This paper presents the use of numerical simulation tools developed in MATLAB and Simulink for the design and implementation of an undergraduate course, introducing students to the path planning and trajectory tracking of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). The course is part of an aerospace engineering emphasis area; however, with minimal flight dynamics background, it is beneficial to students in related disciplines relevant to UAVs. The major classes of UAV path generation and trajectory tracking algorithms are introduced. Significant design issues and their implications are discussed and illustrated through numerical simulation. Course assignments use active and experiential learning approaches encouraging student creativity and initiative. They involve investigating algorithm alternatives and UAV diverse operational conditions beyond nominal, including control surface failures and adverse atmospheric phenomena. Students are required to solve open-ended problems and design, execute, and analyze simulation experiments in the process. Direct assessment by the instructor and student feedback confirm that advanced numerical simulation increases student motivation and facilitates learning. It represents an effective support for active and experiential learning methodologies.
Main Content
Volume 13
Modeling COVID-19 disruptions via network mapping of the Common Core Mathematics Standards
A unique method for promoting reflection among engineering students was used in the present study involving a digital circuits course. The method combined computer-based simulation for digital circuit design with reflective-thought prompts after a midterm exam for post-exam analysis and reflection. This method was first implemented in a microelectronics course using the SPICE simulator. Lessons learned from the initial implementation were applied to the digital circuits course. These lessons learned included the need to scaffold students in the use of the simulation tool for reflection, the need to balance frequency of reflection with student workload and fatigue, and question prompts that voluntarily elicit broad thought after a milestone event such as a midterm exam (versus a quiz). Using a published depth rubric, the assessment results found increased depth of reflection in the present course relative to the initial implementation in microelectronics. Specifically, there were increases in depth of reflection after the midterm exam in the present course versus the midterm exam and two quizzes in the microelectronics course. The increases in depth were significant relative to the quizzes. There was also an increase in the relative occurrence of broad reflections in the present course, with significant differences compared to the quizzes. Although significant differences were not found in the final exam averages based on depth of reflection after the midterm exam or participation in this reflection, results from a follow-up survey several months after the course ended indicated benefit for students. Specifically, 80% of those who competed the reflection exercise indicated a high or very high perceived benefit from doing so. Of the approximately 50% who chose not to complete the reflection exercise, the primary reasons were identified via the follow-up survey. Findings from this work align with and add to the developing literature on student reactions to reflection.
Integrating Computer Science across Wyoming’s K-12 Curriculum from Inception to Implementation: Analysis Using Systems Theory
A unique method for promoting reflection among engineering students was used in the present study involving a digital circuits course. The method combined computer-based simulation for digital circuit design with reflective-thought prompts after a midterm exam for post-exam analysis and reflection. This method was first implemented in a microelectronics course using the SPICE simulator. Lessons learned from the initial implementation were applied to the digital circuits course. These lessons learned included the need to scaffold students in the use of the simulation tool for reflection, the need to balance frequency of reflection with student workload and fatigue, and question prompts that voluntarily elicit broad thought after a milestone event such as a midterm exam (versus a quiz). Using a published depth rubric, the assessment results found increased depth of reflection in the present course relative to the initial implementation in microelectronics. Specifically, there were increases in depth of reflection after the midterm exam in the present course versus the midterm exam and two quizzes in the microelectronics course. The increases in depth were significant relative to the quizzes. There was also an increase in the relative occurrence of broad reflections in the present course, with significant differences compared to the quizzes. Although significant differences were not found in the final exam averages based on depth of reflection after the midterm exam or participation in this reflection, results from a follow-up survey several months after the course ended indicated benefit for students. Specifically, 80% of those who competed the reflection exercise indicated a high or very high perceived benefit from doing so. Of the approximately 50% who chose not to complete the reflection exercise, the primary reasons were identified via the follow-up survey. Findings from this work align with and add to the developing literature on student reactions to reflection.
Implementation of Lessons Learned to Simulation-Based Reflection in a Digital Circuits Course
A unique method for promoting reflection among engineering students was used in the present study involving a digital circuits course. The method combined computer-based simulation for digital circuit design with reflective-thought prompts after a midterm exam for post-exam analysis and reflection. This method was first implemented in a microelectronics course using the SPICE simulator. Lessons learned from the initial implementation were applied to the digital circuits course. These lessons learned included the need to scaffold students in the use of the simulation tool for reflection, the need to balance frequency of reflection with student workload and fatigue, and question prompts that voluntarily elicit broad thought after a milestone event such as a midterm exam (versus a quiz). Using a published depth rubric, the assessment results found increased depth of reflection in the present course relative to the initial implementation in microelectronics. Specifically, there were increases in depth of reflection after the midterm exam in the present course versus the midterm exam and two quizzes in the microelectronics course. The increases in depth were significant relative to the quizzes. There was also an increase in the relative occurrence of broad reflections in the present course, with significant differences compared to the quizzes. Although significant differences were not found in the final exam averages based on depth of reflection after the midterm exam or participation in this reflection, results from a follow-up survey several months after the course ended indicated benefit for students. Specifically, 80% of those who competed the reflection exercise indicated a high or very high perceived benefit from doing so. Of the approximately 50% who chose not to complete the reflection exercise, the primary reasons were identified via the follow-up survey. Findings from this work align with and add to the developing literature on student reactions to reflection.
