher academic levels in education, with a subsequent drop in questions regarding retention skills. These questions may be categorized as either higher order or lower order questions. This article attempts to distinguish between these two types of questions in light of Bloom's taxonomy, with similar concepts such as deep and surface learning being examined. The literature review is applied to an electrical engineering module titled Electronics, which serves as the case study. The results of this study indicate that a high percentage of the final examination papers dealt with the objective "Application," where students had to make use of numerous mathematical equations to solve various unknowns. The results also indicated that academics in electronics are using more lower order than higher order questions in their final examination papers. A balance is suggested between these two types of questions for various academic levels at universities of technology. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)

Prospective authors are requested to submit new, unpublished manuscripts for inclusion in the upcoming event described in this call for papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several tools are marketed to the educational community for plagiarism detection and prevention. This article briefly contrasts the performance of two leading tools, TurnItIn and MyDropBox, in detecting submissions that were obviously plagiarized from articles published in IEEE journals. Both tools performed poorly because they do not compare submitted writings to publications in the IEEE database. Moreover, these tools do not cover the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) database or several others important for scholarly work in software engineering. Reports from these tools suggesting that a submission has 'passed' can encourage false confidence in the integrity of a submitted writing. Additionally, students can submit drafts to determine the extent to which these tools detect plagiarism in their work. Because the tool samples the engineering professional literature narrowly, the student who chooses to plagiarize can use this tool to determine what plagiarism will be invisible to the faculty member. An appearance of successful plagiarism prevention may in fact reflect better training of students to avoid plagiarism detection. Index Terms--Academic honesty, copyright, editorial manuscript review, intellectual property, MyDropbox, plagiarism, plagiarism detection, TurnItIn.

This paper is an attempt to give some guidelines on how to write a good technical paper and to make good presentations, important skills for a successful career in research and teaching. Index Terms - Technical presentation, technical writing, thesis presentation.

This paper examines the cloud computing for education (CCE) literature, and analyzes if the research is developing scientifically with adequate empirical validation. All aspects of empirical investigations covered in the literature are shown as weak, hence, the necessary scientific development of CCE requires extending its scope of interest, and involving scholars synergistically to create and maintain a “common research agenda.” Background: A need to develop research on CCE has been recognized, and considerable efforts made to create an accurate understanding of the development of its scope of interest, in terms of supporting pedagogical developments and processes for better quality of studies. Research Questions: This paper has three main aims: 1) to evaluate the scope of interest in the literature for CCE with specific reference to pedagogy and educational processes; 2) to analyze the characteristics of papers, specifically empirical studies, from the various points of view of the daily improvement activities of teachers and learners at all levels of education; and 3) to identify eventual research gaps to consider and stimulate new topics or further investigations. Methodology: This systematic mapping study review followed a rigorous, replicable process to collect and analyze representative studies of CCE. Findings: Differences are found across geographic areas in applying CCE infrastructure and technologies in educational institutions; few studies address CCE’s impact on pedagogic processes. The scope of interest in CCE is only partially covered; with empirical research being very shallow. Suggestions are made for more effective research on concerning the production and use of content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contribution: This article features a systematic literature review with the objective of presenting a study that reflects the current scenario of research on the cognitive load theory (CLT) in the domain of teaching and learning computer programming. Background: Computer programming is a highly cognitive skill, requiring mastering multiple competencies, and recognized as being difficult to learn, for this reason, the cognitive load (CL) in the learner’s working memory emerged as an influential concept, making CLT one of the most common theories in computing education research. Research Questions: What are the approaches that relate CLT to teaching and learning computer programming? What CLT-related concepts are covered? What evidence is reported with respect to this context? Methodology: Following a formal protocol, a survey was performed for papers linking CLT to teaching and learning programming published between 2010 and 2020. The selection of papers was based on a set of criteria established to drive the selection process, including alignment with the research questions and paper quality assessment. Findings: The approaches applied in the papers are based on measuring the CL; through instructional design based on the development or use of resources or tools, a range of different pedagogy strategies and the CLT concepts. With respect to the concepts, the subjective measurement technique and worked example effect are the most commonly deployed. As far as the evidence reported, the better part is related to the worked example effect and measuring CLs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the design of a multiinput multioutput (MIMO) digital-linear-quadratic-regulator (DLQR) control system for the headbox of a paper machine. The complete design procedure is described from development of a mathematical model of the nonlinear headbox system, through experimental identification of linear model, to demonstration of closed-loop system performance on a laboratory-scale mock-up of an actual headbox. The important role of computer-aided-design tools is illustrated using Matlab and associated toolboxes. The control algorithm is implemented on a personal computer running the Labtech Notebook control program. The controlled system satisfactorily controls set point changes in total pressure and water level, and rejects disturbances in feedwater pressure. The material presented in the paper is used in a senior level course in digital process control at the University of Idaho. The course is jointly offered by the chemical and electrical engineering departments. Index Terms--Computer simulation, discrete linear quadratic regulator, mathematical modeling, multivariable control, paper machine headbox, system identification.

