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Revised Electrical and Computer Engineering Curriculum for Broad Understanding and Practical Experience

This proposed curriculum aims to provide students with a deeper understanding of Electrical and Computer Engineering concepts, early hands-on experiences, and flexibility in choosing their areas of focus. It also incorporates alternative semester options, interdisciplinary studies, and opportunities for studying abroad. The goal is to motivate students, bridge the gap between theory and practice, and prepare them for the global economy.

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Revised Electrical and Computer Engineering Curriculum for Broad Understanding and Practical Experience

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  1. Outline • Motivation and Curriculum Goals • Overall Structure of Proposed Curriculum • What is in the two new courses? • Transition Plan

  2. Background/Broader Motivation • Global economy and opportunities. • Study abroad. • Alternative semesters. • Engineering as a “liberal arts” education. • Interdisciplinary/Combine with other disciplines. • Other disciplines study engineering – minors. • Transition to learn how to learn balanced with a knowledge of a particular body of knowledge. • ECE as a discipline is broader than ever. • Sources: NAE, Association of American Universities, Al Soyster, Provost Director, Other Writers, Students, Faculty, Other Curricula.

  3. From New York Time: Why Science Majors Change Their Minds (It’s Just So Darn Hard) By CHRISTOPHER DREW Published: November 4, 2011 • Other deterrents are the tough freshman classes, typically followed by two years of fairly abstract courses leading to a senior research or design project. “It’s dry and hard to get through, so if you can create an oasis in there, it would be a good thing,” says Dr. Goldberg, who retired last year as an engineering professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is now an education consultant. He thinks the president’s chances of getting his 10,000 engineers is “essentially nil.” • In September, the Association of American Universities, which represents 61 of the largest research institutions, announced a five-year initiative to encourage faculty members in the STEM fields to use more interactive teaching techniques. • Literature on USC web site. http://www.ece.neu.edu/edsnu/mcgruer/USC/

  4. Some Goals of the Revised Curriculum • Students understand connections among a broad range of Electrical and Computer Engineering concepts. • Provide early, integrated, hands-on courses to motivate students, make connections within ECE, help students choose area of focus, and improve coop preparation. • Not survey courses, real ECE content, Sophomore/Freshman year. Provide breadth to the ECE curriculum. • Ensure depth with level 2 electives. • Offer flexibility, including option for an alternative semester experience. • Students can tailor program to interests. • Semester Abroad. • Build a curriculum that can be modified easily in the future. (Fewer required courses in particular semesters.) • Reduce # of credits.

  5. Curriculum Structures Current and Proposed

  6. Current Curricular Structure, BSCE Capstone ECE Tech. Electives General Electives CE Core Freshman Eng. Math Science Writing Arts, Hum., S.S. 32 four-credit courses = 128 credits + 10 one-credit extras = 138 credits

  7. Possible New Curricular Structure, BSCE ECE Advanced Elec. Capstone ECE Tech. Electives ECE Level 1 Electives CE Fundamentals General Electives ECE Broad Intro. Freshman Eng. Math Science Writing Arts, Hum., S.S. 32 four-credit courses = 128 credits + ? ECE Tech. Electives can be EE Fundamentals, Level 1 or Level 2 ECE Electives.

  8. Courses in the New Curiculum

  9. New BS in ECE +5 General Electives, + 2-3 Technical Electives (Can include CE Fundamentals, Level 1 Electives or Advanced Electives) Capstone I Capstone II 2 Capstone 2 Advanced Electives Electronics II Wireless Communication Real Time Embedded Systems 2 Level 1 ECE Electives Electronics I Discrete Time Signal Processing Communication Systems Embedded Systems Computer Architecture Computer Networks Power and Energy 3/6 ECE Fundamentals EE Fundamentals Electromagnetics EE Fundamentals Cir./Electronics EE Fundamentals Signals/Systems ECE Fund. Comp. Organization CE Fundamentals Algorithms CE Fundamentals Software 2 Broad Introductory ECE Intro. I Biomedical Circuits and Signals ECE Intro. II CE, Networks 1 or 2 Freshman Engineering Freshman Engineering I Freshman Engineering II

