Distance learning over the past several years has gained in popularity not only as a way to offer instruction in locations without local expertise, but also as a cost effective method where limited enrollment at one location would not nonnally warrant offering the course. In engineering technology programs, where most courses have a laboratory component, distance leaming offers many new challenges in course delivery. This paper will discuss the authors' experiences with distance learning in two electrical engineering technology courses, each with a laboratory component. One course offered via the Indiana Higher Education Telecommunication System (IHETS) used oneway video and two-way audio for the lecture. The professor lectured to sixteen students locally, and to two remote sites with three and five students, respectively. Each remote site had a laboratory instructor who was a member of the faculty at that campus, but neither were familiar with the subject matter prior to the course offering. Due to scheduling conflicts, the involvement of the coordinators was quite different. One instructor had another class to teach during the lecture broadcast, while the other attended the lectures and completed many of the assignments.A second scenario involving distance learning is using video taped lectures with remote laboratory instructors. We present two models here. In one case, the lab was taught by an instructor who had taught the lab at the originating site. In the other case, the instructor had some knowledge of the material, but no experience with the laboratory exercises.We will make several suggestions on ways to improve the delivery of both the lecture and local offering of the laboratory of a distance course.
The need for qualified individuals to perform as antenna design engineers in the industrial community has become critical. It was determined through conversations with various antenna and RF company representatives there was a need for "application orientated" university graduates in this area. Therefore, the Electrical Engineering Technology department at Purdue University took on the challenge to create graduates to fill this niche. The paper is focused on the design/analysis techniques required for various antenna types, specifically microstrip patch, dipole and helical, which can then be expanded to include many other types of antennas in the future. It was necessary to initially focus on antenna types that could be easily fabricated by the students in a laboratory environment. The paper is limited to the discussion of the following items for the microstrip patch antenna, due to paper length considerations: (1) Background information, design parameters and limitations, feeding methods, electromagnetic field modes, and the mathematical methods required to accomplish the design. (2) Simulation methods and results based on the Ansoft HFSS simulation software. (3) The fabrication methods utilized to create the physical antenna. (4) The test methods used to verify the antenna's operating parameters using the Hewlett-Packard 8753D RF vector network analyzer. (5) The analysis results comparing the design, simulation and actual measurements. The results obtained from this endeavor have proven to be of solid instructional value without the expense of purchasing a half-million dollar antenna test system. This method could potentially be of benefit to many other engineering technology programs.
Assembly language programming and its relationship to the microcomputer architecture poses a significant new challenge to the Electrical Engineering Technology student. Although the hardware and software concepts in an introductory microprocessor course are usually straightforward, the development of the skills required to achieve a solid understanding of them are not. The personal computer is an ideal instrument that can be used to deliver a training tool that would be very effective in developing their understanding of microcomputer architecture and its relationship to assembly language programming. The intent of this project was to develop a "windows" based "point and click" learning tool that utilizes graphics, animation and text. Then integrate the tool into introductory microprocessor course where it would finction as a "personal" instructor for each student.
He has also been actively involved in the ASEE and IEEE holding various positions over the last 10 years.
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