Contributions: The underrepresentation of women in computer science (CS) majors has long been a focus of attention in many academic documents, the majority of them from the United States and Europe. There is, however, a lack of information about educational interventions (EIs) for women in computing in Latin America. The contribution of this article is to cover this gap and describe what researchers in Latin American countries have been publishing about the recruitment and retention of women in the CS field. Background: Many EIs targeting female students at different educational levels—K-12, undergraduate, and graduate—have been undertaken to increase the participation of women in computing in Latin America. However, descriptions of these activities rarely are included in international academic databases. Research Questions: This literature mapping addresses two main research questions (RQ) about the topic of women in computing in academic publications in Latin American countries: RQ1) what are the characteristics of the publications about women in computing in Latin America? and RQ2) what are the published interventions to recruit and retain women in computing in Latin America? To answer RQ1, six subquestions were created covering year, language, country of origin, document type, and professional track. Furthermore, for RQ2, two subquestions were created involving educational level and the use of software development with a female theme. Methodology: This investigation used the systematic literature mapping process. To achieve a broad coverage of papers, the following sources were included: Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, EBSCO, the proceedings of the Latin American Women in Computing Conference (LAWCC), and those of the Women in Technology (WIT) workshop colocated with the annual conference of the Brazilian Computer Society (SBC). The included papers were published in the last decade (2010–2020) and written in English, Portuguese, or Spanish. Findings: The literature mapping encompasses 197 academic documents, 48.2% of which were written in Portuguese, 28.7% in English, and 23.1% in Spanish. The papers originated from 15 of the 20 Latin American countries. Brazil and Costa Rica have the highest number of publications overall. The documents describe initiatives to increase the participation of women in computing majors that cover the entire educational spectrum, from K-12 to graduate programs, but papers targeting populations in higher education have started to appear recently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prospective authors are requested to submit new, unpublished manuscripts for inclusion in the upcoming event described in this call for papers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The information and communications technology (ICT) industry is making important contributions to economic growth both locally and globally. There is a high demand for ICT professionals that higher education institutions are still struggling to meet. An effective literature review is an important part of understanding the existing findings and issues in the education of future ICT professionals, and for planning future research directions. This comprehensive study presented here includes a review of 761 papers on the level of summary analysis and 155 papers in depth, according to ten research questions related to: curriculum design and delivery, knowledge and skills of future ICT professionals, teaching methods, collaboration between academia and industry, and future employment and career development of ICT professionals in the labor market. Based on the findings from a content and cluster analysis, the results indicate the need for a more holistic and strategic approach to the education of future ICT professionals, including career development support within formal processes of higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Although every educational institution has a code of academic honesty, they still encounter incidents of plagiarism. These are difficult and time-consuming to detect and deal with. This paper explores the use of personalized assessments with the goal of reducing incidents of plagiarism, proposing a personalized assessment software framework through which each student receives a unique problem set. The framework not only auto-generates the problem set but also auto-marks the solutions when submitted. The experience of using this framework is discussed, from the perspective of both students and staff, particularly with respect to its ability to mitigate plagiarism. A comparison of personalized and traditional assignments in the same class confirms that the former had far fewer observed plagiarism incidents. Although personalized assessment may not be cost-effective in all courses (such as language courses), it still can be effective in areas such as mathematics, engineering, science, and computing. This paper concludes that personalized assessment is a promising approach to counter plagiarism. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Contribution: A systematic literature review on the empirical evidence regarding the usage of programming languages for learning purposes is presented. The review analyzes different methods and tools at different educational levels and with different objectives. Background: Learning programming has gained relevance in the last decade. This is due to the massive presence of programmable elements ranging from computers to toys. Because of this, the interest of researchers on this topic has increased. Questions, such as what to use, in what educational stages to use it, the effectiveness of the method, and the focal objectives for learning programming are questions that do not have obvious answers. Research Questions: 1) What empirical evidence exists on the use of educational programming languages (EPLs)? 2) In what context is the research performed? 