Generating a Classroom Pulse from Active Windows on Student Computers
With technology embedded in an increasing number of educational contexts, it is prudent to identify ways in which instructors can leverage technology to benefit their pedagogical practices. The purpose of this study was to determine if information about students’ active windows on their personal computers could provide actionable information to inform real-time instructional interventions and post-lecture reflection on practices. The active window approach mitigates issues with prior data collection methods and provides an opportunity to capture complete, real-time student computer usage without the need to install spyware. Based on observing 68 first-year engineering students and 32 second-year engineering students in large engineering lectures, we generated error rates of 4.28% with a 95% confidence interval of [2.81%, 6.04%] in a structured computer use course setting and 6.89% with [4.42%, 10.17%] in a semi-structured use setting. To illustrate the type of information active window monitoring could provide, we captured active window data from 135 students every 12 seconds for an entire 75-minute lecture. The data was averaged to generate a timeline which provided insight into how students responded to the instructor’s methods. This research has immediate practical implications in course design, instructional strategies, and engineering education research methods.
Mobile Applications to Measure Students’ Engagement in Learning
Evidence-based instruction or active learning is being more widely implemented in college teaching, and there is a need for instructors, evaluators and researchers to quantify their implementation in order to, for example, determine the efficacy of a new instructional technique. Here we introduce a new method for measuring students’ level of engagement with their learning. The method relies on an established and research-based theoretical framework and is built in the form of a mobile application for the two most popular smartphone platforms. Five separate studies presented here establish the fidelity of the method, its ability to measure subtle variations among students within the same class, the students’ patterns of learning during out-of-class study periods, and the versatility of the app to make different measurements of learning in different contexts, including an exploratory examination of the impact of the sudden shift to remote learning prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Use of Open-source Software in Mechatronics and Robotics Engineering Education – Part II : Controller Implementation
This paper is the second part of a two-part study on promoting the use of Open-Source Software (OSS) in Mechatronics and Robotics Engineering (MRE) education. Part I demonstrated the capabilities and limitations of several popular OSS, namely, Python, Java, Modelica, and GNU Octave, in model simulation and analysis of dynamic systems, through a DC motor example. The DC motor was chosen as a representative of a large class of dynamic systems described by linear differential equations. The perceptions of MRE community members about the OSS and their applications, gathered through an online survey, were also presented in Part I. In this paper, another fundamental pillar of MRE systems development, i.e., controller implementation, is considered.
Science Teachers’ Perceptions and Attitudes towards the Integration of Digital books in their Classes
The goal of this paper is to describe the motivation, methodology and results of introducing Active Learning Techniques in a Digital Design course. Digital Design is a four-credit junior level course for electrical and computer-engineering technology majors at Farmingdale State College, State University of New York. The students enrolled in this course have a large range of skills in term of experience with laboratory equipment, computer-based tools, and programming. The course introduces students to VHDL Hardware Description Language as the design entry method for digital circuits and to Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) platforms for the implementation of the digital circuits. Active learning techniques implemented in the course offer students more learning opportunities, potentially improving students’ knowledge and skills in digital design.
Volume 12
Active Learning Techniques in Digital Design Education for Engineering Technology Students
The goal of this paper is to describe the motivation, methodology and results of introducing Active Learning Techniques in a Digital Design course. Digital Design is a four-credit junior level course for electrical and computer-engineering technology majors at Farmingdale State College, State University of New York. The students enrolled in this course have a large range of skills in term of experience with laboratory equipment, computer-based tools, and programming. The course introduces students to VHDL Hardware Description Language as the design entry method for digital circuits and to Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) platforms for the implementation of the digital circuits. Active learning techniques implemented in the course offer students more learning opportunities, potentially improving students’ knowledge and skills in digital design.