  10. Example Broad Introductory ECE Course Biomedical Circuits and Signals

  11. Example Unit: Electrocardiogram (EKG) measurements: Students build and test a multi-stage differential amplifier on a prototyping breadboard and then measure their own EKG signal by attaching electrodes to their forearms or chest EKG Signal from a student (actual): R T P S Q • To understand the signals, they must first understand some basic “biology.” • - Anatomy of the heart • - electrophysiology of the heart • - ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’ EKG signals

  12. ECE concepts involved in doing this lab: • How do I isolate and amplify the EKG signal while rejecting noise? • Operational amplifiers • Differential amplifier circuits • input/output impedance considerations • multi-stage instrumentation amplifier configurations • common mode rejection ratio • Frequency content of the signal • Fourier transforms, power spectral density • - matching the frequency response of the amplifier • - Active filters vs. passive filters • How do I get the amplified EKG signal into a computer? • - Embedded systems • - Data acquisition, analog-to-digital conversion • - Sampling rate, Nyquist rate, ADC bit-depth, sources of ADC noise • Programming automated data acquisition (Matlab) • What information can I extract (process) from the EKG signal once I have acquired it? • signal filtering • automatic extraction of heart rate • automatic detection of electrophysiological abnormalities • such as AV heart block, ectopic beats, flutter, fibrillation etc. • on (hopefully) simulated data

  13. Draft: EECE 2408, Biomedical Circuits and Signals Course Charter A combined lecture/laboratory course in which students learn elements of circuit theory, signal processing, and MATLAB programming, and apply their knowledge to build an EKG system that acquires and processes signals from the heart. In the circuits area, the course introduces the basic device and signal models and the basic circuit laws used in the study of linear circuits. The course proceeds to the analysis of resistive and complex impedance networks including the Thevenin and Norton theorems. Op-amp circuits are studied using the ideal operational amplifier model with a particular emphasis on differential amplifiers and active filter circuits. In the signal processing area, the course introduces the basic concepts of linearity, time-invariance, causality, and stability for both continuous and discrete time systems. The course proceeds with impulse response and the Fourier transform followed by the sampling theorem and conversion techniques from analog to digital signals. Finally, discrete-time linear filter design and application is demonstrated on the acquired signals in the MATLAB environment.

  14. Credit hours: 4 SH, Prerequisites: GE 1111 or Equivalent Textbooks: Ulaby and Maharbiz, NTS Press; Schaum’s Outline of Signals and Systems 2nd Edition, by Hwei Hsu, McGraw-Hill, 2010 Optional Reference Books: Signals and Systems 2nd Edition, by A. Oppenheim, and A. Willsky with S. Nawab. Prentice Hall, 1997 Topics Covered: 1. R, L, C, sources, Kirchoff’s Laws 2. Thevenin and Norton equivalent circuits 3. Complex impedance 4. System properties including linearity, time invariance, stability, and causality 5. Impulse response, Fourier Transform, frequency response introduction 6. Sampling and interpolation to transition between continuous and discrete time 7. Linear filters, design and analysis 8. Basic neuron physiology, sources of biopotentials, nervous system organization and the cardiac cycle. Analysis of EKG signals. Normal and abnormal frequency content of EKG signals. 9. Design, build, characterize and test a differential amplifier circuit, in the particular context of EKG 10. Design signal processing algorithms to identify EKG signal features

  15. EECE 2409: Smart Home EngineeringCourse CharterTHIS IS JUST A PROPOSAL! A combined lecture/laboratory course in which students learn elements of digital logic design, networking, and software design that will enable students to build Smart Home subsystems. In the design area, the course introduces the basics of combinational and sequential logic, including the implementation of finite state machines that can control lighting and major appliances. The course also introduced programming that allows the students to interface to the real world and move signals from the analog domain to digital environments. Finally, the 5-layer network stack model is studied using the network home system to explore how to manage a distributed network at different levels of abstraction. Networking coverage will include: (need input from networking faculty). The course proceeds with connecting subsystems to purposefully illustrate the power of subsystem specification and system integration.