3) How is effectiveness reported in the literature after applying EPLs? 4) What pedagogical goals are achieved by using EPLs? Methodology: Following a formal protocol, automated searches were performed for primary studies from 2007 to 2018. A total of 62 studies were identified, of which 29 were selected and analyzed since they include some type of empirical evidence. Findings: After performing the evaluation, the results support the need for better approaches with empirical evidence when reporting research on the usage of EPLs. Some research opportunities are identified which concerns the used programming languages, the areas or stages of their application, or the need to have more empirical evidence in general and more studies in non-WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic) contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Special Issue is a product of the collaboration between the Frontiers in Education (FIE) Conference and the IEEE Transactions on Education (IEEE ToE) Journal, both known for producing high-impact, peer-reviewed scholarly publications. FIE was founded in 1971 by the IEEE Education Society, joined by the ASEE Educational Research and Methods (ERM) division in 1973, and supported by the IEEE Computer Society since 1995. From its inception, FIE has been a vibrant hub for international computing and engineering educators and professionals to exchange ideas, network, and communicate quality research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing ubiquity of computing, more engineering programs now require their students to take one or more computing courses. At institutions where significant numbers of engineering students take computer courses, computing instructors and educators often assume roles that have them teaching their computing courses for non-majors as service courses, dealing with students with diverse backgrounds and varied motivations. Although teaching computing courses to non-majors is not new, the increasing importance of computing in future undergraduate engineering curricula poses new challenges. In this Special Issue, four of the papers offer insight into, and give evidence of, teaching computing to engineering students; the fifth paper investigates computational modeling abilities in conceptual understanding of electric circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comparison of online to traditional face-to-face delivery of undergraduate digital systems material. Two specific components of digital content were compared and evaluated: a sophomore logic circuits course with no laboratory, and a microprocessor laboratory component of a junior-level computer systems course. For each of these, a baseline level of student understanding was evaluated when they were being taught using traditional, face-to-face delivery. The course and lab component were then converted to being fully online, and the level of student understanding was again measured. In both cases, the same purpose-developed assessment tools were used to carry out the measurement of understanding. This paper presents the details of how the course components were converted to online delivery, including a discussion of the technology used to accomplish remote access of the electronic test equipment used in the laboratory. A comparison is then presented between the control and the experimental groups, including a statistical analysis of whether the delivery approach impacted student learning. Finally, student satisfaction is discussed, and instructor observations are given for the successful remote delivery of this type of class and laboratory. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Contribution: This paper argues for a shift in how students’ team project experiences are assessed. Findings from this paper suggest that it is not enough to consider student-reported data in assessing team dynamics; hidden gendered behavior may be impacting students in ways that students do not realize or report. Background: Although the number of women in engineering is rising, difficulties still exist for female students in electrical engineering and computer science, particularly in team projects. Male and female students may have very different project experiences, due to differing levels of confidence/self-efficacy, difficult team dynamics, or inequitable task division. Research Questions: This paper aimed to elucidate what differences exist in the project experience between male and female students, considering self-reported measures (engineering confidence/self-efficacy, time spent on task, and team satisfaction) and observational study. Methodology: Students completed pre/post-project surveys, weekly logs, and post-project interviews to report and discuss their engineering confidence/self-efficacy, project task selection, and team satisfaction. This paper reports a case study of one student team, observed by a researcher throughout the project course. Findings: While student-reported data implied a lack of gender division (male and female students had the same levels of confidence, completed the same project tasks, and were similarly satisfied with their teams), the observational study implied that the student-reported data may not be telling the whole story. Given the difficult team dynamics observed in the student team (but not reported by students), findings suggest that difficult gender dynamics may go unrecognized by students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new photovoltaic (PV) power systems laboratory module that was developed to experimentally reinforce students' understanding of design principles, operation, and control of photovoltaic power conversion systems. The laboratory module is project-based and is designed to support a renewable energy course. By using MATLAB real-time software tools in combination with digital signal processor (DSP) hardware tools, the module enables students to: 1) design and build dc–dc and dc–ac power converters; 2) design and implement control algorithms for maximum power point tracking (MPPT) and voltage and current regulation; and 3) design and fabricate a printed circuit board for voltage and current sensing, isolation, and gate driving. In these hands-on experiments, by