The New First Year ECE Course: EE 401

by Jennifer Bernhard

In the fall of 1996, the ECE Department offered EE 401 Perspectives in Electrical and Computer Engineering for the first time. The course is designed to initiate the development of students’ professional skills including basic problem solving, communication, and time-management. It also provides a context for the electrical engineering curriculum and introduces students to the broad scope of electrical engineering activities.

Prof. Kraft, Prof. Chamberlin, and I each taught a three week major module of the course. Prof. Kraft’s module discussed Career Paths in ECE and First Principles of ECE. The goals of this module were (1) to introduce the students to the variety of electrical and computer engineering careers, (2) to spark student interest in ECE by "hands-on" demonstrations of fundamental principles and concepts, and (3) to develop the basic vocabulary of ECE terms.

Prof. Chamberlin’s module dealt with Engineering Analysis and Evaluation. The objective was to have students become familiar with the concept of quantitative thinking by analyzing and evaluating data that were not highly technical in nature. For example, the students were asked to assign final grades for a fictitious class, evaluate information given in a low-tech presentation, and assess the total monthly cost to operate a vehicle. The idea behind this module is that, by learning how to think quantitatively about concepts they already understand, students will be able to apply the same type of thinking later to concepts that are more abstract.

Finally, my module focused on Electrical Systems. The first goal of this module was to develop students’ abilities to analyze systems and devices in terms of input, processing, and output stages. The second objective was to provide motivation for sophomore courses in both analog and digital circuits through a hands-on experience with electrical components. (Each student constructed a siren circuit from a kit and analyzed the circuit in terms of input, processing, and output stages.) At the end of the semester, students each chose a common electrical device, analyzed it in terms of its input, processing, and output stages, and made a brief (three minute) presentation to the class.

Between the major modules, smaller modules (one-two lecture periods) presented a variety of topics, ideas, and perspectives. For instance, Prof. Nahin illustrated the "back of the envelope" process by guiding students through calculations of things they didn’t know...such as the weight of the human soul and how much blood there is in the world! Prof. Messner gave a demonstration on the evolution of computer technology, and Prof. Glanz led a heated discussion with the students about issues in engineering ethics. To acquaint the students with the faculty on a more personal level, each student interviewed a faculty member and wrote a short faculty profile.

At the end of the semester, the students evaluated the entire course and provided feedback on its content and organization. A large majority of the students thought that the course was worthwhile and the computer and analysis skills that they learned in EE 401 will help them throughout their college careers.

From my perspective as course coordinator, I think that the most valuable part of the EE 401 experience was the establishment of an ECE "community" among first-year students that would otherwise be formed only in the second or third years of study. This sense of community resulted in the formation of informal study groups (often in the IEEE lounge), increased first-year student participation in IEEE and ECE Department events, and earlier and more extensive use of the ECE Department’s computer cluster by first-year students. I also observed that the EE 401 community often helped students persist through the daunting first-year curriculum of calculus, physics, and computer science when they may have otherwise considered a change in majors or colleges.

Of course, it is much too early to tell how much of a lasting effect EE 401 has on our students’ experience and motivation. However, the feedback we have received so far indicates that we’re moving in the right direction. I welcome all of your questions, suggestions, and comments on EE 401.