  16. Credit hours: 4 SH, Prerequisites: GE 1111 or equivalent • Textbooks: TBD • Optional Reference Books: TBD • Topics Covered: 1. Logic components 2. Truth tables and minimization 3. Complex combination circuits 4. Sequential circuits 5. Finite state machines 6. Software requirements and specification 7. Network programming 8. (4-5 Networking topics)

  17. Transition Plan, First Year • Teach the Biomedical Circuits and Signals course next fall in place of the circuits course. • Consequences for the rest of the curriculum: • Electronics I in 2013 is now circuits and electronics. • Electronics II will not go quite as far as the current Electronics II. • More student exposure to MATLAB. • More coverage of signals. • More student programming experience. • Option to teach CE introductory course as elective.

  18. Transition Plan, Second Year • Teach both broad introductory courses. • Begin teaching some of the fundamentals courses in spring 2014. • Full compliment of fundamentals courses fall 2014. • Electives subsequently modified as necessary to achieve level 1/level 2 depth. • For example, fundamentals of circuits and electronics > electronics > electronic design.

  19. Extra Reference Slides

  20. ECE with First Broad Introductory Course in the Freshman Year

  21. Current Curricular Structure, BSEE Capstone ECE Tech. Electives General Electives EE Core Freshman Eng. Math Science Writing Arts, Hum., S.S. 32 four-credit courses = 128 credits + 10 one-credit extras = 138 credits

  22. Possible New Curricular Structure, BSEE ECE Advanced Elec. Capstone ECE Tech. Electives ECE Level 1 Electives EE Fundamentals General Electives ECE Broad Intro. Freshman Eng. Math Science Writing Arts, Hum., S.S. 32 four-credit courses = 128 credits + ? ECE Tech. Electives can be CE Fundamentals, Level 1 or Level 2 ECE Electives. Probability?

  23. New BSEE with one course in Freshman Year ECE Advanced Elec. Capstone ECE Tech. Electives ECE Level 1 Electives EE Fundamentals 3/6 General Electives ECE Broad Intro. Freshman Eng. Math Science Writing Arts, Hum., S.S. 32 four-credit courses = 128 credits + ? ECE Tech. Electives can be CE Fundamentals, Level 1 or Level 2 ECE Electives.

  24. New BS in EE +5 General Electives + 2-3 ECE Technical Electives (Can include CE Fundamentals, Level 1 Electives or Advanced Electives) Capstone I Capstone I Capstone II Capstone II 2 Capstone 2 Advanced Electives Electronics II Electronics II Wireless Communication Real Time Embedded Systems 2 Level 1 ECE Electives Electronics I Electronics I Discrete Time Signal Processing Communication Systems Embedded Systems Digital Design Computer Networks Power and Energy 3/4 ECE Fundamentals EE Fundamentals Electromagnetics EE Fundamentals Cir./Electronics EE Fundamentals Signals/Systems ECE Fund. Comp. Architecture 2 Broad Introductory ECE Intro. I Biomedical ECE ECE Intro. II Communications ECE ECE Intro. I Biomedical ECE ECE Intro. II Communications ECE 1 or 2 Freshman Engineering Freshman Engineering I Freshman Engineering II

  25. New BS in CE +5 General Electives + 2-3 ECE Technical Electives (Can include CE Fundamentals, Level 1 Electives or Advanced Electives) Capstone I Capstone I Capstone II Capstone II 2 Capstone 2 Advanced Electives Electronics II Electronics II Wireless Communication Real Time Embedded Systems 2 Level 1 ECE Electives Electronics I Electronics I Discrete Time Signal Processing Communication Systems Embedded Systems Digital Design Computer Networks Power and Energy ECE Fundamentals Comp. Architecture CE Fundamentals Algorithms CE Fundamentals Software 3/3 CE Fundamentals 2 Broad Introductory ECE Intro. I Biomedical ECE ECE Intro. II Communications ECE ECE Intro. I Biomedical ECE ECE Intro. II Communications ECE 1 or 2 Freshman Engineering Freshman Engineering I Freshman Engineering II