designing and building their hardware and software integrated systems themselves, students learn by doing and experience the engineering transformative process of building a product out of an idea. This paper is motivated by the dearth of literature on the application of project-based learning methodology to PV systems. The module description, the pedagogical and evaluation methodologies adopted, and reflections on the implementations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The use of Miller's Theorem in the determination of the high-frequency cutoff frequency of transistor amplifiers was recently challenged by a paper published in this TRANSACTIONS. Unfortunately, that paper provided no simulation or experimental resuIts to bring credence to the challenge or to validate the alternate method of determination proposed. This paper provides SPICE simulation results that validate the common usage of Miller's Theorem, limit the alternate method provided in that recent paper to a very small class of amplifiers, and reinforce the need to consider transistor amplifiers as two-pole systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The question/answer-based computer game Age of Computers was introduced to replace traditional weekly paper exercises in a course in Computer Fundamentals in 2003. Questionnaire evaluations and observation of student behavior have indicated that the students found the game more motivating than paper exercises and that a majority of the students also perceived the game to have a higher learning effect than paper exercises or textbook reading. This paper reports on a controlled experiment to compare the learning effectiveness of game play with traditional paper exercises, as well as with textbook reading. The results indicated that with equal time being spent on the various learning activities, the effect of game play was only equal to that of the other activities, not better. Yet this result is promising enough, as the increased motivation means that students work harder in the course. Also, the results indicate that the game has potential for improvement, in particular with respect to its feedback on the more complicated questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contribution: Prior studies on goal congruity show that students are more motivated to pursue careers that allow them to work with and help others and give back to their community (i.e., careers that afford prosocial value). This paper discovers this same pattern in electrical engineering (EE) and discovers that prosocial affordance beliefs are significantly associated with intensions to persist, while agency beliefs are not. Background: Goal congruity theory finds that people are more motivated to pursue a career if it aligns with values they endorse. This theory can shed light on why some students do not persist in EE because of the stereotype that the profession does not allow working with and helping others. Research Questions: This paper seeks to answer whether EE students perceive the profession as affording prosocial value, and to test associations between prosocial perceptions and motivation to persist in the field. Methodology: The first study in this paper was conducted on students in an introductory EE course ($n\,\,= 79$) that measured affordance beliefs about the EE profession and tested associations with intensions to persist. The second study compared affordance beliefs and trait endorsements held by students in the introductory level course with those in an advanced EE courses ($n\,\,=51$). Findings: Mediation analysis revealed that the more novice students believe that EE allows them to fulfill prosocial goals, the greater their persistence intentions (95% CI: 0.01 to 0.34). This analysis also showed that agency beliefs were not strongly associated with persistence intensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contribution: A redesign of the Moodle platform to adapt digital educational content [learning objects (LOs)] to the specific needs of students with disabilities. The approach, extendable to a range of disciplines, was empirically tested with blind and deaf engineering students. Background: Previous studies identified difficulties that blind and deaf students face in accessing digital content for learning. General guidelines and specific tools are available to help educators adapt digital content and existing learning platforms for access by students with varying abilities/capacities. Such tools are usually for a specific disability rather than a range of capacities, and few provide empirical evidence of effectiveness. Intended Outcomes: The engineering-related digital content adapted using the techniques described in this paper should enable blind and/or deaf students to use an oscilloscope, understand communication channels, and distinguish the different types of telecommunication networks. Application Design: The Moodle learning platform was adapted using existing e-learning accessibility standards so that digital LOs could be automatically presented in formats accessible to blind and/or deaf students. This model is extendable for other types of disabilities, helping educators adapt existing content for access by students with differing capacities. The teacher adds content (in non-auditory and non-visual formats to describe content otherwise inaccessible to deaf or blind students) and students upload reusable profiles/metadata describing their specific accessibility needs to connect to suitably adjusted content. Findings: Learning improvement with the adjusted platform was evaluated via multiple choice pre- and post-tests. Students’ learning performance improved significantly across all groups: blind (45%), deaf (46.25%) and deaf-blind (87.5%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contribution: This paper introduces the real-world limitations and non-technical aspects of power electronics (PEs) projects to students through innovative tutorial activities. Background: Many electrical engineering curricula offer a PE courses (PECs) for third- or fourth-year