So i'm helping to Write an Intro to EE Course - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Daving
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2013, 07:57:37 am
content: Hello,One of my professors has asked me to help out with the introductory course for EE at my University. Part of the reason I'm doing this is I have a rather spotty educational background, and I'd like to make a course that I would enjoy going through and do well in, whch means adding creative components. Of course most profs that I talk to (this one I'm working with is a bit of an exception) are worried about creative components as most students, in their opinion, can't handle it, get lost, etc.My first question is this: we're thinking of using the NI myDAQ and it's companion book (I tried to interest the prof in Art of Electronics, but she thought it might scare off some of the kids), and I was wondering if anyone here has messed with those and what they think of them.The next bit is the interesting bit. One of my frustrations with the EE program here is that there's not enough room for creativity. It seems too many of the EE professors have limited/no experience outside of university and generally seem more like math professors than engineering professors. So part of the objective is to introduce the students to the basics of electronics. What the part do and what not, but the part I'm really interested in is how to coach them into designing small projects for homework and testing them in the lab.One of the thing we want to do is put together a deck of cards with the general idea o the front and an example implementation on the back, wit the signal coming in and going out, and then having the students build systems with these cards. Maybe I'll layout a bunch of PCBs to go with the card decks...Part of the issue, is that most of the students have not even the basic understanding of electronics coming in. Most were probably told they were good at math, so they should check out EE, and oh by the way it pays pretty well. I don't want yet another weed out course, but instead want to try and get the students to be passionate about the material or figure out that it is in fact not for them.I'm sure most have their opinion on what universities ought to be doing or rants about how fresh graduates don't know this or can't do that, so what do you think?

author: bradleytron
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2013, 08:46:43 am
content: In my experience the overall approach was to use a lot of LabVIEW to augment and support the theory behind the basics. So you put together a collection of LabVIEW oriented experiments that involve using data acquisition to acquire and identify and process the relevant signals from basic networks. For example, a simple RC low pass filter can be built and tested. With the availability of NI teaching license's and programs you should be able to get access to the software for students for home use as well. In fact, at this level, even the trial version would likely suffice for the kinds of stuff students will need to do. You could even consider developing a set of good audio interface VIs so students can take advantage of sound cards for data acquisition, e.g. especially at home where a commercial NI-DAQ board would be expensive (the sound cards would require a modification if you wanted to also use them to measure DC). I assume the lab has a good group of test instrumentation for each pair of students, i.e., DSO (preferable because you can easily generate print outs for lab reports), arbitrary function generator, power supplies, DMM etc. Of course everything could be done together with the set of cards you mention. The summer would be a good time to set aside to determine, test, and implement the experiments to be ready for a Fall semester. The onus is one you to make sure that the work students wind up doing does provide enough challenge so they actually learn something useful, its quite easy to get carried away and overshoot with too much automation, diminishing the maximum possible learning potential. Best of luck.B

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2013, 08:50:41 am
content: Sort them out into groups that can work together, and have a range of knowledge and building ability. Leader is the one who knows the front of the soldering iron from the back ,and then this one can tutor the rest and get them up to some ability. You will need a few simple boards, building from basic passives to get to a small circuit that can show them something simple, then build up from there to more complex. Teach a little about testing, often overlooked and very important. Possible to use some online material for tips and such, and give them the Art of Electronics as additional reading. This will both reduce load, show them how to work together and how to both learn and teach. Those that are interested will ask for more, and this will help in reducing your workload.

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2013, 09:23:14 am
content: Creativity? Creativity in this context is typically an excuse for silliness. So put up a clown costume and don't confront them with real problems.Seriously, it sounds you have fully embraced the latest education nonsense. Never challenge students, so they never have to work hard, and always feel cuddled and loved, otherwise they will all become serial killers. Always teach them they are entitled to everything while having to contribute nothing, etc. The full "no child left behind", "you can be a rocket scientist, too" nonsense.Throw in the typical "math sucks and who needs it anyhow?". And all that of course combined with the latest trend, gamifcation. Add Fisher Price colors and every kind of silliness you can think of to a subject and call it creativity.Oh, and you course you are on the typical "all my professors have no clue" trip. You know the thing is you are the one with no clue and you want to show them how it is done?

author: Daving
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2013, 10:12:44 am
content: You may think that, but you'd be wrong.My goal is for the students to solve an ill-defined problem and develop a working solution. That requires a good understanding of the physics and math. It also requires that they know how to test and measure to better understand the problem. It also requires creativity to generate possible solutions. Engineering is a creative field.

