Lessons learned from the application of online homework generation modules in a signals and systems course

Abstract

Online engineering education tools present students with flexible access to local/distance learning resources and offer an opportunity to maintain student engagement via the use of dynamic interfaces. This paper addresses lessons learned from the creation and use of online homework generation modules in an electrical engineering signals and systems course. The nine modules address complex number calculations, complex conversions, signal graphing, zero input response, unit impulse response, Fourier series, and fast Fourier transforms. The primary goal was to create an innovative and engaging set of online learning experiences that would allow faculty to assess the transfer of mathematical knowledge from calculus and differential equations courses to subsequent electrical engineering courses. These modules offer student specific problem generation and automatic grading, where the latter accelerates the feedback cycle and provides tool scalability to large numbers of students. The tools are easily upgradable and offer the opportunity to track, through a database, elements of the student learning process that often go unrecorded but yield a rich data set for correlating performance on related subjects in current, previous, or subsequent semesters. The modules have been employed nine semesters to date, and student survey data from these experiences supplement data stored in the database files and data recorded from written examinations. Student reactions to these tools have been generally positive, where the ease of answer entry plays a large role in the experience. Quantitative correlations between module scores, grades on written examinations, and performance in previous mathematics courses have demonstrated variable clarity, but qualitative assessments of the technology-facilitated environment point to a clear increase in student learning and engagement. Instructor benefits are apparent with regard to grading time saved, grading consistency, confidence in student accountability for work submitted, and information regarding when/where students work that is difficult to obtain any other way.