Web-Based Delivery of the First Course in Power Electronics Amman – Jordan December 16-17

1. Web-Based Delivery of the First Course in Power Electronics Amman – JordanDecember 16-17 Issa Batarseh School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science University of Central Florida. Orlando, Florida 32816 Email: Batarseh@mail.ucf.edu

2. Introduction • The role of technology in education has never been greater: capabilities, cost. • The Internet has been utilized as the ideal medium to create platforms for students to use for its wide availability. • There is a pressing need for developing original web-based multi-media learning environment. • None of today's web-based educational tools allow students to perform a generalized and real time simulation of engineering problems in the interactive web-based instructional environment.

3. Introduction(cont.) • Power electronics is the fastest growing area in electrical engineering. • US universities have not kept pace with the growth of power electronics field, and are not educating students in sufficient numbers • The writing of this paper is motivated primarily by the current multimedia delivery efforts underway at the University of Central Florida (UCF) to develop undergraduate and graduate curriculum in power electronics.

4. Classroom (Live) fixed in time and location Distance any time any place meets needs of non-traditional students maintain classes at branch campuses Methods of Delivery

5. Methods of Distance Learning • Textbooks • Radio/TV • By Correspondences • Taped Lectures • Video Streaming • Interactive TV • Internet/web Based live feeding

6. Internet Based • Universal access • Moderate cost (free to students) • Complement classroom instruction and make learning easier. • Learn a new technology that is here to stay • Potential for improving critical thinking and problem solving skills. • interaction between students and faculty. • Highly interactive via Web and e-mail • Foster independence and autonomy among students. • Higher students satisfaction. • High participation in discussion.

7. Internet Based Courses (cont.) Potential Problems • Low bandwidth (delays in transmitting audio and video information). • Learning curve, hardware and software • Budgetary restrictions. • Students with limited writing and communication skills are at disadvantage. • Possible delays due to technical difficulties.

8. Web Based Power Electronic Courses 8 Universities were surveyed by email: • Limited web based activities • Documentation/information • Limited interaction with students • Lack of design on line • Lack of simulation on line

9. Web Based Power Electronic Courses

10. UCF Experience • Web-CT has been the main platform used to develop courses on line. • Courses are either: • (W) Fully on the Web to reduce classroom seating • (M) Mixed-mode course • (E) Web Enhanced in which the web is used to enhance course delivery. • The Fully on the Web Courses are offered fully via the web through which students are not required to attend the class. • Mixed/Web-Enhanced Courses students use both live lectures and the web to go through the course.

11. UCF Experience (cont.) • FEEDS: Florida Engineering Educational Delivery System • College of Engineering and Computer Science has been involved with video-taped classes for more than 15 years. • UCF had 120 classes at 51 sites . (The Florida State System has more than 484 classes at 156 sites) • By combining both the Internet and the existing videotaped delivery, the program was able to offer courses to more students at more remote locations.

12. Power Electronics Courses • At UCF, two power electronics courses are offered periodically; • EEL 5245 Power Electronics I • EEL 6246 Power Electronics II • A third course that discusses dynamic modeling and controller design is offered as • EEL 6271 Advanced Electronics I

13. Power Electronics Courses

14. The First Power Electronics Course: Fall 2000 • The Web Site: http://reach.ucf.edu/~eel5245/ • The site contains; • detailed course outline, • lectures, • homework assignments, • sample exams, • quizzes on line, • exam on line • Student information/course grades

15. Logging on: Figure 1 Welcome page for the course, with the login screen shown.

16. Fig. 2(a) Student view of the main page of the course Web-CT site.

17. Fig. 2(b) The instructor and editor view of the course Web-CT site.

18. Fig. 3 The course home Web Site for the class

19. Quizzes and Exams; • The Web-CT environment allows student tracking and providing quizzes and exams on line. • Developed quizzes and one exam on-line. This makes it possible for students to take open-book, open-note exams anywhere and any time within the time window set by the instructor.

20. Future Trends; • Growth in power electronics education and research will continue to grow in the near future • To develop an effective power electronics education it is important to have simulation and hardware laboratory support in conjunction with the course material. • Web-based education must include more on-line course offerings advanced graphical-user-interface tools, on-line exams, interactive discussion, and even web-based interactive circuit and system simulations. • Additional work is needed in developing web-based interactive simulation/design and experiential learning.

21. On-Line Power Electronics Simulation: • Computer simulation and computer tools play very important role delivering effective power electronics education. • In UCF; Students will have free access that will allow them through a GUI to be able to design build and simulate circuit engineering problems on line. • This will provide an innovative method for interactive teaching and on-line design testing. • The on-line Pspice computer simulation of engineering problems will help students better understand abstract engineering principles, and will have multiple opportunities to solve engineering design problems.

22. Example of web-based Interactive Lectures Interactive Power Electronics Seminar (iPES) By Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (Ref. #12) http://www.ipes.ethz.ch