author: amspire
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2013, 10:27:01 am
content: I would start with a result, and then go into how to achieve it.Also things like myDAQ are interesting tools, but I think that is for later. myDAQ includes a lot of Black Box stuff, and I don't think you want that as an introduction.If I had the course time, and I was introducing analog design, I would probably start with an opamp, and show how simple it was to get useful results with simple circuits.Then I would make up a simple opamp from parts, and show how each of the three opamp stages - the differential input, the gain stage with the single pole roll off, and the output stage all have to work correctly. It doesn't have to be a good opamp - the worse it is, the better the impressive performance of the IC opamps becomes. I would interactively play with parameters of the stages and show what the results are. Remove the base-collector capacitor from a single transistor gain stage and show how the opamp becomes unstable. Explain why in a similar way to Dave's explanations. The idea is to leave the student with a bit of knowledge and the feeling that they can achieve something. I wouldn't do it as a design course - that is for later. Just touch on some big ideas to paint a broad picture.If you wanted to touch digital design, I would prefer to use an Arduino or some other very simple and open environment to do things like A/D sampling. The result output doesn't have to be an impressive interface on a computer - it can be a flashing LED that flashes faster as the voltage increases. It is very simplistic, but it is going from an idea to a result with a level of complexity a beginner can follow, and think it is achievable for them as well. People can count the pulses with a stopwatch and you can plot the results. I think the connection from the intent and the result has to be as direct as possible with as little abstraction in between as possible. I would leave myDAQ and Labview for later - along with Digital Oscilloscopes, Logic Analyzers, Spectrum Analyzers and other high end gear. For me, the scopes and myDAQ are for when you have a picture in your head of something you want to see or capture, and the tools become the natural way capture the data.I would not touch on any theory without a result first, and then introduce the theory to show how the result was achieved. Nothing is more boring then Ohm's Law and semiconductor theory taught as a purely abstract idea.Richard.

author: djsb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2013, 10:46:41 am
content: We do the basic electrical principles stuff for the first years where I work. Over the last semester we have done charge/discharge of a capacitor, series RC circuit, series RLC circuit, NOT gate and common emitter amplifier, 741 low pass filter and then leading onto a small radio made from discrete transistors. They have all been built on breadboard and have introduced the student to basic measurement using a multimeter and digital oscilloscope and basic hand tools (cutters, wire stripper, pliers, different types of wire etc). There has also been a small PCB based project using a 555 timer. I help to teach this so I find that after students have got used to the breadboard and identifying basic components the next hurdle after learning the multimeter is the oscilloscope. Another challenge is maintaining attention and reading/following instructions and also being able to read a schematic diagram and translating that to actually wiring up a breadboard. These are students on a BA course so they don't expect to have to do any engineering at all. You have to keep repeating the very basics of electronics.Our Msc students get to do stuff on Matlab and use NI data acquisition stuff.David.PS This last year has gone by in a blur so I will add to and refine the above list later.

author: KJDS
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2013, 03:28:38 pm
content: I'm a little confused, if you're trying to put together an intro course, then teach some basic foundation things.If you're trying to teach creativity then forget it, creativity is something that someone develops when they have good foundations.

author: lewis
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2013, 03:38:41 pm
content: Quote from: Bored@Work on March 24, 2013, 09:23:14 amThat made me smile....

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2013, 04:28:46 pm
content: Quote from: djsb on March 24, 2013, 10:46:41 amCurious: BA in what subject?

author: djsb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2013, 04:46:35 pm
content: BA Industrial design and Technology (http://www.brunel.ac.uk/sed/undergraduate-study). The BSc students may also be involved as well or maybe they are BSc students. I get confused as to who is doing what and from my point of view all the students are complete beginners. As I don't set the courses all I do is try to influence/improve the course content where I can.Like I said above it's been a busy year and gone by very quickly. I'm on my Easter break now I can reflect on things a bit over the next two weeks.David.

author: bradleytron
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2013, 06:35:09 pm
content: There are some good ideas proposed here and several, based on what seem like guess work, that is, without due regard to the typical constraints imposed by lab schedules and so on. Whatever you choose to do, it has to cover the material over a group of lab sessions, usually two or three hours duration. This usually makes it very difficult to include sufficient time for doing things like, soldering, figuring out how to organize students into works groups that optimize individual talents etc. The LabVIEW can be 'black box' to the extent that it accounts for the level of abilities of the students coming into the course, and the time available to go into the software as a whole, as I pointed out students can be encouraged to study the LabVIEW, say at home, and by this approach set their own goals for how much they want to know. So you benefit because you introduce the students to this great software tool and also you get the added benefits of automating certain tasks that otherwise would just waste time. For example, you could build an RC filter and have the students acquire output versus frequency data, point by point, but the time wasted here would be enormous so a better solution is to have a LabVIEW program pre-written that they can then use to gather the data, plot it, then have them analyze it. To be creative the basic circuit networks that they work on over the course could then be combined in one final more complex circuit to do something creative, fun, cool or whatever!B

author: djsb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2013, 08:14:30 pm
content: Most of our courses culminate in a final project/product so that students can work towards something tangible. It's mainly because our students are on a design course and NOT a pure engineering course. It can be fun seeing something working at the end of all that effort. It can also be very frustrating when things don't go as planned. Still it's just as important to make sure students realise what they have achieved whatever the outcome.

author: minibutmany
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2013, 11:47:43 pm
content: I find it interesting that the one who says not to implement creativity has the user name Bored@Work.