undergraduate students. Prior research on PEs education mainly focused on improving students’ experimental skills through developing practical experiments, laboratory activities, and problem/project-based learning. An instructional approach that instead employs real-world knowledge and skills is worth evaluating. Intended Outcomes: Students should be able to consider real-world technical and non-technical limitations when applying theory to design PE circuits and converters, and be able to select and carry out appropriate tests to troubleshoot circuits. Application Design: Prior research on engineering education emphasized the importance of introducing real-world limitations to the students as part of their curriculum. This paper suggests that the tutorial activities presented in a PEC can help students acquire skills in designing and troubleshooting a circuit or system according to desired technical aspects, real-world limitations, and available data. Findings: Evidence of the validity of this approach in a PEC at two Australian universities, over four academic years, is provided. Students receiving the new tutorial activities had percentage scores some 10–15 points higher than those who had traditional tutorials. Another evaluation reveals the students’ vibrant participation in the activities during the new tutorial sessions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contribution: This paper provides evidence for the benefits of pair programming early in the curriculum on student performance later in the curriculum. It also confirms the short term benefits of partnerships at scale. Background: Engineers often work in teams, both in industry and in academia. Previous work has shown that partnered programming yields higher student performance during the course in which students partner. Research Questions: This paper investigates the long term effects of early curriculum pair programming on student performance in a following course. Specifically, do student partnerships impact long-term student performance in a later course? Are previously observed effects of partner programming robust to a larger sample size? Methodology: This quantitative analysis examines 2468 students in an introductory computer science sequence at a large, public research institution. The data set comprises two academic years and includes partnership participation, project and exam scores, withdraw rates, time between courses, GPA, and gender. Findings: A positive relationship is observed between partnering in an introductory course, and higher project scores in a future course, where all students worked alone ( $N = 1003$ ). Students with the lowest GPAs experienced the greatest benefits. Additionally, results with a large population of students confirm the observations of previous research, showing that partnerships are associated with an overall positive grade impact during the course in which the partnership takes place ( $N = 2468$ ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contribution: This paper illustrates how to design and implement curricula in terms of the combined use of flipped learning and inquiry-based learning in an engineering course. Background: Elementary courses in engineering schools are conventional and foundational, and involve a considerable amount of knowledge. Throughout such courses, students are also expected to develop insight, which cannot be obtained by only listening to instructors. Having relevant discussions is also difficult for most instructors. Intended Outcomes: The combined use of flipped learning and inquiry-based learning would be beneficial to broaden student achievement. Application Design: Based on an epistemological approach about knowledge and knowing, this paper applies the combined use of flipped learning and inquiry-based learning to enhance student knowledge and advance ways of thinking on a System Modeling and Control course. Findings: The extended learning time and the collective responsibility for learning are discussed as critical issues in applying the combined use of flipped learning and inquiry-based learning in an engineering school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the long-term outcomes of a general education course on digital technologies. Through conducting cross-sectional and longitudinal interviews with students, the authors found that non-engineering students who took this course had notable noncognitive, long-term outcomes. A primary focus of the work reported in this paper was the long-term outcome of self-efficacy. The authors also investigated the sources of self-efficacy for the students in the course. The primary sources of self-efficacy in the course were verbal persuasion and mastery experience. Faculty and teaching assistants were key sources for verbal persuasion. Some students exhibited a “success paradox”: They felt successful in the course even though they failed to meet their initial expectations. The authors also found that a mastery experience, such as working on a final project, can still feel successful when it is mediated by verbal persuasion. This paper can guide faculty in designing or adapting courses to promote student self-efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The concept of intrinsic complexity explains why different problems of the same type, tackled by the same problem solver, can require different times to solve and yield solutions of different quality. This paper proposes a general four-step approach that can be used to establish a model for the intrinsic complexity of a problem class in terms of solving time. Such a model allows prediction of the time to solve new problems in the same class and helps instructors develop more reliable test problems. A complexity model, furthermore, enhances understanding of the problem and can point to new aspects interesting for education and research. Students can use complexity models to assess and improve their learning level. The approach is explained using the K-map minimization problem as a case study. The implications of this research for other problems in electrical and computer engineering education are highlighted. An important aim of this paper is to stimulate future research in this area. An ideal outcome of such research is to provide complexity models for many, or even all, relevant problem classes in various electrical and computer engineering courses. