Session F3H
Work in Progress - A Balanced, Freshman-first Computer Engineering Curriculum Russell Meier 1, Steven L. Barnicki 2, William Barnekow 3, and Eric Durant 4
Index Terms – Degree programs, Skills development, EE courses and labs
suggested an unbalanced curriculum that was encouraging migration rather than retention. Finally, a third factor that motivated the curriculum review was feedback from the computer engineering industrial advisory committee -- representing the regional and national companies that regularly hire MSOE computer engineering graduates. The committee strongly agreed that the quality of the graduates was excellent but consistently suggested adding formal training in the softer skills of teamwork and globalization as well as strengthening the technical skills of computer networking and deepening the already strong technical skills in the design of embedded systems.
MOTIVATING A CURRICULUM REVISION
NEW CURRICULUM DESIGN PRINCIPLES
The Computer Engineering faculty at MSOE began a systematic, two-year review of the Computer Engineering curriculum in 2004. The review was motivated by a number of factors. First, assessment data revealed problems in course placement. The assessment strategy for each course contains prerequisite quizzing and instructor feedback statements. Both of these tools revealed large time gaps in the study of computer hardware. For example, introductory digital logic was taught during the second quarter of the sophomore year. Yet, the material was not used rigorously as prerequisite until the study of computer architecture in the winter quarter of the junior year. The gap frustrated students because the prerequisite quiz was often a devastating grade that would immediately de-motivate them. For faculty, the feedback statements suggested that they were spending an average of more than one week reviewing prerequisite material -unacceptable in a 10-week quarter system. The study of software analysis and design did not experience the same time gaps suggesting that the current curriculum was not appropriately balanced between software and hardware. Second, retention data for the transition between the first and second academic years showed that computer engineering was experiencing a large migration of students out of the major. Faculty advisors reported a variety of factors leading to degree migration, but one factor was consistently reported: migrating students were frustrated because they had only experienced computer programming and had not completed any computer hardware design. Again, these anecdotal statements from students and faculty advisors
The new curriculum was designed using two key principles: topical balance and freshman-first. The result is a curriculum that systematically balances the study of computer engineering across all four years in an effort to recruit and retain students. The report of the IEEE/ACM Joint Task Force on Computer Engineering Curricula guided the design [1]. The topical balance principle required that each academic quarter must contain one course in computer software, one course in computer hardware, one course in math or science, and one course in communications or the humanities and social sciences. Some quarters required more than one course from math or science in order to finish the required credits for graduation however the balance between software and hardware was never compromised. The freshman-first principle shifted core content of the curriculum down from upper-class years to the freshman year. This was extremely controversial among the faculty. One group of faculty felt that first year students would not fully appreciate and study the material to the depth required. The other group felt that first year courses such as calculus, computer programming, and physics are just as hard as the computer engineering core topics. Thus, if students are expected to achieve a depth of knowledge in those courses, they could certainly achieve the depth of knowledge in the computer engineering core topics. Finally, the report from the IEEE/ACM Joint Task Force on Computer Engineering Curricula suggested that balancing introductory, intermediate, and advanced coursework across all four years provides a well-rounded curriculum [2].
Abstract – A freshman-first Computer Engineering curriculum replaced a more conventional curriculum at the Milwaukee School of Engineering in academic year 2006-2007. The new curriculum was designed around two key principles: topical balance and freshman-first. The result is a curriculum that balances the core computer engineering topics throughout all four academic years and addresses curricular issues discovered through the collection of ABET materials.
1
Russell Meier, Associate Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Milwaukee School of Engineering,
[email protected] Steven L. Barnicki, Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Milwaukee School of Engineering,
[email protected] 3 William Barnekow, Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Milwaukee School of Engineering,
[email protected] 4 Eric Durant, Assistant Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Milwaukee School of Engineering,
[email protected] 2
1-4244-1084-3/07/$25.00 ©2007 IEEE October 10 – 13, 2007, Milwaukee, WI 37th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference F3H-17
Session F3H The freshman-first approach was implemented by shifting digital logic design along with the study of hardware description languages into the freshman year. Students now begin introductory computer programming and hardware design in the first year and continue to study core content in the balanced approach through the fourth year. Two courses were created to address the industrial advisory committee feedback. The first course is a dedicated course in teamwork and leadership skills and is focused on the importance of these skills in the global marketplace. The second course is a course on applied servant leadership and the importance of engineering as a global community endeavor. This course will include fieldwork in the Milwaukee and Chicago metropolitan areas. These courses will be developed and taught in cooperation with the faculty in humanities and social sciences.
