An Experiment to Enhance Signals and Systems Learning by Using Technology Based Teaching Strategies

Abstract

An Experiment to enhance Signals and Systems learning by using technology based teaching strategiesThe University of Texas at El Paso teamed with the "Signal Processing Education Network," (SPEN), which consists of academic, industry and professional community. SPEN, an NSFsponsored effort, is based on four technologies: Connexions, interactive simulation tools, Quadbase question/answer system and OpenStax Tutor. It seeks to develop materials that allow educators to break away from traditional textbook-lecture-homework education, and create a new framework based on an engaged community of educators, students, and industry professionals that continuously collaborate, improve and explore interactive content. The initial effort focuses on one strategic subdiscipline in electrical engineering, signal processing, but the framework can be applied to engineering education at all levels: high school, university (undergraduate and graduate) as well as continuing education.During the Fall 2012 and Spring 2013 semesters, UTEP implemented the use of Connexions, interactive examples, Quadbase system, and OpenStax Tutor in a sophomore course on Continuous-Time Signals and Systems. We organized existing material pertinent to the course into learning modules, created problems with associated solutions in Quadbase and developed interactive simulations in Mathematica to help students more effectively learn concepts with which they had difficulties. In addition, we used the assessment system provided by OpenStax Tutor to track and evaluate students' progress.OpenStax Tutor facilitates the instructors' work by automatically grading student work and exporting the grades to a spreadsheet. It also provides statistics of students' performance, e.g., reporting the time taken to complete specific assignments. These statistics enable assessment of overall class performance as the semester progresses.The feedback from students, gathered through a modified version of the SALG instrument, demonstrated that they enjoyed and learned the material better by using technology tools. The assessment of the learning gains of students in the Fall 2012 and Spring 2013 semester demonstrated an increase in the assessed learning outcomes compared to the Summer 2012 semester, where the tools were not used.The use of technology tools can address multiple situations in engineering education: limited opportunity for active learning; limited opportunity for laboratory activities that are interesting or relate to students' ideas about their "real world"; lack of interactive learning demos; textbooks providing limited connections among topics; development of textbooks and course materials limited to a small number of authors; and rising textbook costs that present a financial burden for students, especially low-income students.

Measure Bode Plots in 5 Minutes

“…Because it is so easy to use, it can be implemented in hands-on take-home labs for undergraduate electrical engineering courses to enhance students' learning and retention [5]- [13]. The lower barrier to entry for these measurements using the AD2 means that the Bode Plot can become a common place characterization tool for all circuits that students construct.…”

In-Class Laboratory Exercises to Improve a Signals and Systems Course

“…Such courses provide an introduction to the concepts of signal operations, classifications of signals and systems, time-domain analysis of continuous-time systems, Laplace transform, Fourier analysis, sampling and discrete-time signal analysis. Courses in signals and systems are based on complex, abstract, theoretical, and mathematical concepts that are hard for many undergraduate engineering students to fully understand [1][2][3][4] . Typical pedagogy involves theory with lectures and readings, mathematical homework, and exercises with computer simulations.…”

“…The concepts are difficult for the students to visualize. Most students have no conscious personal experience with these phenomena [1][2][3][4] .…”