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Recursion is one of the most difficult programming topics for students. In this paper, an instructional method is proposed to enhance students' understanding of recursion tracing. The proposal is based on the use of rules to translate linear recursion algorithms into equivalent, iterative ones. The paper has two main contributions: the instructional method itself, and its evaluation, which is based on previous works of other authors on mental models of recursion. As a result, an enhancement was measured in the viability of mental models exhibited by students (both for linear and multiple recursion), but no significant improvement was detected in their skills for designing recursive algorithms. Evidence was also obtained of the fact that many students with (relatively) viable mental models for linear recursion have unviable mental models for multiple recursion. Finally, it was noticed that many students adopt inaccurate mental models if those models are adequate to handle the given algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents the “Multi-Role Project” method (MRP), a broadly applicable project-based learning method, and describes its implementation and evaluation in the context of a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) course. The MRP method is designed around a meta-principle that considers the project learning activity as a role-playing game based on two projects: a learning project and an engineering project. The meta-principle is complemented by five principles that provide a framework to guide the working practices of student teams: distribution of responsibilities; regular interactions and solicitations within the team; anticipation and continuous improvement; positive interdependence and alternating individual/collective work; and open communication and content management. This paper presents the implementation of MRP in a course teaching software engineering, UML language, and project management. The results show that MRP helped the course's students to acquire important professional knowledge and skills, experience near-real-world professional realities, and develop their abilities to work both in teams and autonomously. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Medical imaging systems (MIS) constitute an important emergent subdiscipline of engineering studies. In the context of electrical and electronics engineering (EEE) education, MIS courses cover physics, instrumentation, data acquisition, image formation, modeling, and quality assessment of various modalities. Many well-structured MIS courses are available for EEE curricula, providing introduction to all modern diagnostic imaging systems. However, in these courses the laboratory component is limited to image formation and analysis. This paper proposes a wide range of experiments that incorporate various disciplines of EEE education into MIS courses. These experiments are designed to integrate knowledge that students have acquired previously from key EEE courses (such as circuit theory, differential equations, wave theory, energy conversion, control theory, and signal processing) into their new MIS knowledge. The proposed laboratory was adapted to a senior-year MIS class in the EEE Department of Dokuz Eylül University, Turkey. This paper presents the application of these new laboratory experiments, along with the assessment results. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents several methods for motivating students taking a power system protection (PSP) course. The paper reviews the laboratory activities developed for the PSP course at Curtin University, Australia; these methods are applicable and can be used for PSP course instruction at any institution. These activities were developed to improve the learning experience of the electrical engineering undergraduate and postgraduate students enrolled in this course. Initially, the PSP course at Curtin University consisted of lectures and tutorials accompanied by two sessions of software-based simulations and one session of laboratory demonstration. To motivate the students, several computer-based simulations and practical laboratory experiments were developed. PSCAD and ETAP power system analysis software tools are introduced and used to demonstrate the performance and coordination of different protection relays from steady-state and dynamic points of view. Also, a practical setup composed of a LabVolt power system simulator and industrial relays is used to carry out several practical experiments. The experiments help students observe the performance of protection systems for transformers and induction motors during faults and abnormal operating conditions. Finally, the concept of relay testing and commissioning is introduced by relay standalone experiments using a secondary injection relay test set. The results of these activities were evaluated according to the students’ satisfaction, comments, total scores, and interest in PSP. