Work in progress - student-driven extended mini-cases for EE service courses

Abstract

Modern electrical engineering services courses for the other engineering majors have expanded beyond simply providing coverage of basic electrical topics to prepare students for the FE exam. These junior and senior students soon afterwards will also be applying electrical concepts for instrumentation and measurement within their other engineering courses. In Fall 07, 65 civil and architectural students in an EE service course identified the need for mini-cases in the areas of resistance strain gauges, transducers involving capacitors, power systems, and amplifiers. In Spring 08, 125 mechanical and aerospace engineering students in another EE service course focused on force measurements using Wheatstone bridges, digital position encoders, EPROM-based lookup tables, and electronic controllers. A block of material on electrical circuits is common between the two courses. Student-driven mini-cases are being prepared during the summer for class testing during Fall 08, and others will be developed in the fall for Spring 09. Results including student assessments for several of these mini-cases will be reported at FIE 08. Preliminary mini-case details on distinct materials covered in the separate service courses will also be available at FIE 08.