Simulation-Based Reflection in a Digital Circuits Course
A unique method for promoting reflection among engineering students was used in the present study involving a digital circuits course. The method combined computer-based simulation for digital circuit design with reflective-thought prompts after a midterm exam for post-exam analysis and reflection. This method was first implemented in a microelectronics course using the SPICE simulator, and lessons learned from the initial implementation were applied to the digital circuits course. These lessons learned included the need to scaffold students in the use of the simulation tool for reflection, the need to balance frequency of reflection with student workload and fatigue, and the need for question prompts that voluntarily elicit broad thought after a milestone event such as a midterm exam (versus a quiz). Using a published depth rubric, the assessment results found increased depth of reflection in the present course relative to the initial implementation in microelectronics. Specifically, there were increases in depth of reflection after the midterm exam in the present course versus the midterm exam and two quizzes in the microelectronics course, and the increases in depth were significant relative to the quizzes. There was also an increase in the relative occurrence of broad reflections in the present course, with significant differences compared to the quizzes. Although significant differences were not found in the final exam averages based on depth of reflection after the midterm exam or participation in this reflection, results from a follow-up survey several months after the course ended indicated benefit for students. Specifically, 80% of those who competed the reflection exercise indicated a high or very high perceived benefit from doing so. Of the approximately 50% who chose not to complete the reflection exercise, the primary reasons were identified via the follow-up survey. Findings from this work align with and add to the developing literature on student reactions to reflection.
Use of Open-source Software in Mechatronics and Robotics Engineering Education – Part I: Model Simulation and Analysis
Open-source Software (OSS) provide attractive solutions for complementing Mechatronics and Robotics Engineering (MRE) education due to their numerous advantages such as free access, customizability and wide community support, increased adoption and utilization in industry, etc. To provide a deeper insight on the current status, limitations, and potentials of the OSS, a summary of the results of an online survey, conducted among various community stakeholders, is included. Furthermore, the two parts of this contribution are intended to provide an exposure to the OSS which have the potential to be used in MRE education. To this end, two specific problems, namely, model simulation and analysis of a DC motor (Part I) and controller implementation for a 2-DOF robot manipulator (Part II), are solved using Python, Java, Modelica, GNU Octave, and Gazebo. The systems chosen for this work are some of the most-commonly encountered systems and the considered problems, i.e. model simulation, analysis, and control implementation, are fundamental problems in the context of MRE. Therefore, this work can help MRE instructors familiar with these OSS to easily integrate them into their respective courses. On the other hand, the students can also greatly benefit from this work as it provides an entry point into applying different OSS in MRE-related courses and projects. Exposure to various ways in which an MRE problem is translated into a software solution enables the students to generalize their problem-solving process across different computational tools. Students equipped with such a skillset would potentially have a flexible mindset and could make well-balanced and informed judgements when devising a solution to a real-world engineering problem. Full code scripts for each of the OSS introduced in this work, along with Matlab which is intended as a point of comparison, are included on the GitHub repository of the paper to provide free access to the community and to help with widespread adoption of the OSS in MRE higher education.
Using MULTISIM software as a replacement or supplement for physical labs
The article presented here demonstrates using MULTISIM as an educational tool to enhance student learning process by discussing the use of MULTISIM for teaching basic electrical circuits consisting of analysis of Series-Parallel Circuits, Superposition Theory, Thevenin Theory and Norton Theory. The article presented here discusses using the software as an aid to check the intermediate steps of hand calculation techniques that must be used if no computer software were being used.
Learning Analytics of Outcomes-Based Engineering Programs’ Data
In the recent years, learning analytics is attracting attention in tertiary education sector. This paper presents a case study of applying learning analytics approaches to discover knowledge from Outcome Based (OB) engineering programs’ data. More specifically, Association Rule Mining approach is applied to a dataset extracted from the Self-Study Reports of 152 engineering programs accredited by American Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET)
COVID-19 Technology Student Success Challenges : Influence of Tools and Strategies
COVID-19 brought rapid and substantial change to course formats as colleges and universities transitioned from on-campus to online instruction to mitigate the spread of the pandemic. While faculty and administrators sought solutions to maintain instructional quality and student success, students endeavored to adapt to the changes.
gruepr, a Software Tool for Optimally Partitioning Students onto Teams
This paper describes a new software tool named gruepr, written in C++ by the author. The code has been released under an open source license, and both the code and compiled binaries with a modern, graphical user interface for Windows and macOS have been made freely available
Teaching Signal Processing Applications using an Android Echolocation App
An Android application that realizes an audible version of echolocation has been implemented. Bundled within the app are videos, notes, problems, and discussion questions, thus creating an “eModule”.
Educational Challenges Presented by COVID-19 at Technical Colleges Offering Aviation Maintenance Technology Program
In mid-March, many schools in the United States were forced to stop teaching in-person classes and switch to an online format due to the COVID-19 pandemic; as a result, teachers had to quickly implement new technologies and instructional strategies in the classroom. This rapid pandemic response especially affected teachers and students in Aviation Maintenance Technology (AMT) programs around the country as AMT instruction is inherently hands-on in nature.
Multi-Year Case Study in Blended Design: Student Experiences in a Blended, Synchronous Distance Controls Course
This case study combines two primary areas of literature, blended learning and synchronous distance instruction. The literature provides various interpretations and definitions of blended learning. We define blended learning as a classroom learning model that integrates in-person and online asynchronous instruction with reduced time in class.