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Power electronics is a fast-developing technology within the electrical engineering field. This paper presents the results and experiences gained from applying design-oriented project-based learning to switch-mode power supply design in a power electronics course at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). Project-based learning (PBL) is known to be a motivating problem-centered teaching method that not only places students at the core of teaching and learning activities but also gives them the ability to transfer their acquired scientific knowledge into industrial practice. Students choose a specification to implement from various power converter application projects, such as a fuel cell power conditioning converter, a light-emitting diode (LED) driver or a battery charger. The students select the topology, design magnetic components, calculate input/output filters and design closed-loop controllers necessary to fulfill the requirements listed in the chosen specification and thus meet the project's goals. This paper presents the course teaching plan and teaching methods, assessment method and student feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Contribution: This paper presents a model for educational robotics tools and a corresponding set of heuristics for their development and evaluation specifically adapted to the needs and expectations in formal education settings. Background: The increased use of educational robots in classrooms, and the steadily growing number of alternatives from which to choose, bring the requirement for appropriate methods to develop and evaluate these tools. Yet the current body of literature does not provide comprehensive frameworks that allow this question to be adequately addressed. Although previous research has studied the use of educational robotics in classrooms, there is still a lack of methods to support their development and evaluation. Intended Outcomes: An evaluation framework to support researchers, engineers, educators, and decision makers in taking informed decisions about educational robotics systems. Application Design: This paper proposes to consider activities involving educational robotics tools as a kind of “educational augmented tabletop game.” Within this framework, a set of fourteen heuristics was devised, based on literature on games and learning tools. The validity of these heuristics was examined with a heterogenous group of twelve school teachers, who tested five different educational robotics systems. Findings: The participating teachers had a high level of approval for the heuristics devised. A heuristic evaluation based on the framework proposed here appeared to more appropriately reflecting the teachers’ needs than did conventional methods, namely the isolated comparison of system characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the more interesting approaches to teaching advanced logic concepts is the use of online laboratory frameworks to provide student access to remote field-programmable devices. There is as yet, however, no conclusive evidence of the effectiveness of such an approach. This paper presents the Advanced Digital Lab, a remote laboratory based on the batched MIT iLab Architecture. With a hardware system under test designed around an Altera EP2C20F484 field-programmable gate array (FPGA), the lab makes it possible for students to implement finite-state machines on a field-programmable device using VHDL. A study was carried out to evaluate the lab. Study results indicated that the Advanced Digital Lab is an effective pedagogical tool. Some observations drawn from the results of the study are also discussed; these may have far-reaching implications for the argument about the effectiveness of the general class of remote laboratories. An important contribution of this paper is that it provides a template for the proper evaluation of remote laboratories along multiple dimensions, particularly those of pedagogy, logistics, and cost. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Contribution: This paper reports a curriculum development in hybrid problem-based learning (h-PBL), addresses the design, implementation, effectiveness, and assessment issues of h-PBL, and explains the mixed results observed regarding the impact of problem-based learning (PBL) on student grades from a hybrid perspective. Background: The effect of PBL on student learning is difficult to analyze. Empirical research on h-PBL has been scant in the engineering education field. Intended Outcomes: The hybrid approach described in this paper can be used to guide other course designs. Future research directions are also provided in order to better capture the positive effects of PBL on student learning. Application Design: A 3-D imaging project was developed and implemented using h-PBL. A non-parametric hypothesis test was conducted to compare four-year student performance data collected after the implementation of h-PBL with four-year student performance data collected under traditional lecturing; both sets of students were taught by the same instructor. Findings: Student project grades improved after h-PBL, whereas student cumulative course grades did not show significant improvement. The study suggests that higher ratios and weights of PBL, better timing in introducing PBL, and more integrated course components in the hybrid approach may further improve student performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes lab work for learning fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) in mechatronic systems. These skills are important for engineering education because FDD is a key capability of competitive processes and products. The intended outcome of the lab work is that students become aware of the importance of faulty conditions and learn to design FDD strategies for a real system. To this end, the paper proposes a lab project where students are requested to develop a discrete event dynamic system (DEDS) diagnosis to cope with two faulty conditions in an autonomous mobile robot task. A sample solution is discussed for LEGO Mindstorms NXT robots with LabVIEW. This innovative practice is relevant to higher education engineering courses related to mechatronics, robotics, or DEDS. Results are also given of the application of this strategy as part of a postgraduate course on fault-tolerant mechatronic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a low-cost method of fabricating a printed circuit board (PCB) for class projects in electrical and electronics engineering courses. Limitations imposed by PCB technology in classroom setting; Process in PCB fabrication; Application of laser printer generated mask to a copper board; Direct etching of copper board in a standard etch batch; Advantages over traditional methods.