  26. ABET material, just for reference. Selected sections, see web site for more details.

  27. From the Association of American Universities Five-Year Initiative for Improving Undergraduate STEM Education DISCUSSION DRAFT Updated October 14, 2011 Some important elements of an effective analytical framework for assessing and improving the quality of undergraduate STEM teaching and learning, particularly in the first two years of college, as drawn from the literature, might be: • Developing learning goals—at the module, course, discipline, and institutional levels, and ensuring that these are linked in a coherent fashion and are measurable. • Engaging students as active participants in learning—including the use of small group activities and other ways of allowing students to form learning communities. • Providing feedback to students in real-time. • Reducing time spent lecturing and increasing use of other instructional methods—including technologies such as clickers and online learning, in addition to other kinds of activities. • Allowing students to engage directly in scientific research—opportunities for research experience in the first two years may be especially important to retention, and such opportunities may exist both inside and outside the classroom. • Developing and utilizing assessment tools—these can be linked back to learning, and ultimately to student success, and can be important at the level of the individual instructor, department, institution, and discipline. • o Using scenarios and real-world examples to teach concepts and problem-solving skills. • o Applying appropriate research techniques to teaching (―scientific teaching‖)—if STEM faculty consciously inquire into the effectiveness of their own teaching, they can use the information they collect to further improve their teaching, allowing them to practice scholarship in the classroom. This is a core component of the activities of the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL), an NSF center for learning and teaching in higher education. • o Considering learning at levels other than the course—from individual learning goals to learning modules to series of courses and entire disciplinary and institutional curricula, courses should not be treated as isolated units, or as necessarily the most important units.

  28. ABET Curiculum Guidance • PROGRAM CRITERIA FOR ELECTRICAL, COMPUTER, • AND SIMILARLY NAMED ENGINEERING PROGRAMS • Lead Society: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers • Cooperating Society for Computer Engineering Programs: CSAB • These program criteria apply to engineering programs that include electrical, electronic, computer, or similar modifiers in their titles. • Curriculum: • The structure of the curriculum must provide both breadth and depth across the range of engineering topics implied by the title of the program. • The program must demonstrate that graduates have: knowledge of probability and statistics, including applications appropriate to the program name and objectives; and knowledge of mathematics through differential and integral calculus, basic sciences, computer science, and engineering sciences necessary to analyze and design complex electrical and electronic devices, software, and systems containing hardware and software components, as appropriate to program objectives. • Programs containing the modifier “electrical” in the title must also demonstrate that graduates have a knowledge of advanced mathematics, typically including differential equations, linear algebra, complex variables, and discrete mathematics. • Programs containing the modifier “computer” in the title must also demonstrate that graduates have a knowledge of discrete mathematics.

  29. ABET Criteria Criterion 5. Curriculum: The professional component must include: (a) one year of a combination of college level mathematics and basic sciences (some with experimental experience) appropriate to the discipline (b) one and one-half years of engineering topics, consisting of engineering sciences and engineering design appropriate to the student's field of study. The engineering sciences have their roots in mathematics and basic sciences but carry knowledge further toward creative application. These studies provide a bridge between mathematics and basic sciences on the one hand and engineering practice on the other. Engineering design is the process of devising a system, component, or process to meet desired needs. It is a decision-making process (often iterative), in which the basic sciences, mathematics, and the engineering sciences are applied to convert resources optimally to meet these stated needs. (c) a general education component that complements the technical content of the curriculum and is consistent with the program and institution objectives. Students must be prepared for engineering practice through a curriculum culminating in a major design experience based on the knowledge and skills acquired in earlier course work and incorporating appropriate engineering standards and multiple realistic constraints.

  30. Combined ECE Major?What would this look like?

  31. Current Curricular Structure, BS EE and CE Capstone ECE Tech. Electives ECE Core Freshman Eng. Math Science Writing Arts, Hum., S.S. 32 four-credit courses = 128 credits + 11 one-credit extras = 139 credits

  32. Possible New Curricular Structure, BS EE and CE ECE Advanced Elec. Capstone ECE Tech. Electives ECE Level 1 Electives ECE Fund. 4/6* General Electives ?? ECE Broad Intro. Freshman Eng. Math Science Writing Arts, Hum., S.S. 32 four-credit courses = 128 credits + ? ECE Tech. Electives can be EE Fundamentals, Level 1 or Level 2 ECE Electives. *2 EE, 2 CE.

  33. Some Questions • Do we want EE and CE or ECE? In what form? • How do we phase in the changes? Can we pilot the first two courses (or maybe just one of them freshman year)? • What about ABET? • When does this happen? • When can changes to the freshman year happen?

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