Work in progress - studio-based signals and systems

Abstract

Signals and Systems is a course that is taught virtually at every engineering school in the USA using very traditional lecture/exam techniques. Although various instructors have augmented their class with Web-based demonstrations and labs, the focus has not been on inquire-based methodologies. In this project, the University of St. Thomas' Signals and Systems course is being totally redesigned to make it much more inquiry-based. As part of this project, we rethought the content and methodology resulting in a totally new class that covers the traditional subjects in an exploratory way. New 'lectures' developed for the class directly incorporate hands-on computer use during the class using a studio format. These new exercises are a hallmark of the revised course that was taught in Fall 2004. Evaluations and recommendations from that class will shape future offerings