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2013, 08:00:56 am
content: Quote from: minibutmany on March 24, 2013, 11:47:43 pmOh come on, from your number of postings it is obvious you are only here to score in the contest.Anyhow, for all the creative souls who hate real work and need to be creatively entertained here is a suggestion for a lesson:Everyone in class is supposed to bring a bunch of color-coded through hole resistors to class. Then make a big fuss out of it when they are all thrown on one table and mixed together. Probably already give them achievement point because they manage to mix them accident free.Then divide the class into groups. Give every group a handfull of resistors. And now the real creativity starts. Let them sort them into aesthetically pleasing color combinations. Ask them to discuss why they find their combination of colors most pleasing.If time permits, let them write a small play in which they express their feelings about their pleasing color codes and let each group act it out in front of the class. Give points for enthusiasm.Now let all groups check their bunch of resistors for a particular color code. Pick a color code which does not exist in the E series (Note, some years ago I would have suggested that the students make a statistic of the color codes they have, but that requires minimal math skills, like counting. So we can't have that, and you have to lead them to the fact that not all color combinations are there).Ok, after the excitement of the discovery that at least a particular code is missing wears off, ask the class to discuss this particular kind of discrimination, and ask them to express what the missing color code must feel having been left out. You might encourage them to form an anti color code discrimination student committee in their spare time.Give all of them a hug when they leave the class at the end of the lesson. Have the school counsel stand by for those having problems handling the situation.

author: KJDS
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2013, 08:19:26 am
content: Quote from: Bored@Work on March 25, 2013, 08:00:56 amHugging students is an easy way to get sacked.

author: lewis
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2013, 08:57:48 am
content: Quote from: Bored@Work on March 25, 2013, 08:00:56 amThat made me smile too. Don't forget 'sustainability'.

author: C
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2013, 09:08:52 am
content: My first electronics course was taught be a machine shop teacher.Seeing something be for formulas is good, but the problem with seeing is you need to equate it to they know or have experienced to convey the concept.Voltage = water tower hightcurrent = gal per minutesresistor = size of pipecap = water ballooninductor = water hammerThen do it your self constructioncap two sheets of medal separated by plastic or glassinductor a coilThere are others that work and it's good to have many to hit the key to understanding.Then the big thingsmost of the basic eq like E=I * R are correct just not complete.how to say this one?All electronics parts are crap,The data sheet lists things others have considered important but not all possible things someone might be looking for. The data sheet important points are a great double check/every basic part is a resistor, cap, inductor, insulator, noise source. so when you pick a part you try to max what you want while getting the others to a min or I don't care levels.the above not great, but you may get the ideaThink of the fun I had in the past for electronics that would function above 180C. not in most spec sheets.C

author: nuhamind2
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2013, 05:34:26 pm
content: I'm an EE student, so probably I'm not in the position to say alot.Basically, I agree with Bored@Work. The proof is almost all of my friend. Here the story :In my country there is a program in which collegge student submit a project proposal. The proposal is reviewed by selected lecturer across the country and the approved proposals funded by High Education Ministry. I've read most proposal submitted by my EE departement student, most of them have this theme :1.Things that solve energy crisis : Some kind of electric car, green energy or somethingLook creative and usefull. Most of proposal with this theme get funded.2.Things related to smart robot : I know someone who propose kind of mobile robot with camera to monitor dangerous place(like volcane eruption). They even make the 3d model with the robo stream video wirelessly. Wow, seem great.3.Creative education thing : Someone have and idea using led cube to teach high school student 3d representation of chemical subtance.Project number one : Never a team able to deliver what they promised in the proposal.Project number two : I don't know if the already take account of the bandwitdh requirement. It seem they are not.Project number three : Resolution !! Building 4x4x4 led cube is already a lot of work.Wonder what resolution required to represent structure of chemical bondingI'm sure the project above can be completed by professional, but by 2nd or 3rd year EE student?? I doubt. Most of them oversimplified their project (or overestimated their capability). They don't know the foundation or simply ignored since it is not cool."WTF is transistor, WTF is MOSFET, look at this 70 MIPS PIC, blazingly fast compared to 8 bitter mega328 .My project gonna be so cool"^not really like that, but based on real conversation I accidently heard and it really irritate me.night time rant, feel free to do anything with that.