TABLE 2 COMPUTER ENGINEERING 3.0 SOPHOMORE YEAR FRESHMAN YEAR Course Course Title Fall Winter Spring CE-2800 Embedded Systems Software 1 3-3-4 EE-2060 Linear Circuits 2 3-3-4 MA-235 Differential Equations for Engineers 4-0-4 PH-230 Physics of Electricity and Magnetism 3-3-4
THE CURRICULUM AT A GLANCE
The tables for the remaining two years will be presented during the conference presentation. In addition to maintaining the balance of computer hardware and computer software, the final two years continue to address the comments from the industrial advisory committee. First, the already strong embedded systems training is increased from three required classes to four required classes. Second, computer networking is strengthened by the addition of a second required course. Finally, the softer skills are enhanced by retaining required courses in organizational psychology and engineering ethics while adding a course in applied servant leadership.
The first and second years of the new curriculum are shown in Tables 1 and 2. The tables identify courses by number, title, and credit count. For example, CE1900 is the first course in digital logic design with two lecture hours and two lab hours completed each week for 10 weeks to earn three quarter credits. TABLE I COMPUTER ENGINEERING 3.0 FRESHMAN YEAR FRESHMAN YEAR Course Course Title Fall Winter Spring SE-1010 Software Development 1 2-2-3 MA-136 Calculus for Engineers 1 4-0-4 EN-131 Composition 3-0-3 HU-100 Contemporary Issues 3-0-3 OR-100 Freshman Orientation 1-0-0 MS-221 Microeconomics 3-0-3 CE-1900 SE-1020 MA-137 PH-110 EN-132
Combinational Logic Software Development 2 Calculus for Engineers 2 Physics of Mechanics Technical Composition
CE-1910 CS-2851 EE-2050 MA-231 EN-241
Sequential Logic Data Structures Linear Circuits 1 Calculus for Engineers 3 Speech
2-2-3 2-2-3 4-0-4 3-2-4 3-0-3 2-2-3 2-2-3 3-2-4 4-0-4 2-2-3
Note how the principles of balance and freshman-first have been applied. Starting in the winter quarter of the first year, students in computer engineering balance software, hardware, math/science, and communication or humanities/social sciences. As stated previously, each quarter has a repetition from at least one of the areas in order to complete required credit counts for graduation. For example, the first year winter quarter and the second year spring quarter have two classes from math/science. Note that the second year first quarter has only four classes – allowing students a flex quarter to make up a class they dropped or failed in the first year.
CE-2810 EE-2070 EE-210 MA-230 OR-2000
Embedded Systems Software 2 Linear Circuits 3 Electronic Device / Computer Interfacing Discrete Mathematics Leadership and Teamwork
CE-2930 SE-2890 MA-232 PH-220 HU/SS
Computer Architecture Software Engineering Practices Calculus for Engineers IV Physics of Heat, Wave Motion, Optics Humanities or Social Science Elective
2-2-3 3-0-3 3-3-4 4-0-4 0-2-1 3-2-4 2-2-3 3-0-3 3-2-4 3-0-3
CONCLUSION AND STATUS The curriculum revision addresses the concerns discovered during the review of the old curriculum. First, prerequisites are reinforced from quarter to quarter without long gaps in time. Second, computer hardware is introduced alongside computer software. This balances the approach to core topics by providing a more comprehensive pedagogy for all academic years. Finally, dedicated courses have been added to deepen and strengthen core topic coverage and introduce formal training in soft skills. The first freshman class to enter the new curriculum began in academic year 2006-2007. The conference presentation will include an update on retention data as well as anecdotal feedback from students and faculty regarding the success of the first year. REFERENCES [1]
McGettrick, A., Theys, M. D., Soldan, D.L., and Srimani, P.K., “Computer Engineering Curriculum in the New Millenium”, IEEE Transactions on Education, Vol. 46, No. 4, November 2003, pp 456-462
[2]
Joint Task Force on Computer Engineering Curricula: IEEE Computer Society/Association for Computing Machinery, “Computer Engineering 2004: Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Computer Engineering”, http://www.eng.auburn.edu/ece/CCCE/, pp. 30-31
1-4244-1084-3/07/$25.00 ©2007 IEEE October 10 – 13, 2007, Milwaukee, WI 37th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference F3H-18