Contribution: This brief comment highlights some crucial assumptions behind the “law of the junction” that are overlooked by the above paper and argues that the proposed derivation is not actually a “new” derivation at all. Background: The “law of the junction” is one of the most significant and useful results within the field of solid-state devices. The above paper is likely to confuse readers, particularly those who are undergraduate electrical engineering students studying semiconductor device physics for the first time. This is especially so because of the abstract nature of the underlying quantum mechanics framework and solid-state physics models (subjects which the typical student at that level lacks a substantial background in) as well as the plethora of tedious equations in the curriculum. Research Questions: What core physical concepts are essential to a fundamental yet intuitive understanding of the law of the junction? Methodology: Several key features of how semiconductor junctions behave under bias are explained. References to well-known textbooks are provided where appropriate. Findings: The above paper’s primary mistake is its assertion that its derivation does not rely on the assumption of thermal equilibrium. However, the law of the junction is equivalent to a calculation of depletion-edge minority carrier concentrations using Maxwell–Boltzmann statistics—a distribution which only holds under thermal equilibrium conditions. More rigorously, in a nondegenerate semiconductor, Fermi–Dirac statistics (which governs electrons) reduces to Boltzmann statistics only when the electrochemical potential is spatially uniform, a condition equivalent to having no net flow of thermal energy—the very definition of thermal equilibrium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering education is undergoing a restructuring driven by the needs of an increasingly multidisciplinary engineering profession. At the same time, power systems are transitioning toward future smart grids that will require power engineers with skills outside of the core power engineering domain. Since including new topics in the existing curriculum while maintaining the existing requirements is difficult, this paper proposes a project-based cooperative learning approach to promote soft skills in an engineering course. This paper then shows how to construct a realistic open-ended multidisciplinary problem whose solution requires a wide range of skills, which is not a trivial task. The design and technoeconomic viability assessment of a small-scale photovoltaic battery system is used as a case study. The effectiveness of the approach and students’ satisfaction were assessed over two years. Survey results after the first year revealed that the students did not feel sufficiently prepared for multidisciplinary work. After appropriate adjustments in the second year, the survey results improved noticeably. Statistical analysis reveals that the project teaches skills that are complementary to the core domain skills, which confirms the validity of the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Some education specialists are challenging the use of traditional strategies in classrooms and are calling for the use of contemporary teaching and learning techniques. In response to these calls, many field experiments that compare different teaching and learning strategies have been conducted. However, to date, little is known on the outcomes of these strategies specific to the context of engineers and engineering education. The debate on traditional versus contemporary strategies continues, with many traditionalists holding firm to the view that contemporary techniques diminish the academic quality and integrity of teaching and learning. This paper adds to the current debate by assessing the outcome of interactive lectures, a contemporary teaching strategy, in the context of engineering education. Specifically, this paper examines the effect of interactive lectures on student academic achievement and the learning environment. This paper supported the quantitative survey responses with self-reported student reflections. The findings contradict the traditionalist view of teaching and learning; student performance was not significantly different when interactive learning strategies were employed. However, students held a more positive view toward the learning environment and felt that interactive learning enhanced their overall learning experiences and spurred interest in the subject area. This paper concluded that interactive lecturing can be an effective approach in teaching business management in engineering education. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]